Concept of The Sixth Generation
WHAT IS CO-LIVING ?
An intergenerational living environment where residents share spaces
and actively participate, building a network of community support.
Communal
Space
Community
Activities
Sense of
Community
Multi-
generational
Mix
Quality
of Life
DEVELOPMENT OF CO-LIVING
Third list item. Add your own content here or connect to data from your collection.
1972
The idea of co-living originated in Denmark where families took care of each other's children and shared meals.
Mid-1970s
Co-living communities have grown and spread out to other European countries and North American countries.
2000s
More sophisticated and large-scale co-living housing projects are launched in Europe and North America.
2010s
Private co-living space starts to flourish in Asian countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.
2026
“The Sixth Generation”, being the first public co-housing project in Hong Kong, was awarded the Nobel Prize.
The project works to provide accessible housing for low-income older persons and young people while creating a supportive and family-like environment. Residents form intergenerational committees to organise recreational activities, promoting cross-generational bonding and elderly empowerment.
2003
Municipal Project for Intergenerational Housing and Community Services
Alicante
The co-living project commenced with the tenet “Live in a community, not just a room”. With a mix of residents from all walks of life, from students to retirees, as well as community events held in semi-public spaces, interactions and mutual learning among residents are encouraged.
2015
The Sixth Generation is the first public co-living housing model in Hong Kong targeting mainly home-alone elderly people and needy young people. It involves a unique community management scheme with the signature "Buddy System", encouraging social inclusion and intergenerational bonding.
2026
The Sixth Generation
Hong Kong
LEARNING FROM OTHER COUNTRIES
Selection of residents
1.
It was observed that some residents did not devote themselves into the social programmes, lowering the effectiveness of the community management scheme. In other cases, there were residents leaving after finding co-living not suitable for them.
Screening, involving the review of personal statements and interviews, is thus vital in choosing the right residents who embrace the intergenerational co-living environment and are willing to contribute to the residence.
Monitoring and evaluation system
2.
To ensure the smooth running of social programmes, monitoring and regular evaluation are necessary.
To this end, the Priority Scheme Joint Office assumes the responsibility to monitor the operation of buddy system, carry out post-occupancy surveys and collect feedback from residents.
Active role played by residents
3.
Elderly co-living residents in foreign places such as Alicante complained about the low level of participation in the community. Meanwhile, an interview with Mr Benny Hui, Senior Manager of Housing Society, also revealed the elderly's willingness to involve more in the community.
To promote active-ageing and elderly empowerment, intergenerational committees and residents' participation are highly encouraged in The Sixth Generation. They are given opportunities to help organise activities as well as taking part in the governance of the residence.
Extent of co-living
4.
Privacy is very much a concern of residents. While most of them do not mind sharing the kitchen, living and dining area and laundry, an individual toilet is highly preferred due to privacy and hygiene issues.
The Sixth Generation thus provides en-suite bathrooms to cater for the needs of the residents. Meanwhile, the sharing of communal space like the kitchen and dining area promotes daily interactions among residents.
Ageing-in-place
5.
Some foreign co-living projects lack future planning in dealing with inevitable ageing of the elderly, while some devise comprehensive strategies to cope with the problem.
The Sixth Generation offers a holistic plan for the elderly to age gracefully. They are encouraged to actively participate in the residence, but are welcomed to take a rather passive role when they feel they are lacking stamina. With in-flat universal design, they can continue to live independently even they have developed some kinds of disabilities. The cooperation scheme with care centres allows elderly people who are no longer able to live alone to be relocated to care centres within the same district. They can stay in the community which they are most familiar with.
References
/
Foreign co-living projects, including 9Floor Co-Living Apt. in Taipei, Collective House Inc. in Japan, AWWA Senior Community Home in Singapore, the Municipal Project for Intergenerational Housing and Community Services in Alicante and The H.O.M.E project in Chicago, were taken for reference.
1. 9Floor Space. (2017). 9Floor Co-Living Apt.. Retrieved from https://www.9floorspace.com/.
2. Collective House Inc. (2018). Life in Kankanmori. Retrieved from http://www.collectivehouse.co.jp/en/.
3. The Straits Times. (2016). Seniors live here as one community. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/seniors-live-here-as-one-community.
4. World Habitat. (2012). Municipal Project for Intergenerational Housing and Community Services in Alicante. Retrieved from https://www.world-habitat.org/world-habitat-awards/winners-and-finalists/municipal-project-for-intergenerational-housing-and-community-services-in-alicante/.
5. Garland, E. (2018). Learning from Intergenerational Housing Projects in the USA. Retrieved from https://www.wcmt.org.uk/sites/default/files/report-documents/Garland%20E%20Report%202017%20Final.pdf.