Innovation, sharing economy - and coliving
The sharing economy is an idea that is here to stay: by bringing together people with complementary interests, the goal is to ensure that both parties benefit from each other. Although sharing is not a completely new way of life, what has changed with technology is the ease of searching for and contacting people, increasing accessibility and convenience for users. Some of the innovations that this idea has brought are indispensable today: Uber, iFood, coworking spaces, Mercado Livre and other marketplaces, for example, have become part of our daily lives.
Of course, the real estate market has its own ways of reinventing itself and keeping up with this technological race. Coliving is a good practical example of how the concept of the shared economy has been applied to the way people live: in addition to collaborative consumption, a strong sense of community is at the heart of any shared housing project - click here and learn about Citas' options for shared housing, studios and apartments!
So, what are the biggest innovations we can expect for this medium - and how can they be used in coliving?
1. Smart Homes:
The biggest innovations will certainly come with “smart homes”: virtual assistants (such as Siri and Cortana) can control appliances, lights and air temperature, as well as play music and perform tasks with just voice commands. These devices are already widespread and accessible, as is the case with Amazon’s Echo Dot. In addition to being practical, assistants greatly enhance the possibility of customizing the environment: with small touches, it is possible to personalize a neutral environment with individual needs and desires, bringing more identity and intimacy – and this is one of the biggest challenges of a collective space.
2. Digitization:
Much of the innovation comes not only from new technologies, but from the articulation and integration of existing technologies: if wallets and keys are about to become obsolete objects (with virtual wallets and digital locks), finding a place to live and roommates who match you on a mobile app is not so far away: apps like Omni, Borigo, and Meetup already bring together people based on affinities. It's a good way to start getting to know your roommates before making a bigger decision.
3. Delivery services:
Even though iFood and similar services have made life much easier when it comes to getting food delivered to your home, traffic can delay things. But what if it were possible to fly? Well, it is possible – and there are already people offering this service. This is the case of the startup Relp!, which in partnership with SpeedBird Aero began offering a fast delivery service for restaurants last year. And some buildings already have helipads for drones: Vitacon has already started testing the idea in some of its units.
4. Smart lockers:
For those who don't have a helipad, there are other more down-to-earth options. Smart lockers are a great solution for places with a high volume of deliveries (or to avoid contact during this quarantine period): the delivery person leaves the product in the locker, the resident goes there and picks it up with an access code. Several delivery services already have lockers (such as Correios, Drogasil and iFood), which are being installed at strategic points throughout the city.
5. Sleeping Pods:
If hostels were already a reality for those who are traveling and just need a place to sleep, some initiatives suggest that the smaller, the better. This is the case of On Pod, a capsule hotel: each person has access to a single bed and a closet. The bathroom is shared and there is an outdoor area with tables for eating. Although life in capsules is a reality in some places in the world, the proposal of On Pod in São Paulo is different: they propose to host people for a few hours or a night, between meetings or after a party, for example - but it serves as an example that there is always room for new initiatives, especially when there is demand.
We live in a time of digital revolution, which allows many ideas to be put into practice collaboratively. And there are no limits to innovation: some transformative initiatives are now indispensable. All of this gives dynamism to the market, in addition to promoting waste reduction, accessibility and community building - things that are at the core of the co-living culture. Sectors such as transportation and food have been transformed by recent innovations - the trend is that other sectors will also undergo impactful changes in the coming years, embracing the concept of the circular economy .
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