Abricoop is a residents’ housing cooperative located in the Cartoucherie eco-district of Toulouse, France. It brings together 17 non-speculative homes within the “Aux Quatre Vents” participatory-housing development.24 The project was initiated by a group that began forming in 2007, while the association La Jeune Pousse was established in early 2008 following national meetings on housing cooperatives held in Toulouse.210
The group searched for suitable land for several years before accepting a site in the Cartoucherie district, where Toulouse Métropole and the City of Toulouse launched a participatory-housing process.1011 In 2013, the residents’ group entered the call for projects for 17 homes, and it became the Abricoop housing cooperative in 2014.12 The building was delivered in 2018.410
Abricoop’s development was carried out by the residents organised as a cooperative, with Abricoop and SA Les Chalets identified as the project owners; Seuil Architecture and A&A–Bruno Marcato were the architects.4 The building has approximately 1,200 square metres and was developed between 2014 and 2018.4
The cooperative’s activities centre on collective ownership and resident-led management of housing. Members occupy individual homes while collectively owning the cooperative, which also manages shared spaces and services.8 The project includes common areas such as a communal room, workshop facilities, roof terraces and a laundry, and residents participated in defining the building’s programme.713 Its stated operating principles include consensus-based decision-making, one-member-one-vote governance, social and intergenerational diversity, mutual assistance and the removal of housing from speculative markets.45 In 2018, the development comprised 21 adults and seven children living in the 17 apartments.2