Cooplink, based in Arnhem, emerged in 2020 as an association connecting groups pursuing collective housing across the Netherlands. It supports residents' initiatives by linking them to housing corporations, architects, and financing experts, filling gaps in a market dominated by large-scale providers. Unlike traditional corporations, Cooplink operates as a network hub, enabling small-scale projects that emphasize resident-led management and shared facilities.
The organization traces its roots to growing interest in communal living amid the Dutch housing shortage, where cooperatives manage about 27 percent of rentals but focus mainly on individual units. Cooplink collaborates closely with entities like the Gelderland Housing Association, which handles 46 projects totaling nearly 500 residents in the Arnhem-Nijmegen area. These include repurposed monasteries, schools, and industrial sites converted into homes with workspaces or cultural spaces, often featuring sustainable elements like straw construction.
Current efforts center on expanding collective forms through regional coalitions. For instance, Cooplink backs initiatives like Woonkr8, where twenty housing corporations aim to launch at least one group project each, targeting 460 housing units and 27 workspaces owned or operated long-term. Rents stay below €763 monthly, many around €300, prioritizing affordability over profit. Recent additions include two projects with 29 units planned for 2023, blending housing with neighborhood functions despite regulatory limits on commercial mixing.
Cooplink's scope covers advising on group formation, property adaptation, and operations in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region, fostering self-managing communities that reduce isolation and maintenance burdens through resident involvement. With a lean structure, it proves small networks can sustain diverse, durable housing amid national pressures for 900,000 new dwellings by 2030.