Overview of the Publication
The article âHousing cooperatives, housing systems and the state. Historical lessons from Europe, Australia and Latin Americaâ appears in Housing Studies (ISSN 0267â3037, 1466â1810). It is authored by Jardar Sørvoll (Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway), Claire Carriou (Paris School of Urban Planning, France) and Richard Lang (Free University of BozenâBolzano, Italy). The research was published online on 23 September 2025 and examines the interplay between cooperative housing and broader housing systems across multiple continents.
Geographic Scope and Comparative Angle
The study draws on case studies from Europe (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Finland, Poland, the United Kingdom), Australia, and Latin America (Uruguay, Colombia, El Salvador, Chile). It highlights how cooperative housing has both shaped and been shaped by national housing regimes, with 88 publications and 641 citations for Sørvoll, 46 publications and 308 citations for Carriou, and 55 publications and 1,484 citations for Lang.
Key Quantitative Findings
- Cooperative housing contributes to affordable housing provision in 21 countries examined.
- In Uruguay, cooperative movements have scaled to influence national policy, supported by strong unionisation and state backing.
- Swedenâs deregulation of cooperative shares in 1968â69 coincided with a rise in marketâoriented housing, reducing lowâincome options.
- Denmarkâs limitedâequity cooperatives originated from 19thâcentury building cooperatives and now face pressure from commodification.
- Finland shows limited impact of consumer cooperatives, with 1920â2020 data indicating intermittent policy support.
- Chileâs cooperative sector contracted during military rule (1973â1995) and reâemerged under recent neoliberal policies.
Institutional Drivers and Barriers
State support emerges as a decisive factor: Uruguayâs success is linked to durable legal frameworks; Hungaryâs socialist period used cooperatives as a âsmokescreenâ for commodification; Australiaâs liberal welfare model and strong privateâproperty culture have limited cooperative visibility. The authors note that fragmented civilâsociety networks, weak federative structures, and lack of political mobilisation hinder scaling in Finland, Hungary and Chile.
Historical Lessons for Sustainable Housing
- StateâCooperative Alignment â Longâterm legal and financial incentives are essential for largeâscale, sustainable cooperative projects.
- Political Mobilisation â Strong, politicised resident movements amplify cooperative impact, as seen in Uruguay and Sweden.
- Governance Autonomy â Maintaining residentâcontrolled management rights protects cooperatives from marketâdriven commodification.
- PathâDependence â Historical institutional legacies (e.g., postâwar reconstruction in Finland, postâsocialist transitions in Hungary) shape current cooperative viability.
Relevance to PanâEuropean Sustainable Housing
The article provides evidence that cooperative housing can enhance sustainability by promoting collective ownership, reducing speculative turnover, and fostering resident participation in decisionâmaking. European cases illustrate that cooperatives adapt to diverse policy environments, yet scaling requires coordinated state policies, supportive financing, and robust cooperative networks. The authors suggest that European policymakers could draw on Uruguayâs model of strong sectoral representation and on the Nordic experience of integrating cooperatives within broader housing strategies to address affordability and climateârelated housing challenges.

