CoHab Athens is a research and advocacy collective formed in 2016 in response to urgent housing challenges facing Athens, Greece. The group operates as an open platform, bringing together urban researchers, activists, and citizens interested in reimagining housing as a fundamental right rather than a commodity. Its founding members were motivated by the housing crisis intensified by economic instability, widespread insecurity of tenure, and growing commodification of apartments.
Since its inception, CoHab Athens has focused on exploring cooperative housing and collective ownership models rarely discussed or implemented in Greece. Drawing on international examples, the organisation has been running a participatory design workshop since late 2017 to assess local housing needs and develop prototypes for non-profit, collectively owned housing. The group’s work includes legal research, advocacy for regulatory reform, and the creation of practical tools to assist community land banking, social cooperatives, and alternative financing methods such as local currency and crowdfunding.
Notably, CoHab Athens collaborates directly with neighbourhood associations, such as the Exarchia Inhabitants Committee, conducting long-term workshops to identify practical barriers and possibilities for communal management of apartment buildings and public spaces. The group prioritises ecological renovation of the aging building stock, participatory mapping, and empowering local groups interested in forming housing cooperatives.
CoHab Athens is also integrated into international networks addressing similar issues, underlining its commitment to knowledge exchange and solidarity beyond the local context. The organisation remains a catalyst for realistic housing alternatives at a time when traditional mechanisms increasingly fail to secure affordable, dignified living in Athens.