Eduard Cabré

Not all affordable housing has to be publicly delivered. Across the world, cooperative housing, community land trusts, co-housing, and other collaborative models are offering alternatives to both the market and the state, fostering affordability, social cohesion, and resident agency. Where they thrive, these models can provide stable, community-oriented, and democratically managed homes, supported by legal frameworks, access to land and finance, technical capacity, and long-term governance structures. Drawing from international cooperative networks, local housing federations, and emerging delivery actors, the conversation will look at how these models can grow, what conditions they require, and how their lessons can inform broader housing policy.

Some cities and countries have managed to build and sustain public housing systems that provide stable, affordable, and quality homes for significant shares of their populations. Their experience points to the importance of sustained political commitment, strong public institutions, long-term financing structures, clear allocation models, and housing management systems that keep homes affordable and well-maintained over time. This conversation will move from project delivery to system-building, looking at how cities can strengthen public housing through different models of delivery, stewardship, and cooperation between public authorities, housing providers, and social actors.