The Resilience of the Co-operative Housing Model

Jorge Sousa and Jack Quarter

A central feature of the co-operative model is its adaptability to the needs of specific groups that have been disadvantaged by a market-based economy. In this article we discuss the recent conversion of a public housing project in Canada, Alexandra Park, into a housing co-operative, Atkinson Housing Co-operative as a case in point of the resilience of the co-operative housing model. The new co-operative balances residents’ need to have greater control with the government’s legal responsibility of maintaining a public asset. This is accomplished by utilising a partnership model that has resulted in a hybrid organisation which possesses features from both public and co-operative housing.