This is an old revision of the document!
Table of Contents
Resources about cohousing, co-operatives, and housing in Australia
Podcasts
ABC Big Ideas: No place like an (affordable) home (Jun 2023)
“Decades of policies designed to reward private ownership and rentals have created a market unlike any other, and today, house and rent prices have escalated beyond many people's means. It's certainly a far-cry from the Australia of the post-war period… even Menzies spent big on public housing.
But change may be afoot. The Government's signature Housing Future Fund is on the table, with an extra 2 billion promised for social housing — albeit recently stalled.
So why has equitable housing become such a vexed and complex issue for Australia? And what are the steps to take if we actually want to tackle the housing crisis once and for all?”
“Who sets the agenda when it comes to designing houses? More often than not wealthy developers call the shots. And the result is cheaply-made hot boxes, unaffordable to live in, and poorly designed for human habitation.
How did it come to this, and how can citizens and architects seize control?
Meet 3 international trailblazers who want to change who controls what we get to call home — what housing looks like, how it feels to live in, and how affordable it is.
Hear about an inspirational co-op model in Barcelona driven by architects who needed an affordable place to call home and had social change on their minds.”
Tell me more about Cohousing podcast
“Our members Lynn Morstead & Kelli Soika get together weekly to chat about cohousing topics. They reflect on a broad range of questions, observations, challenges and successes related to their forming cohousing community and the world around them. They are newbies to the podcasting world, refining their craft each week. Come along for the ride! They're fun and look forward to your comments. Lynn & Kelli
For more information on CoHousing Houston go to www.cohousinghouston.com”
Recent episodes:
- S4 Episode 19 - Living in cohousing at all stages of life by Lynn Morstead & Kelli Soika (2026/02/27 14:00)
- S4 Episode 18 - 2026 Update - What is going on in Houston!? by Lynn Morstead & Kelli Soika (2026/02/13 21:00)
- S4 Episode 17 - What is GRIT in Cohousing? by Lynn Morstead & Kelli Soika (2025/12/18 17:00)
- S4 Episode 16: Chuck Durrett on founding the cohousing movement and where he thinks it could go next by Lynn Morstead & Kelli Soika (2025/11/14 06:00)
- S4 Episode 15: Founders Series, CoHousing Houston's Very Own Tom & Lynn! by Lynn Morstead & Kelli Soika (2025/11/07 06:00)
Reports and long form
How feasible is a new generation of housing co-operatives in Australia? (2023) (Web page version)
This report contains detailed financial and ecosystem analysis of an at-cost housing cooperative development in inner Sydney.
What Australia can learn from European affordable co-operative rental housing models (2024) (PDF report)
The BCCM led a study tour to 3 European cities in 2024 to explore their co-operative sector. This report explains what they learned.
The Third Way: A Cooperative Affordable Rental Model for Sydney (2019)
Short handout produced for the City of Sydney describing the co-operative housing model and a proposed pilot project.
The Value Of Housing Co-Operatives In Australia: A Western Sydney University report (2024) (PDF report)
A research project led by Professor Louise Crabtree-Hayes at Western Sydney University’s Institute for Culture and Society recently launched a report on the national study of affordable rental housing co-operatives, The research shows the benefits of such co-operatives, which may provide affordable and stable housing choices across Australia amid a growing housing and rental crisis.
Australia's housing co-op sector (2024)
Report containing statistics about the co-operative housing sectors across Australia.