

The practice evolved and expanded, becoming an opportunity for decent affordable housing and as a possibility for people to have more control over their living conditions. The modern history of housing cooperatives in Europe began in the 1800s in Berlin with Victor Aimé Huber’s cooperative dwellings. Other important elements of cooperative housing are commitment to social goals, security in community, decent housing, personal growth, and transparency in management. Residents get to vote on the major decisions of the cooperative, such as who can replace a former resident, or whether solar panels should be purchased for the building. Aside from collective ownership, there is one feature that is almost always present in coops: democratic processes.


The goal of this collective ownership is affordability rather than profit. Let’s rewind.Ī housing cooperative is a housing business which has shared ownership by its residents. In fact, they’ve gone so far under the radar that you might be wondering what in the world a housing cooperative is. Housing cooperatives, or co-ops, have existed throughout history, yet in most places they are not recognized as mainstream housing possibilities. These ideas have potential to not only remedy urban housing challenges, but also to home in on environmental sustainability in domestic spaces. Cohousing is a method of living with others to maximize space, resources, and community. Housing cooperatives have existed for over a century and challenge the notion of housing as a commodity. Two possibilities already exist to challenge the housing paradigm. On a deeper level, these aspects are the exact opposite of what allowed early humans to create society.Īrchitects, theorists, and dreamers have all wondered how our dwellings can be reshaped for better quality of life and higher affordability, but to solve these issues, they don’t need to strive for the most complicated answer. It tends to be cramped for the poor and leaves vulnerable groups to fend for themselves. Not only is it an inefficient use of space, but it is also isolating and fails to nurture community.

The single-family housing model is not a viable paradigm for the future. This inequity is only growing with urban migration patterns and gentrification. On the other hand, many houses in urban settings are cramped and unhealthy due to the rising cost of living in cities and urban migration. Many houses are equipped with appliances and rooms that are used rarely or on a weekly basis, which suggests that there may be a more functional system out there. Living in a single-family unit, either in a house or apartment building has become the living standard, but it isn’t the only possibility. Cooperative housing is discussed in one module of our Sustainable-Sustainable Architecture postgraduate course if you are interested about the topics discussed in this article, you may be a wonderful candidate.
