ABSTRACT
The Italian population is rapidly aging. According to recent data, in 2018 there were 168.7 elderly people (over 65) for every 100 young people (under 14). In Italy, self-sufficient elderly people traditionally lived with their families or alone, but nowadays, due to demographic and socioeconomic changes, in several cases, the family unit cannot offer appropriate support for these vulnerable relatives. Some alternative housing paths, such as cohousing communities, are starting to bring new answers to the current needs of an elderly population.
The chapter opens by discussing recent Italian data about the elderly population and the policies carried out for them through the public healthcare system. It then focuses on the Italian strategies for cohousing, analyzing some success stories of residential projects that allow elderly people to live autonomously. The cohousing model, thanks to the involvement of all users, guarantees social inclusion of elderly people and achieves a mutual sharing and caring culture. Moreover, in the Italian context, these projects represent an efficient and percent sustainable tool for the requalification of the built heritage and the regeneration and reanimation of the social and urban environment.
