Wooncoöperatie Roggeveenstraat is a resident-led housing project in The Hague, Netherlands. It centres on 65 late-19th-century social-rental houses that had been slated for demolition. Residents organised to retain the houses and renovate them together, with the stated aims of maintaining affordable housing, strengthening community ties, improving sustainability and preserving the character of the street.2
A preparatory foundation was established in 2014; the current housing association, Woonvereniging Roggeveenstraat, acquired the homes.2 The resident initiative developed as an alternative to demolition and redevelopment plans by housing corporation Haag Wonen. Hanno van Megchelen is identified in reporting as an initiator of the cooperative; the project involved residents working with Haag Wonen and the municipality of The Hague.35
The project’s scope is collective ownership and renovation of the 65 homes, followed by resident-led management and rental. The residents became owners of the street’s homes from 1 January 2019, according to the association’s account.5 Cooplink describes the collective as a purchase-based model and records two indoor bicycle-storage areas shared by some residents.2
The project is notable as an early Dutch example of residents collectively taking over social housing from a housing corporation rather than accepting demolition.24 Its activities combine housing provision and renovation with maintaining the existing neighbourhood community and street appearance.2