Concevoir et gérer l’habitat en commun

Abstract

Denouncing current housing and living conditions, l’habitat participatif (cohousing) promotes the idea of “living differently”. But does this movement have the ability to inspire new values? Will its recognition in France’s recent housing and urbanism legislation (loi pour l’Accès à un logement et un urbanisme rénové—ALUR) lead to changes in society?These groups of residents base their engagement on a set of firm demands concerned with housing, living environments and society more widely. In this context, cohousing is seen as an “antidote” to the evils they denounce and a means to stimulate societal change. Yet this objective has long been jeopardized by tensions within the movement itself. Only over time have these groups of residents matured into a collective actor able to convey a unified message. The cohousing movement now appears able to initiate incremental changes in the representations and practices of actors in the housing sector. Its ability to reach out to residents, especially those on low incomes, now represents a real challenge.

Keywords

• Participation
• Residents
• Housing
• Activism
• Societal Change