GEN Europe attends the Commoning Spaces Network Conference in Aachen, Germany
Report from the CSN Conference in Aachen, Germany on Dec 14 – 18 2025
In the cold days of mid-December, 26 people from 16 countries and 12 NGOs gathered in Aachen upon invitation from the Commoning Spaces Network for their annual conference.
The headline of the conference was: permanently affordable, self-organized, democratic, sustainable, inclusive housing in Germany and Europe as a contribution to solve the European Housing Crisis.
Participants were invited to present their work with Community-Led Housing (CLH) and their networks to encourage an exchange of knowledge and to compare the different experiences across European countries and project types.
Presentations included:
- Founding of a Belgian Sister Network – the journey of how a group of individuals and NGOs are starting a network modeled on the Mietshäuser Syndikat
- Re-purposing an old Hospital Building in Lithuania – presentation of a project idea developed by Association Erdves
- Calling for Empathy – Independent initiative/project by Elif Evdönderen to transform a public space, Kaiserplatz Aachen, into a common space for the houseless community facing drug addiction challenges
- Intergenerational Solidarity and Community-led Housing – presentation of the results of an Erasmus+ programme conducted by organizations from Germany, Greece, and Denmark (Inwole, Pervolorides, and Ethos)
- European Legal Lab for the Commons – Collective of women lawyers who support legal issues faced by the commoners in both urban or rural areas such as La Dar in Marseilles
- Zusammen Wohnen – Gemeinschaftlich Leben (ZWGL) – group that provides consulting services for community-led housing projects in Germany
- Introduction about the Les Pas-Sages (LPS) Association – group of coaches, trainers, and passionate advocates for the legal, financial, governmental, and human dimensions of community-led housing projects.
- Founding of an Italian sister Network – journey of a project in Italy, ABC − Committee Abitare Bene Comune, also modeled on the Mietshäuser Syndikat
- Ecovillages and Resilience — the case of Ukraine – presentation of GEN Ukraine Network
- Presentation of European Community Land Trust Network
GEN Europe and ECOLISE representatives presented Community-led HOusing for Inclusion, Climate, and Equity (CHOICE), a CERV project that will increase awareness of and support for community-led housing solutions by engaging citizens, community-led initiatives, civil society organizations and policymakers in workshops and debates across Europe.
After the presentation, a space was opened for feedback and collection of contacts for potential involvement in the project activities. Conference participants offered their ideas of the type of advocacy and policy change they want to see on a European level regarding the CLH.
Beyond networking and exchanging, one main objective of the conference was to discuss how to collaborate on a joint EU project, working with UN Habitat, to promote permanently affordable CLH in Europe. This joint project would tackle issues like, how to set up a legal framework for CLH in countries where it doesn’t exist, how CLH projects can access grants and funding, what are the main challenges that need to be addressed, which countries and cities should be prioritized, and more.
When we weren’t talking about CLHs, we were out exploring the beautiful city of Aachen. The group explored the city’s history through a guided tour, got to taste delicious Palestinean/Lebanese food at Restaurant Karawane, and of course went to try some glühwein at the famous Aachen Christmas Market!
Overall the conference offered much inspiration and learnings on what is possible when communities comes together to tackle the housing crisis. GEN Europe looks forward to continuing this work in the CHOICE project in the coming years.
Author: Bernarda DeOliveira
