Living with your grandparents is a political statement From American backyards to a new way of family living

In Italy, it has always been normal. Living close to your grandparents, having them in the same building, in the same neighborhood, sometimes even in the same home. It is a form of proximity that is almost invisible, something that has never really been designed because it simply existed. In the United States, on the other hand, this model has never been as widespread. And for this very reason, something is now beginning to change.

With the aging population and the growing difficulty of sustaining the costs and limits of care facilities, a solution is emerging that is as simple as it is radical: bringing the care system into the domestic space. This is how so-called backyard homes, or “granny pods”, are taking shape. Small, independent housing units built in the gardens of main homes, designed to accommodate elderly parents without compromising their autonomy.

What are “granny pods”?

These are no longer just an extra room or a temporary arrangement, but actual micro-architectures. Fully equipped spaces, often prefabricated, that include a kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area, and systems designed for accessibility, with a strong focus on safety and comfort. In some cases, they also integrate monitoring and assistance technologies, turning the home into a device capable of supporting the aging process. The pandemic exposed the fragility of many traditional care systems, while the costs of nursing homes continue to rise. At the same time, there is a growing need to maintain a direct connection with family without giving up independence. Within this delicate balance, being close without fully cohabiting becomes a new form of normality.

As also noted by Country Living, granny pods are not just a housing solution, but also a real estate product: they increase property value, introduce new ways of using space, and open up a market increasingly tied to flexibility and longevity. In some cases, they start from a few tens of thousands of dollars, making them relatively accessible compared to other solutions, while still maintaining a strong design and identity component.

Designing homes for grandparents

At this point, the comparison with Italy becomes inevitable. What is presented as innovation in the United States is, for us, a well-established cultural practice, even if less formalized. The difference is that today this model is being designed, optimized, and made scalable. It is no longer just a consequence of family relationships, but a conscious choice shaped by design, technology, and the market. In a way, we are not inventing something new, but giving precise form to something that has always existed.

At the same time, the topic fits into a broader transformation. An aging population, pressure on healthcare systems, and real estate dynamics are making it increasingly urgent to find sustainable alternatives, where the home stops being a static element and becomes an adaptive space. And it is perhaps here that the most interesting shift takes place. If for years we have thought of the home as something separate, it is now clear that it is also a deeply political space, in the most concrete sense of the term. It is no longer just about understanding where older people will live, but about questioning what role the home will play within the social system in the years to come. If welfare struggles to carry the burden of care on its own, the domestic space will take on that responsibility. And at that point, designing a home will no longer mean simply creating a place to live, but building a new way of living together.