Ölberg eG is a housing cooperative based in Wuppertal, Germany, established to help preserve affordable housing in the Ölberg neighbourhood while taking environmental, energy-efficiency and accessibility needs into account. Its founding meeting took place in September 2009; it was entered in the cooperative register in February 2010 and then began formal operations.23
The cooperative grew out of neighbourhood initiatives led by Unternehmer/innen für die Nordstadt e.V. and a homeowners’ network formed in January 2008. The organisation’s stated purpose is to support the social and economic stability of Ölberg as a liveable urban neighbourhood, including by securing affordable, ecological and self-determined housing.23
Its work extends beyond housing provision to neighbourhood development. The cooperative addresses questions such as energy-efficient renovation, age-friendly and accessible housing in an area dominated by older buildings, the heat transition in a heritage-protected neighbourhood, mobility and problem properties.2 Its statutes describe property advice and support for owners undertaking comprehensive renovation and modernisation, and state that the cooperative operates primarily in Ölberg, Wuppertal.3
The current board members listed on the cooperative’s website are Gaby Schulten and Peer Stemmler.1 The sources describe its activity as focused on the Ölberg neighbourhood rather than as a national or international organisation.3