Genossenschaftliche Projektentwicklung von Wohnraum-Commons

Resource context

“Genossenschaftliche Projektentwicklung von Wohnraum-Commons” is an academic master’s thesis authored by André Sacharow and published by Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin). The work examines how cooperative (genossenschaftliche) real estate project development can contribute to creating and scaling “housing commons” as an alternative approach to housing provision, with a focus on Berlin and its surrounding context.

Core idea: housing as commons

The thesis frames “commons” as shared resources whose use is negotiated as independently as possible from state bureaucracies and markets, and it highlights that commons are actively “made” through practice (“commoning”). It argues that real estate development does not only produce physical space; it also (re)produces socio-economic relationships, which is crucial for addressing multiple urban crises and for building more socially just and resilient cities.

Research aim and questions

The central question is whether professional project development can create and expand housing commons at a scale that matters. The thesis investigates what legal, economic, and social instruments are used in cooperative project development, and how these instruments influence the resulting governance and everyday practices of shared housing. It positions this as particularly relevant for “Urban Practitioners” involved in producing space and shaping the relationships between built form and its users.

Methodology and analytical framework

The study uses a transdisciplinary approach that connects commons research, cooperative theory, and real estate economics. It builds an “investigation raster” (an analytical framework) that links project-development instruments (e.g., financing, contracts, space programmes, and economic calculations) to commons qualities and governance patterns. This framework draws on established commons scholarship (including institutional perspectives and “pattern language” approaches to commoning) as well as cooperative principles.

Berlin field analysis and cooperative typology

A quantitative field analysis of cooperative development in Berlin identifies three cooperative types used for comparison: traditional cooperatives, “young” cooperatives, and umbrella cooperatives (Dachgenossenschaften). The thesis discusses how cooperative size, organisational form, and governance structures can shape participation, self-organisation, and the durability of commons-like arrangements. It also highlights practical tensions such as participation versus legally required executive authority, decommodification versus financing constraints, and openness versus membership-based access.

Case studies and key findings

Based on the field analysis, three case studies in Berlin illustrate different approaches: Beamten-Wohnungs-Verein zu Köpenick eG (traditional cooperative), WBG Am Ostseeplatz eG (young cooperative), and TRNSFRM eG (umbrella cooperative). Across these cases, the thesis finds significant overlap between cooperative theory and commons research and shows that commoning practices can appear at multiple levels: the cooperative as an institution, the housing project as a shared resource and governance system, and specific shared spaces as “micro-commons.”

Implications for sustainable and inclusive housing

The thesis concludes that commons-sensitive strategies in cooperative project development can support affordability, social inclusion, and long-term stewardship by structuring ownership and governance to limit speculative extraction and strengthen collective decision-making. It emphasizes that scaling housing commons requires not just technical delivery of units, but also legal and organisational instruments that enable self-organisation, conflict handling, and ongoing care for shared resources.