Urban Planning, Ecological Transition, Urban Services and Housing

Barcelona City Council, through the Municipal Institute of Housing and Rehabilitation of Barcelona (IMHAB), has led, for nearly two years, the first phase of the European project NETCO, the Network of Cities for Collaborative Housing. The role of the City Council in the development of the initiative has been coordination, within the framework of the European Commission’s Citizenship, Equality, Rights, and Values Programme. The team included 16 partners, among them, 10 countries belonging to the European Union.

NETCO has been funded by the European Union and has been structured with short, medium, and long-term objectives. The first, and the basis of all the actions developed, has been the mobilization of cities, local practitioners, and individuals interested in the collaborative housing model, in order to exchange ideas and address social inclusion and participation through a practical approach.

The next step has been the opening of forums and channels between collaborative housing initiatives and stakeholders, including local public bodies. This strategy has sought to promote policy changes and instruments that would facilitate the success of the wide range of initiatives presented.

Finally, the long-term goal of the project has been to contribute to the establishment and improvement of collaborative housing programs at the local level, the scaling up of these initiatives and the expansion of the Network to include other cities and policy levels.

A diverse team enhancing collaborative housing

The project ran from May 2022 to April 2024. The cities and countries involved are: Catalonia (Barcelona, as coordinator), Germany (Berlin and Dresden), Portugal (Lisbon), Greece (Thessaloniki), Netherlands (Amsterdam and Eindhoven), France (Grand Lyon and Strasbourg), Croatia (Zagreb), Romania (Cluj), Belgium (Brussels), Slovenia (Ljubljana), Italy (Turin and Bologna), United Kingdom, and Norway (Oslo).

A diverse composition that has provided a balanced representation of cities from northern, southern, central, and eastern Europe, each with distinct welfare state systems and local policy schemes.

To strengthen collaboration and teamwork in the continuity of NETCO, various debate sessions on key policies necessary for the success of collaborative housing have been organized. These meetings, both online and in-person, have always been oriented towards practice, to align the knowledge and interests of participants, practitioners, civil society, and organizations.

Barcelona has organized three of the six events that have taken place during these months:

• A webinar focused on collaborative housing as a key local policy during COVID-19.
• A European conference on making local innovation sustainable, emphasizing the role of public resources in collaborative housing.
• A webinar to provide recommendations and next steps for collaborative housing.

What do we mean by collaborative housing?

Collaborative housing includes different ways of organization, from cohousing to community land management. This coordination enhances civic engagement and promotes social cohesion in cities, as well as including low-income households that might otherwise be excluded from gentrifying neighborhoods.

This form of cohabitation and housing organization can be a solution to address racial, gender, and generational inequalities through participation in neighborhood initiatives and community engagement. Within the framework of NETCO, collaborative housing refers to initiatives where residents play an active role in the ongoing management of the residential community.

For further information, visit NETCO project website here or read the NETCO report 2024 with Policy Recommendations.