Michael LaFond, Giulia Carones, Alex Valder and others
2024
The eBook "Cooperative Social-Ecological Housing," published by id22 in 2024, explores innovative community-based housing solutions in German-speaking countries. It highlights how housing cooperatives can tackle crises such as climate change, housing affordability, and social inequality. The book features 12 model projects, primarily in Berlin, showcasing diverse approaches to social-ecological housing, including renovations and new constructions. Key themes include alternative ownership models, participatory planning, and the importance of community engagement. Challenges like financing and maintaining long-term involvement are also discussed. The authors advocate for more policy support and financing to enhance these cooperative models' effectiveness. Overall, the book argues that cooperative housing holds great potential for addressing social and environmental issues, providing practical insights for those interested in similar initiatives.
This eBook titled "Cooperative Social-Ecological Housing" was published in 2024 by id22: Institute for Creative Sustainability in Berlin, Germany. It provides an in-depth look at cooperative and community-based housing projects in German-speaking countries, with a focus on combining social and ecological sustainability.
Key findings and context:
- The book examines how housing cooperatives can address multiple crises like climate change, housing affordability, and social inequality through innovative approaches to building and living.
- It showcases 12 model projects, mostly in Berlin but also in other German-speaking cities, that demonstrate different ways of implementing social-ecological cooperative housing. These range from renovations of old buildings to new construction projects.
- The projects highlighted aim to provide affordable housing while also incorporating environmental features like energy efficiency, renewable energy, shared resources, and reduced individual living space balanced by communal areas.
- Many projects use alternative ownership models like community land trusts or the Mietshäuser Syndikat to keep housing permanently affordable and non-speculative.
- Participatory planning and self-governance are common themes, with residents heavily involved in decision-making.
- Challenges noted include financing difficulties, balancing affordability with ecological features, and maintaining community engagement long-term.
- The book argues that cooperatives and community-led housing can be more innovative and responsive to social/environmental needs compared to conventional housing developers.
- It calls for more policy support and financing options to scale up these models.
- The eBook format allows for interactive features and links to additional resources.
The authors are a team from id22, including Michael LaFond, Giulia Carones, Alex Valder and others. They position themselves as "activist-experts" based in Berlin but looking to share lessons internationally. The book draws on their long experience working with and researching cooperative housing projects.
Overall, the book makes the case that cooperative, community-led housing models have significant potential to address housing, social, and environmental challenges in an integrated way, but require supportive policies and financing to scale up their impact. It aims to inspire and provide practical knowledge for others interested in developing similar projects.