Does small mean less? Not necessarily. In an era of housing crises, environmental unsustainability and social fragmentation, the need for more sociable, affordable and sustainable housing is vital. The answer? Shared living - from joint households to land-sharing, cohousing and ecovillages.
Using successful examples from a range of countries, Anitra Nelson shows how 'eco-collaborative housing' - resident-driven low impact living with shared facilities and activities - can address the great social, economic and sustainability challenges that householders and capitalist societies face today. Sharing living spaces and facilities results in householders having more amenities and opportunities for neighbourly interaction.

Small is Necessary places contemporary models of 'alternative' housing and living at centre stage arguing that they are outward-looking, culturally rich, with low ecological footprints and offer governance techniques for a more equitable and sustainable future.

List of Figures, Tables and Boxes

Abbreviations

Glossary

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1. Less is More: Living Closely on a Finite Planet

Part I: Compact Urban Housing

2. Once We Were Small: Traditional and Contemporary Homes

3. Apartment Living in Cities

4. Apartment Household Practices and Affordability

Part II: Eco-Cohousing and Ecovillages

5. From Sharing a House to Eco-cohousing

6. Ecovillages: Sustainability and System Change

Part III: Futures: Scaling Up, Shared Landscapes, Shared Livelihoods

7. 'Will You Dance With Us?' Governments and Collaborative Housing

8. 'To Market, To Market': Eco-collaborative Housing for Sale

9. Grassroots Sustainability, Sociality and Governance

Conclusion

10. Small is Necessary and, with Sharing, Feasible

Appendix: Key Sources and Links

Notes

Index