5 Ways to Build Community in Coliving Spaces

Community is the essence of coliving. Beyond sharing a home, coliving residents seek authentic connections with like-minded individuals, reducing feelings of loneliness while improving social cohesion. Building a diverse community is about making people feel a sense of belonging, and togetherness, but how can you go about this? Here are five ways to build community in your coliving space.

1. Hire a gregarious community manager

Often the lynchpin of a coliving space, the community manager (also known as ‘community facilitator’ or ‘community leader’) takes centre stage in facilitating a coliving community. This person is typically gregarious, welcoming, and personable — someone everyone gravitates towards, and a natural connector. The community manager usually takes charge of curating a fabulous community event schedule.

In hybrid hospitality properties (where residential spaces merge with workspace and food and beverage services), the community manager supports multiple communities, from long-term residents to day visitors. Encouraging everyone to integrate and connect contributes to a positive all-round community experience.

However, the role is often multi-faceted. On top of managing community activities across different spaces, the community manager may also be responsible for marketing and sales tasks. With that, comes the risk of burning out, with Marc Navarro saying that the exhausting nature of this role leads community managers (in a coworking context) to burn out typically within three years. So, take care of your community manager, nurture them, help them feel supported, and consider hiring multiple roles. In effect, what you put in impacts their efforts to maintain your thriving community.

2. Curate a self-organised community

While a community manager is a hugely supportive figure in your community building efforts, some operators choose not to hire a community manager – after all, there’s nothing more natural than a community coming together of its own accord. But this doesn’t mean that you leave your coliving residents to their own devices. Community building always requires work.

For example, incentivise your star residents – the ones who naturally attract people because of their shining personalities – to become community facilitators. Encourage them to check in on new residents, to make sure they’re settling in well, and invite them to your events. Sometimes, all it takes is knowing one person for someone to come along!

Or consider Matthias Zeitler’s approach to community building. Chatting on an episode of the Coworking Values podcast, the founder of Coworking Bansko and Coliving Semkovo, explains how he regularly participates in his events, even organising activities around the things he enjoys. Hosting mainly recreational evening events, from volleyball sessions to potluck dinners, “we bring people together after work because they don’t need to go back to an empty apartment,” says Matthias. The community even has lunch together – a spontaneous daily occurrence rather than a scheduled event with a fixed agenda.

3. Host a fabulous calendar of social events

Events are so important in bringing people together. But, as coliving spaces typically include private accommodation, it’s easy for some guests to treat coliving like a hotel, avoiding community events altogether. Even several brands market themselves to tourists staying one or two nights. This is no way to build community. Instead, encouraging longer-term stays and a fabulous calendar of social events creates those touchpoints for connection.

In coliving spaces, popular events range from movie nights and Yoga sessions to baking competitions and group picnics. Market your events online so everyone knows what’s happening, and enable them to register easily. Have fun with your event calendar, and be sure your team brings that energy to your events!

Bringing people together contributes to greater well-being. For instance, a London-based coliving space found that 68% of its community felt their social life improved thanks to their event schedule. Equally, Nexudus customer, Casa Netural, hosts a fabulous walking tour of the historic city of Matera (where they’re located) for coliving residents to learn about the UNESCO-protected city. The tour ends with the group enjoying an apertivo together. Monika Solak (our customer success manager who stayed at Casa Netural for three months last year), explains how she met other residents through attending this event in a relaxed setting.

4. Utilise communal spaces where people can meet

There’s plenty of scope for hosting events around your coliving space, but what about utilising the spaces within your properties? From coworking spaces, gyms, and fitness studios, to cinema rooms and kitchens, ‘these amenities are crucial for coliving members’, says Jermaine Brown, co-founder at re:shape Living, ARK Co-Living, and the Second-Generation Shared Living Consortium.

Why not organise events where you bring in external experts, like fitness coaches who get your community moving, or chefs who educate the community on nutritious food. Even simply having these amenities available in communal spaces might lead to organic interactions between community members. For instance, people will naturally bump into one another while cooking in a shared kitchen in the evening, or using outdoor spaces during the summer.

You can still encourage moments of connection in your space without these amenities. For example, rearrange the furniture in your shared living room to provide a cosy nook where residents can relax in the evenings, install a communal games console or smart television, and bring in board games, and table tennis equipment. Consider organising fun game nights and tournaments with your community – bringing them together in a casual setting.

5. Leverage the power of digital tools

But coliving is not simply a physical experience. Alternatively known as housing-as-a-service, coliving is typically a fully-fledged membership – providing access to furnished apartments, amenities, monthly bills, and a suite of digital tools, supporting the coliving experience and connecting the community in an online capacity.

Software may include a membership directory listing your entire community. Access management software collects data about which spaces are most popular and at what times. A communication tool facilitates virtual communities. Your community managers can announce events there, and create moments of exchange in a virtual setting. Meanwhile, residents can participate in group conversations, send direct messages to other members, and connect with community managers where necessary.

But that’s not all, because digital tools strengthen the community even when a resident has checked out of your coliving space, supporting the transient nature of coliving. For example, a digital nomad visiting a different city while staying in another one of your hubs, or someone who intends to return to your space in a few months. A virtual community enables members to stay connected to people they’ve met worldwide, contributing to a greater, more connected sense of belonging within your community.

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