Moving Motivation of Senior Cohousing Inhabitants in Scandinavian Countries

스탄디나비아 노인용 코하우징 주민의 이주동기

The purpose of this study was to find out the moving motivation of senior cohousing inhabitants in Scandinavian countries, which experienced change of typical nuclear family structure and higher vocational activity rates of women, earlier than East Asian countries. Cohousing schemes were evolved as an alternative housing to reduce housework for working women, and to reduce loneliness of elderly people by promoting active mutual relationship among inhabitants in the community. This paper described why the elderly moved to senior cohousing in Sweden and Denmark. The project was carried out by social survey. 935 postal questionnaires were sent from April to May 2002 to 28 senior cohousing communities throughout Denmark and Sweden. Of those, 536 replies (57.3%) were collected and analyzed by SPSS program. 19 moving motivations were discussed connected with the variables such as characteristics of residents, community-initiative, and dwelling size. As a result ideology of senior cohousing, wanting to be free from housing management and physical attraction of the building could be interpreted as main reasons to make inhabitants move to senior cohousing community. The important variables affecting moving motivation were found out as living situation and community-initiative. This findings could be used for some information to architects, designers and decision makers who intend to develope senior cohousing projects in the near future in Korea as well as Scandinavian countries.