Recap and link to the recording of the conference “Social production of housing around the world”, which took place in Geneva on 1 October 2024.
There could have been no better way to open and celebrate the start of “Urban October” than with a major conference on the social production of housing around the world. The social production of housing is about rethinking the urban in a different way: by weaving connections between residents, strengthening solidarity, and creating living spaces that are sustainable and accessible to all. It is about sharing, questioning, and testing ideas to collectively and equitably manage how we live together, while ensuring long-term affordable housing and demonstrating strong social and ecological value.
You may be thinking this sounds utopian. But it is very much possible, and this was demonstrated at the conference held in Geneva on 1 October, attended by more than 100 people. Four exemplary participatory housing initiatives from Senegal, Indonesia, Spain and Switzerland — all winners of the World Habitat Awards — were presented. These projects embody concrete and sustainable solutions that address urgent needs for affordable housing, while strengthening social cohesion and responding to ecological challenges.
The theme of the evening highlighted several fundamental aspects of participatory housing, including self-management, housing improvement, and access to rights in informal settlements in major urban centres across the Global South, with presentations by Papa Keita from urbaSEN and the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants in Senegal, and by Guntoro from the Rujak Center and the Urban Poor Consortium in Indonesia. The issue of non-speculative cooperative housing in Europe as a response to the housing crisis was addressed through presentations by Aline Juon from La Ciguë in Geneva, Switzerland, and Elisabet Ràfols from Sostre Cívic in Catalonia, Spain.
The conference continued with a roundtable moderated by Armelle Choplin from UNIGE, with the speakers, as well as Christophe Brunet, representing the Geneva Housing Cooperatives Association, prompting numerous questions from the audience. The discussions focused on topics such as the essential support of local and national governments, and the capacity of housing cooperatives to meet the quantitative housing needs of cities while maintaining their participatory and co-creation processes.
The evening also provided an opportunity to meet other European and Global South partners of the CoHabitat Network, who were present in Geneva for the network’s 10th anniversary celebrations, and to engage in a dialogue on the challenges and prospects of participatory and cooperative housing in the face of the global housing crisis.
You can watch the full conference again on our YouTube channel at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBYqKBNEAJU
