In search of 'a chosen community': A study on self-initiated co-housing projects in Berlin

Abstract: This study explores Baugruppen co-housing communities in Berlin. In comparison to the general focus on economic and environmental development objectives, socially sustainable goals remain unclear. This thesis focusses on how co-housing residents initiate and fulfil their co-housing goals. It also considers how urban co-housing as a regeneration project aimed to strengthen social cohesion relates to discussions about city development and issues of gentrification. I examine the concept of social sustainability in Baugruppen co-housing projects through critical theories, in order to understand how social sustainability is experienced by members of the co-housing projects. Co-housing initiatives are regarded by city authorities in Berlin as solutions to issues of demographic change and urban expansion. I have found that the co-housing projects do not include equal opportunities for residents of different socioeconomic groups. My fieldwork investigates Baugruppen co-housing through observation and interviews with residents, focussing on how views are expressed by the initiators of the communities and how the communities relate to diversity. As such it is a descriptive thesis, which aims to give the reader insight into the changes which are taking place in Berlin.