From Sweden to Japan : the self‑work model in collaborative housing from the lens of the capability approach
Arroyo, Ivette LU ; Schaff, Gwendoline LU
and Kärnekull, Kerstin
(2026)
ENHR 2026 Conference: Homeownership, Prosperity, and Inequality in the 21st Century
p.13-13
- Abstract
- Population ageing and changing family structures accentuate the need for housing forms that support social connection and care in later life. Collaborative housing (CH) re‑emerged in Sweden in the late 1970s as a bottom‑up response to the gendered burden of domestic work and the social shortcomings of large housing estates. Through academic exchanges, the Swedish self‑work model in collaborative housing was introduced in Japan. This paper examines how the self-work model has been reinterpreted across contexts, focusing on selfgovernance and assisted approaches, self‑organisation, self-determination, shared responsibility and every day sharing practices. It applies a capability approach lens to compare Swedish and Japanese CH communities,... (More)
- Population ageing and changing family structures accentuate the need for housing forms that support social connection and care in later life. Collaborative housing (CH) re‑emerged in Sweden in the late 1970s as a bottom‑up response to the gendered burden of domestic work and the social shortcomings of large housing estates. Through academic exchanges, the Swedish self‑work model in collaborative housing was introduced in Japan. This paper examines how the self-work model has been reinterpreted across contexts, focusing on selfgovernance and assisted approaches, self‑organisation, self-determination, shared responsibility and every day sharing practices. It applies a capability approach lens to compare Swedish and Japanese CH communities, drawing on resident-researcher accounts and fieldwork conducted in CH Kankanmori, Seiseki and Hon‑machida in Tokyo. Preliminary findings indicate that Japanese CH has developed organisationally hybrid forms and variations of the self‑work model, shaped by local practices of community welfare and mutual care. Furthermore, collaborative housing appears to expand older residents’ real opportunities, with the self-work model facilitating that residents transform available resources into valuable functionings. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/960e2e5f-1bf2-41a4-a597-53bf2484866e
- author
- Arroyo, Ivette
LU
; Schaff, Gwendoline
LU
and Kärnekull, Kerstin
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-06
- type
- Contribution to conference
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Collaborative housing, Self-work model, Ageing population, Capability approach, Transnational exchanges
- pages
- 13 - 13
- conference name
- ENHR 2026 Conference: Homeownership, Prosperity, and Inequality in the 21st Century
- conference location
- Oslo, Norway
- conference dates
- 2026-07-01 - 2026-07-03
- project
- Pathways towards Age-friendly Neighbourhoods: Transnational research, knowledge transfer, collaborative approaches and capacity building for the transition towards the 15-minute city
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 960e2e5f-1bf2-41a4-a597-53bf2484866e
- date added to LUP
- 2026-07-28 09:52:16
- date last changed
- 2026-08-31 10:04:10
@misc{960e2e5f-1bf2-41a4-a597-53bf2484866e,
abstract = {{Population ageing and changing family structures accentuate the need for housing forms that support social connection and care in later life. Collaborative housing (CH) re‑emerged in Sweden in the late 1970s as a bottom‑up response to the gendered burden of domestic work and the social shortcomings of large housing estates. Through academic exchanges, the Swedish self‑work model in collaborative housing was introduced in Japan. This paper examines how the self-work model has been reinterpreted across contexts, focusing on selfgovernance and assisted approaches, self‑organisation, self-determination, shared responsibility and every day sharing practices. It applies a capability approach lens to compare Swedish and Japanese CH communities, drawing on resident-researcher accounts and fieldwork conducted in CH Kankanmori, Seiseki and Hon‑machida in Tokyo. Preliminary findings indicate that Japanese CH has developed organisationally hybrid forms and variations of the self‑work model, shaped by local practices of community welfare and mutual care. Furthermore, collaborative housing appears to expand older residents’ real opportunities, with the self-work model facilitating that residents transform available resources into valuable functionings.}},
author = {{Arroyo, Ivette and Schaff, Gwendoline and Kärnekull, Kerstin}},
keywords = {{Collaborative housing; Self-work model; Ageing population; Capability approach; Transnational exchanges}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{13--13}},
title = {{From Sweden to Japan : the self‑work model in collaborative housing from the lens of the capability approach}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/259514855/Arroyo-I._-_-Schaff_-G._-2026_From_Stockholm_to_Tokyo.pdf}},
year = {{2026}},
}