Coop Conversations

Alicia Maneiro - Cooperative Housing in Uruguay

In this enlightening episode of 'Co-op Conversations', we dive into the world of cooperative housing with guest Alicia Maneiro, President of CUDECOOP - the Confederation of Cooperatives in Uruguay. Alicia talks about the unique model of housing cooperatives in Uruguay that has shaped the cooperative housing landscape in Latin America and Europe. She highlights the key concepts of building communities and not just houses, and how these communities foster strong, supportive bonds.

We delve into the intricacies of Uruguay's cooperative housing model, discussing self-help, self-management, and the hereditary rights within cooperatives. This episode also pays tribute to the principles of mutual aid and previous savings modalities in cooperative housing, with a particular focus on self-management and direct democracy.

We discuss the broader applications of education initiatives in cooperative housing and explore the strategy of making land available for these projects. Also discussed are policies and how diverse government actions have influenced the progress, recognition, and sometimes slowdown, of the housing cooperatives.

Listen to the engaging narrative of the cooperative housing movement in Uruguay, its growth, struggles, and resilience, and how it has significantly empowered thousands of families nationwide. The episode further investigates the post-construction roles of residents, the interplay of cooperativism and politics, and the influence of neighbouring Argentina's political direction.

Get acquainted with FUCVAM's efforts to promote the cooperative model abroad, its dedication to sustaining its impact model without foreign aid, and its recent land acquisition ventures. Finally, we illuminate the association between services, land centrality, and how construction projects have adapted due to land scarcity in central locations.

Join us for a comprehensive look into the world of cooperative housing, politics, international work, and their present challenges. Visit us at housinginternational.coop for more insights, resources, and stories about co-op housing worldwide, and join our vibrant social media community on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Paul Bradley (ROC USA) and Kristi Peterman (Liberty Landing Cooperative)

In this episode, we interview Paul Bradley, former CEO of ROC USA, and Kristi Peterman, a resident and board member of Liberty Landing Cooperative.

ROC USA is a non-profit social venture that aims to facilitate resident ownership of manufactured home parks on a larger scale.

Liberty Landing is a resident-owned manufactured home park located in Liberty, Missouri - a suburb of Kansas City.

During the episode, Paul and Kristi discuss the process of residents uniting to purchase the land on which their homes are situated, thereby protecting affordability for future generations.

Leasehold Coops

Meet Thom Armstrong, the CEO of the Co-operative Housing Federation of British Columbia in Canada. He has over 30 years of experience in the cooperative housing movement and serves as the CEO for COHO Management Services Society and the Community Land Trust group of societies. Furthermore, he serves as the chair of the board of Encasa Financial Inc., which oversees an investment fund of more than $500 million in assets for the social housing sector in Canada.

Blase Lambert is with us as well, serving as Treasurer on the Board of Cooperative Housing International. He holds the position of CEO at the Confederation of Co-operative Housing, which is the UK's representative organization for cooperative housing. Furthermore, he sits on the Board of the Co-operative Housing Finance Society and is a founding member of Community Led Homes. Lastly, he serves as Treasurer of Leicester Vaughan College.

Blase and Thom delve into the advantages and disadvantages of housing cooperatives on leased land in this episode. They explore the challenges faced by coops striving to preserve their community against the demand of cities to accommodate more residents on the same land. Additionally, they discuss the community land trust model, which serves as a catalyst for housing development and enables collaboration with local governments to lease land for extended periods and construct much needed affordable homes.

Sumu Yakushima Housing Cooperative -- Japan

In this episode, we’re joined by Tsukasa Ono and Marina Takahasi who live in a housing cooperative in Japan on an island called Yakushima. The coop is called Sumu Yakushima and was conceived and designed by Tsukasa, an architect. Eight members collectively own the coop via a joint-stock company, each having an equal share. The design combines modern and traditional Japanese architecture and civil engineering practices where the built environment is in harmony with the natural environment.

Multipro - Nicaragua

English follows-En este podcast presentamos a MULTIPRO, una cooperativa de servicios profesionales con sede en Matagalpa, Nicaragua, fundada en 2013 por un grupo de jóvenes profesionales como ingenieros, administradores, desarrolladores sociales), que trabajan en coordinación con CECOVI, la organización paraguas de las cooperativas de vivienda del departamento de Matagalpa.

Actualmente Multipro está trabajando en el desarrollo de cooperativas de vivienda en el departamento de Matagalpa, ofreciendo asistencia técnica a seis grupos cooperativos, promoviendo incidencia política para el acceso a suelo urbanizado, financiamiento estatal y marcos legales que se enfoquen en beneficiar a las clases populares.

La anfitriona de este episodio es Suzanne Lerch, miembro de la junta directiva de UrbaMonde, una ONG con sede en Francia y Suiza que apoya a grupos que ponen en marcha iniciativas de vivienda dirigidas por la comunidad. UrbaMonde se ha comprometido a aumentar la proporción de viviendas dirigidas por la comunidad a nivel local y mundial.

Suzanne habla con Jorge Fley Rocha, gerente de Multipro, y Marta Pérez Aguirre, Presidenta de la Cooperativa de Vivienda "Nuestro Barrio" y Delegada de la Central de Cooperativas de Vivienda "Nuestra Obra" CECOVI.

In this episode we talk to MULTIPRO, a professional services cooperative based in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, founded in 2013 by a group of young professionals (engineers, administrators, social developers), working in coordination with CECOVI, the umbrella organization of housing cooperatives in the department of Matagalpa, founded in 2019.

Multipro is currently involved in the development of housing cooperatives in the department of Matagalpa, providing technical assistance to six cooperative groups, promoting political advocacy for access to urbanized land, state financing and legal frameworks that focus on benefiting the popular classes.

The host for this episode is Suzanne Lerch, board member of UrbaMonde, an NGO based in France and Switzerland that supports groups implementing community-led housing initiatives. UrbaMonde is committed to increasing the share of Community Led Housing on a local and global level.

Suzanne talks to Jorge Fley Rocha, a manager with Multipro and Marta Pérez Aguirre who is President of the Housing Cooperative "Nuestro Barrio" and Delegate of the Central Housing Cooperatives "Nuestra Obra" CECOVI.

Maxime Zaït, Communa, Belgique

(This episode is in French)

À Bruxelles, il y a plus de 6 millions de mètres-carrés vides, et entre-temps des milliers de personnes sont à la recherche d’espaces décents et abordables pour se loger ou mettre en place des initiatives. Maxime Zaït est avocat, recherchiste et co-fondateur de Communa, STUN Europe et Fairground Brussels, des organisations sans but lucratif qui s'intéressent à la création de communautés et à la lutte contre la vacance immobilière afin de créer des lieux temporaires, pour transformer la ville à long terme. Maxime s'est promené pendant plusieurs mois dans huit pays en Europe afin d'étudier le droit à la ville, le droit au logement, les modèles anti-spéculatifs, la mise en commun et l'usage social temporaire. Dans cette conversation Maxime partage avec nous les différentes approches qu'il a vues et les problèmes similaires qui existent à Bruxelles et dans les endroits qu'il a visités.

 

Communa Website: https://communa.be/

Ander Zabala Gomez, Sostre Civic, Catalonia, Spain

Sostre Civic is a cooperative in Catalonia, Spain that promotes and develops housing cooperatives under the right of use model. This housing model consists of collective ownership of a building or a number of buildings by the housing co-op. Members of the co-op have the right to occupy a particular apartment by mutual agreement but do not hold exclusive ownership. Sostre Civic also makes use of a pre-emption right mechanism that exists in Catalonia whereby civil society has the first option to buy abandoned properties.

Rosie Moore, Peterborough Housing Co-op, New Zealand

This week we feature Rosie Moore from Peterborough Housing Co-op in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Peterborough Housing Co-operative was founded in 1982 but had to be rebuilt after experiencing extensive damage in the 2011 earthquake. The coop rebuilt a unique pocket neighbourhood in the heart of Christchurch, with community at its centre. 

In this episode, Julie LaPalme, CHI's Secretary-General talks with Rosie about growing up in a housing coop and now raising her son in one.

Ana Džokić - MOBA - Europe

Ana Džokić is an architect, with over 20 years of experience pioneering unconventional approaches to the challenges of contemporary urban development. Ana is a founding member of two civil associations that deal with the unsustainability of the current housing condition. In Belgrade, Ko Gradi Grad is setting up a new breed of non-speculative housing cooperatives; in Rotterdam, Stad in de Maak manages “toxic assets” of stranded Dutch welfare housing. She is the founding director of Pametnija Zgrada, the first housing co-operative established in Belgrade in the last 20 years, and a member of the management board of the European Cooperative Society, MOBA Housing. She is also one of the founders of the energy cooperative Elektropionir in Belgrade, Serbia, a pioneer in small-scale solar in Serbia. Elektropionir was instrumental in changing Serbian law to recognize communities as prosumers - producers of electricity for self-consumption.

Chan Hong, Minsnail Housing Co-op, South Korea

In this episode, we talk to Chang Hong, Facility Manager for Minsnail Housing Co-op in the Republic of South Korea. Chan discusses the origins and evolution of Minsnail Housing Co-op. It started off as a student housing civil organization in Seoul, South Korea that sought to create more affordable housing for students and young people. Ten years later, Minsnail Housing Co-op has 15 homes in three different cities. Join us for this conversation with Chan and find out more about Minsnail's journey since 2011 and what the co-op is planning for the future.