Aconchego is a intergenerational housing program implemented in Porto, a small city in the North of Portugal, in 2004, in order to combat older people’s loneliness and isolation, while providing accommodation for students.
This programme is aimed to address two challenges in Porto: the city has university and higher education institutions which attract about 70.000 students each year, and many students are in need of temporary accommodation during the academic year. On the other hand, Porto has one of the largest ageing populations in Portugal. Many of these older people suffer from loneliness and isolation, especially in the downtown area of the city.
The programme has been awarded by the Innovation@Home competition for international age-friendly housing practices.
Visit his page for more information on the Aconchego programme (in Portuguese).
The concept of intergenerational housing has been developped in other countries across Europe, as for example in Belgium and France.
