European Community-led Housing HUB
Meet inspiring European Community-led Housing projects and their networks at the Habitat Groupé Far in Louvain-la-Neuve!
Brussels, 16 May 2016 | The future of the EU & Housing
urbaMonde and Habitat&Participation ASBL jointly organise the first European Community-Led Habitat HUB on the 29th of May 2016. The HUB will be held in the framework of the 7th Co-housing Fair (Salon de l’Habitat Groupé) in Louvain-la-Neuve. Four Community-Led Housing projects from Spain, UK, Germany and Switzerland Europe will receive the European Community-led Habitat Award during a public ceremony and share their experiences with peers, representatives of public institutions, local governments, and housing experts.
La Borda, Barcelona, Spain
The Housing Cooperative “La Borda” originated from an activist movement in “Le Sants”, a working-class neighbourhood in Barcelona. La Borda seeks to integrate housing with the social economy and the Care economy, and to encourage new models of living in community. It constitutes at the same time the first experience of collective property ownership in the city of Barcelona.
Granby4Streets CLT, Liverpool, United Kingdom
In the context of poverty, social exclusion and top-down approaches towards urban renewal, the inhabitants of Toxteth in Liverpool created the Granby4Streets Community Land Trust to defend their interests., Granby4Streets CLT has successfully managed to negotiate with public actors and social investors to implement participatory urban upgrading and social projects for the benefit of more than 2,000 residents.
Spreefeld, Berlin, Germany
The Building and Housing Cooperative “Spreefeld” is situated in the former ‘no man’s land’ between Eastern and Western Germany. Founded in 2011 and inhabited since 2014, it is a succesful example of local resistance to speculative, top-down and large scale area development, and has managed to provide affordable homes and public and semi-public spaces.
Mehr als Wohnen, Zurich, Switzerland
Mehr als Wohnen is a federation of 60 housing cooperatives that planned, financed and managed the construction of an entire neighbourhood, home to 1,100 residents and 150 jobs in the City of Zurich. The scale (cooperative neighbourhood), energy-efficient buildings, social diversity and the predominance of common spaces are but some examples of the innovation at the core of this project.
The projects stand for participatory and innovative housing solutions led by local communities. They provide sustainable alternatives to the current housing crisis and inspire housing policy practice across Europe.
The European Community-Led Housing Award is a joint initiative of the Social Production of Habitat Platform and Building and Social Housing Foundation, the coordinator of the World Habitat Awards. The Award seeks to promote experience exchange between peers and to increase the visibility and public recognition of community-driven housing solutions, recognising the diversity of models and approaches across Europe.
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