In autumn 2022, the cooperative housing movement met in Zurich and Geneva.
The international Cooperative Housing Symposium took place in Zurich for the second time on September 22 and 23 2022.
Under the slogan “Growing the Movement”, 15 speakers discussed the future of cooperative housing with over 100 participants from all over the world.
The event took place at Kraftwerk, a retired power station in the heart of Zurich. Around 100 participants gathered in the hall, including guests from North America, Israel, Nepal, the Philippines and Japan.
UrbaMonde participated in the discussions and debates that emerged around the future of cooperative housing, during the four thematic blocks: #Housing2030, The cooperative toolbox, Community engagement for sustainability and Working together for the future.
We also actively contributed to the formulation of the programme, which allowed the participation of various partners of the CoHabitat Network (ACHR/Lumanti, Sostre Civic and MOBA).
Special side-event for students
This year, the Symposium was proud to hold a special side-event for students: The European Student Co-op Convening : Developing a United Front. Co-organised by Cooperative Housing International, urbaMonde, Studentendorf Berlin, NASCO, Student Coop Homes (UK) and the Geneva-based cooperative La Ciguë. It was held after the official program of the Symposium in Zurich and Geneva.
Based on the model presented by NASCO and through round tables and exchanges, guidelines and strategies were proposed for the formation of a European federation of student cooperatives.
The event ended with a visit to the housing cooperatives of Geneva.
