Page 13 - C.A.L.L. #45 - Summer 2019

Why millennials are going nuts for ‘communal living’

Nov 29, 2018
Marketwatch.com
By Catey Hill

Luxury co-living spaces are one of the hottest trends in real estate, particularly in
cities like New York, L.A. and San Francisco

Call it a co-living space, call it a commune, or just call it home.

Whatever you call it, one thing is clear: High-end co-living - in which big groups of people live
together and share well-designed communal spaces and luxe amenities - is all the rage among
millennials. Typically, these co-living developments - which have popped up in cities like New
York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco - offer small, fully-furnished studios or
bedrooms for residents, with the big draw being large shared living spaces and perks like
organized group events and
weekly housekeeping that
includes clean linens and
refreshed toiletries and
kitchen supplies.

“It’s like living in a dorm
again, but more mature.
It’s great,” said video
game designer and

developer Chris McGlade,
24, who lives in an Ollie co-
living space in New York City after graduating from college in Boston.

And like in a dorm, community is a big part of the appeal: Ollie - which has opened co-living
spaces in cities like New York and Pittsburgh - advertises that you get “friends included”
when you move into its spaces, and offers a dedicated community manager who helps organize
everything from social mixers to weekend brunches. Common - with 20 co-living spaces in
cities such as New York, Seattle and San Francisco - pitches its residences as “friendly
homes” and notes that living at Common means “you’re always invited.” And WeLive (an
offshoot of WeWork), which has co-living spots in NYC and D.C., says that it is “a new way of
living built upon community” and that its spaces help “foster meaningful relationships.”

Node - which has properties in places like London, Brooklyn and Dublin - is literally named
because of its sense of community: “We’re called Node because it means a connection
between people,” Node’s CEO Anil Khera told Moneyish. “Actually knowing your neighbors and

doing things together - we have lost a bit of that in society,” he added about why people love
co-living so much.