German Cooperative Housing: Systems, Practices and Implications
Abstract：
Cooperative housing is a type of housing in which residents build their own neighbourhoods on the principle of self-help, self-responsibility and self-administration, and is understood to contribute to the diversification of housing services as well as the provision of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income group in a beneficial way. Regarding the field of cooperative housing, Germany enjoys a long history and a well-established system, with both of the traditional housing cooperative model and the new co-housing model supported by the complete operational structure and develop with sufficient legal protection. This paper explores Germany’s cooperative housing model through the investigation of its history, the analysis of its current systems and the evaluation of its typical practices, concludes that it is characterized by inhabitant-orientated philosophy, diversified supply structure, comprehensive legal basis and effective policy support. Based on this, the paper offers advices including adhering to putting inhabitant first, facilitating diversified participation, defining legal status, and perfecting support measures on the development of cooperative housing model in China.