Beyond the White Picket Fence: A companion for intergenerational communal housing

A curated group of thinkers and doers across housing, health, ageing and intergenerational practice came together in July 2025 in London to explore the connection between loneliness and community-led innovation in relation to intergenerational community living.

The event, supported by the Housing LIN and sector partners, saw the launch of this report by Savannah Fishel on her Churchill Travelling Fellowship to Australia and the USA to hear inspiring stories of people living in 54 intentional communal housing settings, to examine the power of their living arrangements across age groups and translate how this has can be a foundation for connection, care and belonging that transcends social infrastructure and physical architecture.

Hot on the heels of giving evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People inquiry into ‘Creating Intergenerational Communities’, Savannah highlights 10 opportunities for the UK to support, catalyse and sustain intergenerational communal housing. They are as follows:

1. Integrating intergeneration design and relational principles into housing
2. Investing in community-led pilot projects
3. Tackling systemic and regulatory barriers
4. Repurposing existing and empty spaces
5. Investing in impact capture
6. Prioritising economic inclusion and long-term affordability
7. Growing the capacity of intermediaries and champions
8. Cultivating cross-sector collaboration
9. Reviving loneliness on the political agenda
10. Shifting cultural narratives

Jeremy Porteus, founder and CEO of the Housing LIN said:

“Drawing on international comparisons, Savannah’s research is an outstanding contribution to the evidence base on why intergenerational living matters. It gives latest examples where uniting generations forges a strong social architecture, strengthens neighbourliness and improves people’s health and wellbeing. It’s central to what we call ‘CollaborAGE'”

If you found this of interest, you can also read Savannah’s recent Housing LIN guest blog and visit a wide range of resources curated on our dedicated Intergenerational housing webpages.