Sharing more, consuming less? Exploring the environmental impacts of co-housing in Norway

The built environment and living arrangements drive greenhouse gas emissions. As household sizes decline and material consumption grows, rethinking housing is crucial to reducing environmental impact. Community housing (co-housing) has been promoted as a promising strategy to reduce environmental impacts, yet empirical evidence of its contribution remains limited. This study evaluates the environmental impact of co-housing in Norway using mixed-methods post-occupancy evaluation (POE). Drawing on cadastral registry data, interviews with housing board leaders and resident surveys across ten diverse co-housing projects in Norway, this research assesses building, organizational and people performance in relation to environmental impact. Empirical insight into spatial and organizationalorganizational aspects of co-housing across three co-housing categories is provided: namely, serviced, collaborative and collective. The findings suggest that co-housing is associated with lower environmental impact in some domains, particularly through reduced per capita floor space; although impacts remain above thresholds. Evidence on transport, sharing practices and rebound effects is less conclusive, given contextual and sample limitations. The findings suggest that both self-selection and supportive social and spatial conditions are important, indicating that co-housing can contribute to reduced material consumption; potentially fostering a shift from material affluence towards social enrichment and community.