Cohousing as a model for social health: a scoping review

ABSTRACT

Social connections, and the social capital they foster, are important contributors to health, and often occur in the context of housing. Cohousing is one form of housing design often touted as fostering social capital. This scoping review aimed to draw on the social capital theory to examine how cohousing promotes the social health of residents and integrates with existing neighbours. Potential studies were identified from 28 academic databases across public health, architecture and humanities. The literature search was limited to peer-reviewed articles published in the last 10 years in developed countries. Of 59 potential studies reviewed against inclusion/exclusion criteria, 37 contributed to the findings. Thematic analysis identified the social structures inherent in, as well as the physical design, of cohousing models and their relationships with social health. There was evidence of the development of bonding and (to a lesser extent) bridging and linking social capital. However, the studies reviewed had a number of limitations; few included control, non-cohousing samples and tended to rely on case studies and cross-sectional study designs with small sample sizes. A key finding and recommendation from this review is therefore the need for more robust primary research of cohousing models to determine benefits for social health.

KEYWORDS:

• Cohousing
• social health
• scoping review

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Geelong Community Foundation, Geelong, Australia.

Notes on contributors

Elyse Warner

Elyse Warner, PhD, is a Lecturer in the School of Health and Social Development at Deakin University. Her research interests include the relationship between families and health, with a particular focus on the influence of housing and community. She has published on the wellbeing of young adults and parents who return to co-residence, as well as the health and wellbeing implications for families raising children in high-rise apartments and on the suburban fringe. She lectures in human development and family health and well-being.

Emma Sutton

Emma Sutton recently completed a Master of Health Promotion at Deakin University. She has a broad range of research interests, including the ways in which neighbourhood and housing design impact social health. She has worked in the disability sector for a number of years and is interested in promoting social health among people with disabilities, especially those with a limited informal support network. In addition, she is interested in improving food access and urban design in disadvantaged communities to increase health outcomes.

Fiona Andrews

Fiona Andrews, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at Deakin University, School of Health and Social Development, Co-Leader of the Deakin Research Hub HOME, and member of the Centre for Health through Action on Social Exclusion (CHASE). She has research interests and has published on the relationship between neighbourhoods, health and families, with a particular focus on parents of preschool-aged children. She lectures in healthy cities; family health and well-being; health, place and planning.