Congrats to Can 70, the first cooperative senior housing to be built in Barcelona by Sostre Civic! The coop is aimed at over 50s as a model of coexistence for aging. It will feature 26 homes built on public land, also a first! The group has been discussing how it wants to live since 2015 and is clear that growing old in solitude is not in the cards. The coop will feature community spaces such as a kitchen to be shared between 4 or 5 homes, an urban garden and a treatment and physiotherapy room.

Members of Can 70 are also members of Sostre Civic, an association that is pioneering cooperative housing in Catalonia in Spain. Sostre Cívic has more than 1000 members and is committed to the-transfer-of-use as an alternative housing model.  It guarantees the right to housing in the long term and departs from the current model that promotes private ownership and speculation. With the transfer-of-use ownership model, the property is collective and rests with the entity. In addition, Sostre Civic promotes the creation of new projects through support and accompaniment to individuals and seed groups. As a member of CHI since 2022, we are proud to share Sostre Civic’s accomplishments and continued growth in using an innovative cooperative housing model. You can read the full story about Can 70’s housing scheme here.

International Policies to Promote Cooperative Housing

If you want to learn more about different cooperative housing tools and policies we invite you to head to the resources section of our website.  One publication in particular, International Policies to Promote Cooperative Housing, offers an international review of the legal frameworks and public policies available to policymakers on the cooperative housing model. It focuses on mechanisms that bolster affordability and offer an alternative to speculative real estate dynamics.