15 Comments

I appreciate the point about multigenerational housing experiments increasing empathy. There may be diversity of ethnicity, class, sexual preference and all the other possible demographics that accompany mingling of generations. An expanded family can mean opportunities for expanded consciousness.

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Absolutely, multigenerational housing definitely has the potential to broaden perspectives and increase empathy. It’s a great way to foster understanding and connection among different demographics.

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Absolutely, multigenerational housing can provide a unique environment for personal growth and understanding. Diversity in all aspects can lead to increased empathy and an expanded worldview. Thank you for sharing this perspective.

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That’s a great perspective on multigenerational housing experiments! It’s amazing how diversity in generations can lead to increased empathy and expanded consciousness.

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I have been a creator and founder of the day center 'Community for All Ages’. Intergenerational practice has emerged as a general approach that can help set aspirations for bringing young people into closer contact with others in the theirs community. Intergenerational programs have the potential to foster and develop resilience, improve connectedness and social interactions, and build individual and community capacity.

The literature reviewed also identified a wide range of outcomes from intergenerational practice for young people, older people and the wider community. For individuals, these included increased self-esteem, less loneliness and isolation, new connections and friendships, academic improvements, and more positive perceptions of other generations. For the wider community, the benefits include building social networks, greater diversity of contacts, breaking down stereotypes and enhancing culture in particular communities.

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Ermira, thank you for the great evidence on the value of intergenerational relationships.

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So there’s a silver lining to the concentration of wealth at the top? Who knew?

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Stella, I envy your ability to find silver linings!

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founding

When I moved to my mom's to care for her during Covid, coinciding with my retirement, I stayed in the guest room in the basement. "So you retire and come back to live in your parents' basement," she observed.

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Miriam, that is definitely not what we were expected to do!

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I'm all for granny flats and the like, and multigenerational relationships are a wonderful thing, but "we have little choice" is nearer the mark. The Walton grandparents, had they been real, would have welcomed the independence that Social Security finally brought them. While I appreciate that the US is heir to many traditions, the English tradition which crossed the Atlantic was NOT for extended families to live in the same household. The Waltons would have been unusual, had they existed. But we do have a choice, and that is to question the narratives being foisted on us: It's clear that cities large and small are buying developers' line that they must build, build, build to ease the affordable housing shortage.. Developers then get deals to build 20% "affordable" units (the term is flexible) and 80% at rip -off prices, all.of them badly built rabbit hutches, with frequent rent hikes. There are millions of vacant houses in America. There are investors buying up houses and charging high rents. Air BNBs. 3rd , 4th, and 5th homes for the wealthy. We'te being had, Don.

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New paradigms are always a hard sell.

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For good reason.

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Jun 29Liked by Don Akchin

Good reminders and information about thinking outside the box many of grew up in…grow up, move out, to your own ‘place’. It may also help to motivate us to create more room by filling our physical space with fewer things we don’t really need.

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Thanks, Kathy. Hope you're right about motivation.

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