Background and goals
For the City, participatory housing enables individuals to come together to design their accommodation and then jointly manage their residence. Following on the success of its first "participatory housing syndicate" project in Belair and Bonnevoie in 2017, this year the City is offering up four sites to allow for the construction of these innovative residential projects.
The concept of "participatory housing" brings together individuals who take part in buying a plot of land, and designing and building their own accommodation according to their own notions and needs – both the different housing units and common areas – and then jointly manage the building.
Participating sites
The City is providing four plots of land in Merl, Hollerich and Neudorf/Weimerhof that can accommodate 20 to 27 housing units:
- 4, rue de la Barrière, Merl: a 574 square-metre plot that can accommodate 7 to 9 housing units
- 39, rue Giselbert, Hollerich: a 395 square-metre plot that can accommodate 6 to 8 housing units
- 68, rue Baudouin, Hollerich: a 96 square-metre plot that can accommodate 3 to 4 housing units
- 73, rue du Kiem, Neudorf/Weimershof: a 1,439 square metre plot that can accommodate 4 to 6 housing units
Terms and conditions of participation
To be eligible, syndicates must be made up of natural persons who are not the owners, emphyteutic lessees, usufructuaries, etc., of an accommodation unit or building land, and do not hold equity in a company that owns one or more accommodation units. In addition, the housing units must be the candidates' main and permanent residence, as renting it out in whole or in part is not authorised.
The City gives syndicates participating in the project the option of acquiring full ownership, or acquiring a 99-year emphyteutic lease under certain specific terms and conditions. Syndicates must specify which option they prefer in the application file, and their choice will be considered final. The terms and conditions regarding the allocation of the sites are set forth in the specifications below.
The deadline for submitting applications is 12 January 2024, and the allocation of the plots will take effect on the date on which the authenticated deed between the City and the members of the selected syndicate is signed.
Workshops
To provide an opportunity to meet other people who would like to form syndicates, and to inform those who are interested in the project about the initial procedures, the City is hosting three workshops to walk candidates through the application process. These workshops will take place at the "Rocade" administrative building at 3, rue de la Laboratoire on
- Wednesday, 20 September (Complete);
- Thursday, 28 September (Complete);
- Wednesday, 4 October (Complete);
- Wednesday, 18 October (Complete),
- Monday, 23 October (Complete).
Registration for these workshops is required. To register, please complete the form below at least seven days before the workshop you would like to attend.
Benefits for participants
From the very start of the project, individuals who belong to the participatory housing syndicate are more involved than if they were purchasing "traditional" real estate from a developer. As such, they can play an active role in the different phases – planning, design, and construction –, they have greater decision-making power, and they can have an impact on the quality of the project as a whole. For instance, participants can choose environmentally friendly building materials, take pets into account, incorporate common areas into the building or give precedence to car-free housing.
This form of community housing also allows syndicates to pay less than for a traditional purchase, and it is an innovative alternative when it comes to affordable housing: experience shows that the overhead costs involved in purchasing apartments and houses are around 15 to 20 percent lower, because the syndicate can marshal the skills of the community members, or save on agency and supplier fees.
In addition to these benefits, participatory housing syndicates help build a stronger sense of community and foster long-lasting relationships between future neighbours – factors that are an important social component.
