Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Cohousing at the Venice Biennial.

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

> On May 30, 2021, at 12:33 PM, Hafidha Sofia <hafidhaao [at] gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> But by ownership I don’t mean individual ownership. I’m talking collective 
> ownership and self-governance. (Cooperatives are an example of “renters” 
> having ownership in a non-capitalist sense.)

Cooperatives in real estate are owned, they are just owned in common. Owners 
own “stock” in the homeowners association or corporation, and as  such have the 
exclusive use of an apartment.

In looking at schemes to build low cost cohousing, cooperative ownership may be 
one option. Some cohousing communities have been able to get started more 
easily by using the lot development model so that each household can obtain 
independent financing. 30 years ago condominiums were still suspect and people 
outside of major cities didn’t know about cooperatives.

With low cost housing, the better approach seems to be a larger development. 
Banks and construction companies like larger projects—the income offsets the 
cost of just doing the paperwork. It is just as difficult to negotiate a small 
construction loan as it is to negotiate a large one. In other countries, cities 
are hiring the 3D printing people to build 30 to 80 units — acres of low cost 
individual houses — much like tiny houses.

> And I’m curious to know why most popular articles about cohousing focus on 
> small intentional communities like the one I live in but never once mention 
> housing cooperatives.

What kind of housing cooperatives do you mean?

Sharon
——— 
Sharon Villines, Editor & Publisher
Affordable Housing means 30% of household income
Cohousing means self-developed, self-governed, self-managed
http://affordablecohousing.com

To subscribe to the discussion list send a blank message to:
affordablecohousing+subscribe [at] groups.io