Collaborative Living Environments
Samarbetsbaserade boendemiljöer

TFRQ20, 7.5 credits, A (Second Cycle)

Valid for: 2026/27
Faculty: Faculty of Engineering LTH
Decided by: PLED A
Date of Decision: 2026-02-02

General Information

Depth of study relative to the degree requirements: Second cycle, in-depth level of the course cannot be classified
Language of instruction: The course will be given in English

Aim

The course enables students to analyse how multiple global challenges - such as ageing populations, social isolation, environmental crises, and lack of affordable housing - impact urban and community life. The course introduces collaborative living environments as a concept to capture collaboration and unlock social possibilities, starting from the housing scale and extending it to the surroundings and the neighbourhood level. Participants will critically examine community-led approaches as an alternative response to current crises, exploring how shared practices, self-organization and participatory planning can foster resilient and inclusive communities. The course highlights the potential of collective action and shared spaces across socio-spatial scales. This interdisciplinary approach prepares participants to integrate knowledge, generate or rearrange future collaborative living environments.

Learning outcomes

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

• show critical understanding of the role of community-led housing approaches in the context of the multidimensional crises affecting urban and community life.
• demonstrate knowledge on how community-led housing approaches enable collaboration and social possibilities across socio-spatial scales.

Competences and skills
For a passing grade the student must

• demonstrate the ability, personal as well as group wise, to interpret, analyse and present relevant issues related to community-led housing and neighbourhood development.
• demonstrate ability to carry out independently a study within the theme of collaborative living environments based on lectures and assigned literature.
• be able to use existing methods and tools to analyse qualities of the built environment at different scales from a colaborative living environment's perspective.

Judgement and approach
For a passing grade the student must

• demonstrate a critical, independent and creative approach regarding the possibilities of different community-led approaches to contribute to sustainable neighbourhood development.

Contents

The content of the course is thematically organised in 8 main topics. The teaching is carried out in forms of lectures, independent work for reading of the course literature, literature seminars and conducting one empirical case study in interdisciplinary groups. The final examination is an individual project.

Topics: 

1. Multidimensional challenges affecting urban and community life
2. Community-Led approaches from a historical perspective
3. Housing and the capability approach
4. Socio-spatial practices
5. Sharing practices and self-organisation
6. Participatory design theory in the built environment
7. Applied Case Study: Collaborative Housing and neighbourhood: Socio-spatial wellbeing
8. Moving the field forward: Collaborative Living Environments

Examination details

Grading scale: UG - (U, G) - (Fail, Pass)
Assessment:

Approved individual project and group assignments, active participation at seminars and at least 80% attendance at lectures, supervised exercises and other scheduled activities.

The examiner, in consultation with Disability Support Services, may deviate from the regular form of examination in order to provide a permanently disabled student with a form of examination equivalent to that of a student without a disability.

Modules
Code: 0126. Name: Collaborative Living Environments.
Credits: 7.5. Grading scale: UG - (U, G).

Admission

Admission requirements:

• At least 90 credits in completed courses in design or architecture or planning (community planning or urban planning or landscape planning or physical planning) or social science (political science or social geography or social work) or economic history or technology (engineering in risk or civil engineering) or medicine (public health science or occupational therapy) or environmental science. English 6/ English Level 2.

Reading list

• Fernández Arrigoitia, M., Felstead, A., Hudson, J., Izuhara, M. Scanlon, K. and West, K. (eds.): Collaborative Housing, Ageing and Social Care - Lessons from Europe. Bristol University Press, 2025. Chapters 1, 4, 7, 8, and 10.
• Hughes, Philippa: Enabling Community-Led Housing. University of Sheffield, 2023. PhD Thesis.
• Bigonnesse, Catherine and Chaudhury, Habib: Ageing in place processes in the neighbourhood environment: - a proposed conceptual framework from a capability approach. European Journal of Ageing, 2022.
• Hughes, Philippa: Regional intermediary actors and professionalism in community-led housing: implications of the enabler hub network in England. Housing Studies, 2024.
• Hendrickson, C., Baptiste, H., Moore, T., Arbell, Y: Community-led housing for all. Opportunities and challenges for black and minority ethnic community-led housing. Final Project Report (Univ Liverpool, Sheffield Hallam Univ. and others), 2024.
• Arroyo, I., Montesino, N., Johansson, E. and Yahia, M.W: Social integration through social connection in everyday life. Residents’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in SällBo collaborative housing, Sweden. Archnet-IJAR, 2021.

Contact

Course coordinator: Erik Johansson, erik.johansson@abm.lth.se
Course coordinator: Ivette Arroyo, ivette.arroyo@abm.lth.se
Course homepage: https://www.abm.lth.se/english/education/degree-projects/

Further information

The course may be cancelled if fewer than 12 students register.

The course is offered jointly with the elective course ??036