The existing building stock presents a major challenge for sustainable improvements, but is not being addressed comprehensively enough to meet the EU’s 2050 climate targets. Among the many measures for its more efficient renovation, shared spaces and services can be included. Such solutions can contribute to more equitable living conditions, especially for large families, and to their well-being, as well as to a more efficient and sustainable use of energy, raw materials, and space (SDG 3, 10, 11, 12). However, there is insufficient knowledge about the likelihood that users will actually accept these solutions.
This contribution addresses the challenge of users’ acceptance of shared communal spaces as functional solutions in the case of the renovation of existing residential neighborhoods. It therefore directly investigates users’ willingness to share (and pay) for urban housing with included shared spaces and services. The research is being conducted as part of the CDCUL project in Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Sweden. A mixed methods approach was utilized, combining qualitative and quantitative methods: a survey using the choice modeling experiment, and user interviews, conducted in several rounds of national focus groups.
The results of the survey showed that of the three countries mentioned, Slovenia is the one with the highest willingness to share communal spaces among urban residents. Furthermore, the first focus groups showed that many factors influence people’s willingness to share spaces or things with others, the most important being previous experiences with different forms of sharing. Young families, couples, and individuals living in small or inadequate accommodation could significantly improve or complement their living conditions, avoiding the need to relocate, also in case of family growth. Furthermore, this demographic group is also most receptive to innovative solutions to housing challenges, with a greater willingness to share spaces and equipment, as they already use sharing in other areas of their lives (car sharing, app sharing).
The concept of placing shared spaces and services as a functional solution for neighborhoods can support sustainable renovation of the building stock. It provides the opportunity to expand on existing housing and flexibility in the living environment for families, couples, and individuals. Well-designed shared spaces encourage interactions between residents, deepening social bonds and cooperation between generations. With this in mind, solutions for sharing spaces and services can have positive consequences for sustainability. Therefore, these findings will be further explored to gain deeper insight and integrate them into the planning of the renovation of urban residential buildings in Slovenia.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, S.J.; methodology, S.J. and R.B.; validation, S.J., A.B. and R.B.; formal analysis, A.B. and R.B.; investigation, A.B.; resources, A.B. and R.B.; data curation, A.B. and R.B.; writing—original draft preparation, S.J.; writing—review and editing, S.J., A.B. and R.B.; visualization, S.J. and A.B.; supervision, R.B.; project administration, R.B.; funding acquisition, S.J. and R.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was funded by Driving Urban Transitions partnership of the European Commission with grants issued by FORMAS Sweden (Grant number 2023-02230), ARIS Slovenia (Grant number H7-8294), and NWO The Netherlands (Grant number EP1510.22.018).
Institutional Review Board Statement
All participants in the survey were fully informed about the assurance of their anonymity, why the research is being conducted, how their data will be used, and if there are any risks involved in participating.
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors on request.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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