Housing co-operatives in Germany: 160 years of evolution and resilience

This scholarly article, “Housing co-operatives in Germany: 160 years of evolution and resilience,” is published in the Journal of Co-operative Studies (Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 39–53). It is authored by Peter Alexander Carl Pfatteicher, Olive McCarthy, and Carol Power, and is referenced with the DOI https://doi.org/10.61869/GCSP6342.

The paper examines how housing co-operatives in Germany developed and survived over roughly 160 years while facing changing political, economic, social, and cultural conditions. It frames housing co-operatives as member-focused organisations aimed at meeting members’ housing needs, and evaluates how they maintained continuity despite repeated disruptions.

The authors structure the discussion into five time periods. First, “1803–1914” is presented as the rise of housing co-operatives. Second, “1914–1933” covers World War I and the Weimar Republic. Third, “1933–1945” addresses the destruction of housing co-operative values and principles under the Nazi regime alongside the impacts of World War II. Fourth, “1945–October 1990” describes a new beginning, including housing co-operatives in both East and West Germany. Finally, the post-1990 period examines developments from German unification to today’s challenges.

Across these periods, the paper highlights how crises and political shifts threatened housing co-operatives, but also provides evidence that many co-operatives continued operating and adapting. A central argument is that perseverance was motivated by self-help and supported by established co-operative core values and principles. The text links organisational resilience to the ability to focus on these core principles even as the broader institutional environment changed. 🇩🇪 Relevance to current housing pressures The article argues that housing co-operatives are especially relevant in the present because Germany faces an ongoing housing crisis. In this context, the authors emphasise the continued importance of organisations that can provide housing to their members and remain stable across economic and policy cycles.

The concluding argument is explicitly comparative: other countries can learn from the German experience. The authors propose that establishing and supporting a co-operative framework is important so that housing co-operatives can focus on their core values and principles, described as the source of co-operative resilience. This framing positions legal and institutional support as a practical condition for long-term, member-oriented housing provision in different national contexts.