Duration: 3 days
Client: 45 Eldermen and city officials of Housing in Belgium, civic actors and private real estate developers
Date: 2019
Project Lead: Jan Denoo
Partners: Cera & Architectuurwijzer
In 2019, as multiple Belgian cities and regions were witnessing an increase in the number of people who cannot afford to buy or rent quality housing, they were looking for inspiration beyond their own context. This formed the backdrop of the three-day trip, which was prepared by Architectuurwijzer and Cera and was part of a larger research project coordinated by Jan Denoo, as part of the cooperative Endeavour, on the potential of housing cooperatives in Flanders. The trip brought together 45 aldermen and city officials of housing in Belgium, civic actors and private real estate developers.
Travel
Over three days, we visited more than 20 older and newer housing cooperatives in Switzerland — from iconic projects such as Kalkbreite and Kraftwerk to the cooperative neighbourhood Hunziker Areal by Mehr Als Wohnen, which was founded by more than 30 housing cooperatives.
Together with pioneers, management teams and inhabitants, we unravelled the “cooperative conditions” that make these projects possible: from active public land policies, loan systems and cooperative financial models to innovative contracts between cities and cooperatives.
We also explored how collective housing affects the daily lives of inhabitants, including new modes of care, ways of dealing with loneliness, the provision of neighbourhood services and anti-gentrification strategies.
Translate
The Swiss examples were not treated as best practices to be copied, but helped us deconstruct them into transferable principles, enabling conditions and practical tools.
The insights informed a detailed publication on the potential of cooperative housing in addressing housing crises. The publication also developed concrete tools for policymakers and housing cooperatives to scale up this practice. This report now serves as groundwork for further research on housing cooperatives.
Transform
The trip did not end with inspiration alone. It motivated a large group of high-level policymakers and professionals to explore how principles of cooperative housing could be implemented in their own policies and practices.
It also supported the development of a pilot programme for Flanders, aimed at helping municipalities and emerging housing cooperatives develop first cases, learn from their experiences and translate these lessons into more specific urban and regional policy and funding transitions.
As multiple Belgian cities and regions are witnessing an increase in the number of people who cannot afford to buy or rent quality housing, they look for inspiration. In four days, we visited over 20 older and newer housing cooperatives going from the iconic Kalkbreite and Kraftwerk to the cooperative neighborhood Mehr Als Wohnen gathering more than 30 housing cooperatives. Together with the pioneers, the management teams and inhabitants, we unravelled the ‘cooperative conditions’ that support these cooperatives - from active public land policies to loan systems and cooperative financial models and innovative contracts between cities and cooperatives. Also, we dug deeper into the effects on daily lives of inhabitants of collective housing going from new modes of care, dealing with loneliness, providing services for a neighborhood, anti-gentrification, … . The trip was prepared by Architectuurwijzer and Cera and was part of a larger research coordinated by Jan on the potential of housing cooperatives in Flanders.
The trip had multiple outcomes. First of all, it informed a detailed publication on the potential of cooperative housing in facing housing crises as well as concrete tools for policy makers and housing cooperatives in scaling up this practice. This report serves as a groundwork for further research on housing cooperatives, where Jan was part of. Secondly, it motivated a large group of high-level edelman and professionals in implementing principles of this concept in their policies and practices. Thirdly, it supported the development of a pilot-programme to support municipalities and starting housing cooperatives in Flanders to develop first cases, learn from their experiences and translate this to more specific urban and regional policy and funding transitions.