Alternative forms of living

Developing a community-led housing network in Wales.

In the context of housing, cost of living, and climate crisis, it is essential to explore housing alternatives in Wales. Community-led housing has a long history in the UK but faces challenges in financing, land acquisition, and development alternatives that remain affordable for future generations. It requires the involvement of multiple stakeholders, and navigating this sphere is challenging for housing activists.

This project explored the potential of community-led housing as a radical and sustainable housing alternative in Wales. The project aimed to build partnerships to work collaboratively on three themes cutting across research interests in the Welsh School of Architecture and the School of Geography and Planning, namely: benefits and affordability, land and finance, and design and governance.

Developing opportunities for future research collaboration

Through a series of workshops, this project brought together 28 community groups and institutions to discuss challenges and opportunities around those themes, to develop a future research collaboration agenda. These workshops were co-created and facilitated with Cwmpas (former Wales Co-operative Centre) and Co-op Dan Do (a group of local community activists).

The project enabled the creation of a collaborative relationship between Cardiff University and multiple community partners, including local community-led housing groups. The emerging research agenda is linked closely to pressing issues in practice and gives clear directions to further develop and prioritise our research expertise for the benefit of communities.

Read more about our work in developing a community-led housing network in Wales

Further funding is currently being sought to strengthen existing networks and reach out to other sectors to develop a wider community-led housing network in, by, and for Wales.

Contact

For more information about this project, contact: