The International Day of Cooperatives, celebrated on the first Saturday of July each year, is an opportunity to raise awareness and celebrate the cooperative movement. Celebrated on this day by the United Nations since 1992, the cooperative movement is a social and economic movement empowering individuals and communities by creating enterprises that are collectively owned and democratically controlled by members. This year's theme is "Cooperatives: Partners for Accelerated Sustainable Development." Underscoring the critical role cooperatives play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, it also emphasizes the unique typology of cooperatives in exploring new ways of living together. With a belief in community growth, cooperatives believe in communal development, prioritizing people and supporting them to improve collective well-being.
In architecture, the various co-living models adapted from the cooperative movement have become an enormous success over the past few decades, providing a new format of cost-effective social housing. The cooperative movement and the co-living concept intersect deeply in their shared values of community, collaboration, and sustainability. This month's Curated Collection explores different European co-living projects, each with its unique framework application. From a social rental housing project in The Netherlands to a housing cooperative with a participatory process in Switzerland, each selected project unfolds a unique narrative of community engagement, sustainability, and new models of living together.
