Cohousing, so families can save on welfare services
From Bologna to Lecce, projects for parents and children are being set up in Italian cities
4' min read
Key points
4' min read
The organisation of cities has not been designed to meet the specific needs of mothers. Traditional town planning has over time favoured car travel, using traffic lights that are too fast, narrow pavements and stairs that make mobility hardly inclusive. Especially if one moves with pushchairs and little ones at one's side. The distances between services, home and work are also often considerable, and many mothers are thus forced into urban isolation. Yet it is precisely the contemporary social, environmental and demographic crises that are encouraging fairer and more sustainable housing models that focus on the wellbeing of mothers and toddlers. Several Italian cities are in fact experimenting with innovative solutions to meet these needs.
Cohousing in Italy
.Living together to share family support services. The trend born in the United States has also arrived in Italy. Porto15 in Bologna, for example, is a public cohousing project created to offer housing solutions to families, especially mothers. The housing is assigned by the Municipality of Bologna and Acer (Azienda casa Emilia-Romagna) to families in socially or economically vulnerable conditions. The building, which is publicly owned, has been renovated to house 18 flats that are rented at an agreed rent, with prices ranging between 290 and 390 euro per month.
Tenants are selected through a public call for applications that takes into account family composition, income and support needs. The management of cohousing is then participatory, with strong collaboration between residents and the local administration.
The social concierge, which also fulfils a neighbourhood watch function, is also a direct support point for mothers, as it offers services such as shared babysitting and mutual help groups during working hours. In addition, the possibility of sharing childcare with other parents facilitates socialisation and integration in the neighbourhood.
From Bologna to Turin. Here the Coabitare cohousing project emphasises mutual support between families, mainly targeting mothers. The accommodations are intended for families with children, but also for elderly people, with the aim of promoting intergenerational interaction. The accommodations are managed by social cooperatives and the City of Turin is involved in financing and promoting the project, supporting housing policies that foster social inclusion.
