On 03.07. we had the opportunity to take part in a meeting initiated and organised by the Silesian Urban Lab.
It was inspired by a project carried out in Rybnik with the local Social Welfare Centre, in which a flat for four senior citizens was created.
Under the direction of Dr. Agnieszka Bugno-Janik, students from the Faculty of Architecture at the Silesian University of Technology prepared an extremely interesting research presentation on the issue of cohousing and coliving. This was followed by a discussion with a number of experts representing the municipality, care institutions and architects from the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice.
Among the discussants were:
Agata Twardoch, City Planner of Gliwice,
Alicja Mainusch-Buhl, Councillor of the City Council of Gliwice
Marzena Połomska, 2nd Deputy Director of the Social Welfare Centre in Gliwice
Kamil Kempa, Deputy Head of the Analytical and Strategic Department of the Social Welfare Centre in Gliwice.
Many aspects and opportunities and challenges of coliving for seniors were raised. The great advantages of this model certainly include lower costs of living in a property designed in advance according to the needs of elderly people with possible disabilities, an increased sense of security resulting from living with several other people, and overcoming the loneliness affecting many elderly people.
We are delighted to have been included in a group of experts from whom we were able to obtain a great deal of valuable information and to whom we were able to signal our readiness to co-create and implement various models of housing for senior citizens. We look forward to future meetings, workshops and look forward to working together.
