Overview of the NETCO Report
The document âNETCO Network of Cities for Collaborative Housing â 2023â2024 Peer Exchanges Policy Recommendationsâ presents the findings and policy suggestions of the European Network of Cities for Collaborative Housing (NETCO). Authored by Pierre Arnold and Michael LaFond and published by the Network of Cities for Collaborative Housing in April 2024, it compiles insights from 17 partner cities across Europe. The report draws on field visits, surveys, and peerâexchange meetings conducted between November 2022 and April 2024, and it is publicly available through the NETCO website and researchâgate profile of Pierre Arnold.
Network Structure and Membership
NETCO brings together municipal public servants, practitioners, and civilâsociety organisations from cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bologna, Brussels, ClujâNapoca, Dresden, Eindhoven, Ljubljana, Lyon, Navarra, Oslo, Strasbourg, Thessaloniki, and Zagreb. The network is coordinated by policy consultants from Barcelona City Council and the Region of Navarra. Membership is free of charge, but leading members contribute financially or inâkind, while associate members participate without a leading role.
Key Findings on Collaborative Housing
A survey of the 17 cities identified four factors that most significantly affect the development of collaborative housing: national or regional legal frameworks, funding schemes, political will of local decisionâmakers, and mobilisation of civil society. Private bank financing was also highlighted as a critical element; lack of loan products for collective projects can stall initiatives. Respondents indicated that responsibility for enabling change spans municipal, regional, national, and EU levels, with legal frameworks primarily at the national level and funding often needed from national and EU sources.
Data on Current Projects
The report lists several flagship projects illustrating diverse models:
- Porto 15 (Bologna) â 18 units, publicâowned rental, rents âŹ290ââŹ390, target income under âŹ40,000.
- Salus Space (Bologna) â 20 units, municipal ownership, ecoâfriendly wood construction, includes migrant and refugee housing.
- La Borda (Barcelona) â 28 units, grantâtoâuse cooperative on public land, 75âyear lease, 18 % resident equity, 52 % funded by equity loans, rest by public grants.
- CALICO (Brussels) â 34 units, CLTâleased land, includes Housing First and feminist cohousing units. These examples demonstrate common features such as shared common spaces, resident organisations, longâterm land leases, and mixed funding sources (public subsidies, equity loans, crowdfunding).
Policy Recommendations for Cities
NETCO proposes twelve actionable recommendations, including:
- Adopt longâterm visions for communityâled living.
- Advocate for removal of legal and administrative barriers.
- Set quantitative targets (e.g., 100 collaborative homes per year).
- Provide training for municipal staff and practitioners.
- Finance âprocess facilitatorsâ who mediate between residents and developers.
- Offer renewable longâterm publicâland leases instead of sales.
- Encourage collaboration among multiple developers on each land parcel.
- Facilitate access to municipal loan guarantees for cooperatives.
- Support sharedâspace funding through mixed publicâprivate mechanisms.
- Pilot innovative financing and construction methods.
- Create a European revolving fund for lowâinterest loans.
- Fund research, advocacy, and transânational knowledge exchange.
EuropeanâLevel Actions
At the EU scale, NETCO calls for:
- Harmonised guidelines for affordableâhousing legislation.
- Dedicated European calls to showcase collaborativeâhousing pilots.
- Coâfunding schemes that combine EU loans with national or local financing.
- A revolving funding facility to recycle repayments into new projects.
- Support for research that links banking, impactâinvestment, and insurance sectors to collaborative housing.
Access and Further Resources
The full set of recommendations, caseâstudy details, and contact information (netcoprojectcontact@gmail.com) are available through the NETCO website and the linked researchâgate profile. Additional bibliographic resources on collaborative housing concepts, European policy frameworks, and sustainability innovations are listed in the annex, providing a comprehensive knowledge base for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers interested in scaling sustainable, inclusive housing across Europe.

