Understanding co-housing from a planning perspective: why and how?

The re-emergence of Co-housing matches with the current rise of 'DIY', 'Rurbanizing' and 'New Commons' trends in Western European countries. Publications and websites of co-housing networks show that the ambitions of the initiatives are very similar internationally, and there is a strong information flow between projects and crossing borders. There are often high expectations, both by inhabitants and urban policy makers about the resilience and impact of self-organized housing communities. At the same time, driving forces behind the trend are different for each country: from demographic change to land scarcity, promotion of private property, and failing housing distribution. Moreover, planning contexts vary considerably, both geographically and over time. This article searches for an interpretation of the co-housing trend through the lens of spatial planning. This article is based on collaborative research in France, Netherlands and Germany, including field experience in several other EU countries. This article argues that co-housing can only be fully understood when taking into account planning context. The relevance of self-organized housing for urban development and spatial planning lies primarily in the lessons it learns on 'participative urbanism'; both in design and management of high quality urban environment.