Nikkeis from São Paulo are able to put into practice a dream cherished by many today, especially those who are close to their long-awaited retirement.

Living in a large metropolis, who hasn't thought about living in a pleasant place, away from the hustle and bustle, perhaps in a quiet condominium or some corner where a true sense of community would be a priority?

And this aspiration is strengthened more clearly by realizing that, in the future, children will have to take care of their own lives, they will not have time for other things, so much so that it would be unwise to think that their parents will be able to depend on them when they are old. Everyone has to think about their future from now on, so that old age can be a pleasant and peaceful phase of their life. It's a matter of planning. The quality of life we ​​want will depend on our attitudes from now on.

Sharing a large green space, living comfortably, safely and not far from big cities in the company of friends and new neighbors who aim for the same dreams and expectations, adding new values ​​such as friendship and solidarity, is what many seek to achieve. a post-retirement life.

Prosaic desires but increasingly rare these days, like finding your neighbor watering the garden; come across other friends walking through the woods; another, with a basket harvesting fresh vegetables from the garden next door; another lively group, going fishing with all their gear in the beautiful lake that surrounds the entire front of the condominium. Enjoy the orchard, swimming pool, tennis court, in short, everything is available at any time, without fuss and formalities. These are the desires of many people nowadays.

All of this is already a reality in several countries, such as Europe, the United States, Canada, among others. In Brazil, there are also initiatives in this direction, which are a little more recent.

Called “Cohousing”, a type of shared housing, the concept emerged in Denmark around 40 years ago, when families realized the need to adapt their homes for the elderly. Later, it became popular in the USA, then in Canada, as it became clear that friendship is something very precious and valued at this stage. As emotional ties are normally linked to the work environment and family, with the arrival of retirement these friends tend to become rarer and even the nuclear family also becomes distant at this stage. Hence, the idea of ​​shared condominiums or “cohousing” emerged.

For followers of this style of living, Cohousing offers a solution to two of the biggest problems that afflict elderly people: loneliness and the desire to remain living in their home, with their privacy respected. All the elderly don't want is to live in a home or retreat for the elderly.

It begins with the formation of a group that is linked by affinities, whether of a social, intellectual, professional, or even economic nature and that wants to live in the same place, in a communal and shared way.

Next, the scope of “cohousing” is defined, the formal and legal contract that will govern the project, where and how the space will be located, and all the planning until it is built and inhabited. It can be a village, a farm, a condominium of houses or an apartment building. The architecture must consider accessibility and functionality above all, with wide doors and preventing domestic accidents, with care in choosing the type of flooring and installing support bars, among other measures.

A good common area is also essential for leisure and other activities. If space allows, areas should be designed for a kitchen and communal dining room, laundry, medical outpatient clinic, in short, support services and facilities according to the profile and needs of the group.

The coexistence did not just include events. Participants are encouraged to help each other, share material goods, such as tools and food, participate in joint efforts to develop the vegetable garden, orchard, garden, as well as take care of cleaning and maintaining the space. It is the community spirit that must prevail. Individualism and accommodation are not welcome in these spaces.

What we seek is quality of life, prioritizing values ​​such as friendship and solidarity.

A group of my friends, here in São Paulo, mostly Nikkei, also had this “insight” some time ago and after a lot of study, research and meetings, they managed to turn the dream into reality.

Made up of businessmen, self-employed professionals, executives, civil servants, mostly retired men and women – a heterogeneous group of 40 people linked together by bonds of strong friendship who, just over a year ago, started a Condominium project Shared – CoHousing, with the acquisition of a large and valuable rural plot of approximately 10 acres, 100 km away. of the Capital of São Paulo, located in a valued region with great development potential.

With approximately 240,000 ^m2 , 30% of native green area and the remainder fully usable, including for small farming, the property has a beautiful lake that surrounds the entire front part of the land, which can be seen from the upper part of the land. , uphill, providing a beautiful and privileged view. It already has 2 main houses, a diverse orchard with several fruit trees, a perfectly agricultural part, with more than 7,000 grape trees and another, with hay, corn and vegetables.

The project's master plan is ambitious and provides for a condominium with all possible amenities for members, from an individual residence, a community area with a communal kitchen, laundry, dining room, infirmary, leisure room for TV, games and library, as well as a lounge for events. Externally, vegetable garden, orchard, sports court (tennis court, gateball), swimming pool, walking trail, landscaped garden, fishing lake, as well as an area for cultivation for commercial purposes. Even a small hotel is planned to accommodate visitors. Strategic planning is decided consensually, with the participation and involvement of all associates, within the recommendations of good and correct administration, even as investments will be made gradually and entirely consensually.

An important component also forms the scope of the project: concern with the costs involved in the sustainability of the condominium. This concern, in fact, must be a striking characteristic of cohousings and must be present both in architectural solutions, where residences must be functional, many having green roofs and solar heating systems and use of rainwater, as well as the commercial exploitation of agricultural area of ​​the plot, generating income for the community. Concern for the environment will be a permanent objective for community members.

Although still in the embryonic phase of the project, the satisfaction of the participants is still visible, who, almost every weekend, gather at the site with joy and willingness to, each one give their share of collaboration according to a work plan, some taking care from the vegetable garden, others from the orchard; a third from landscaping, a group coordinating civil and infrastructure works. And as no one is made of iron and everyone is a child of God, lunchtime is a true get-together. In the motiyori system, each person, or rather, each person, takes a dish, never missing the essential oniguiri . It is still an exercise in the community spirit that must prevail in the group. It’s true collective work, with the difference that everyone involved is “owners”! Therein lies the secret of the “business” and, why not say, the joy on everyone’s face, despite the sweat running down their face, abundantly... This is, without a doubt, the first “Cohousing” project. within the Japanese-Brazilian community, which will serve as a paradigm for other initiatives, given the great potential of the sector.

© 2017 Katsuo Higuchi