Common rooms

A common room, in residential buildings, helps neighbors make friends with each other. Without a common room, it can be extremely difficult to get to know your neighbors, aside from the occasional encounter in the elevator or hallways. A common room provides a place for people in the building to hang out and socialize.

Buildings without common rooms are one reason for the loneliness epidemic.

Features

Table and chairs
Couch
TV Screen, sometimes (...)( if residents can be trusted not to steal or break it )
Small kitchen, sometimes

Sometimes gyms, swimming pools or laundry rooms could serve as common rooms, if there's a place to relax and socialize.

Status quo

US & Canada

Very few apartment buildings have common rooms. But they are prevalent in some more expensive housing: student residences, nursing homes, and newly-constructed condo buildings.

Effect on housing supply

A common room takes up space that (in principle) could have instead been used for another private dwelling unit (place for someone to live). However, the effect is minimal, considering there really only has to be 1 common room in a 50-unit building, for example.

Actions

How can we make common rooms more (pardon the pun) common?

New construction

Campaign for well-designed (but not luxury) housing. ^{[ELABORATION needed]}

Retrofits

Older buildings may have some basement areas(...)( i.e. parts of garages, parking lots, storage rooms, etc ) that are barely used. It wouldn't be hard to convert a small amount of space into a common room, at almost no cost. Used furniture can sometimes be found for free.

As tenants, we don't always have the power to make landlords listen to good ideas. Maybe we don't have to, if there are creative DIY solutions. If the building has any part that's both low-traffic and away from people's doors, then try to turn it into a gathering spot. Maybe bring a folding table and some chairs, and just hang out(...)( bring your laptop, sip coffee, eat food or whatever ), with the intention of bringing people together. It's an awkward mission and not recommended for introverts, but - if successful - could build solidarity needed for bigger changes.