About Us
CoHousing Budapest is an association working in the field of community living. Our members come from a wide variety of personal and professional backgrounds. We are connected through our knowledge on and fascination with different forms of cohabitation projects. Many of our members have continuously worked on cohousing-related projects since 2012, within the framework of the informal organisation ‘Közösségben Élni’ or other voluntary initiatives.
With the aim of developing the Hungarian cohousing model, the CoHousing Budapest Association was established in the fall of 2019 by fifteen founding members.
Our Vision
Twenty-first century European cities tend to be quite stressful and overwhelming, both in terms of actual physical environment and societal organisation. City dwellers are not acquainted with one another and often people living in the same building do not know their neighbours' names. It is a depressing reality in which people become alienated from each other and in which many lead lonely lives. Furthermore, urban dwellers are often faced with precarious housing circumstances, for the reason that living opportunities are strongly dependent on the changes of the housing market. By 2020, Budapest had already had a long experience of the phenomenon often referred to as the housing crisis, the main charecteristic of which is its propensity to marginalise those entering the housing market, such as young people starting their career and those coming from a disadvantaged background.
The team of CoHousing Budapest envisions a world in which communities supporting themselves as well as one another actively and inclusively take charge of the establishment of suitable housing arrangements in the largest cities of Hungary. These communities take the lead in finding different approaches to solving the problem at hand while contributing to the mitigation of the effects and consequences of the housing crisis. We staunchly believe that once urban city dwellers become aware of the fact that a community living project strongly connected to the practice of sharing is a well-functioning and appropriate alternative to traditional forms of living, we will witness the flourishing of new local initiatives. In the long term, this attitude will lead to an increasing number of people choosing to live in cohousing projects run by autonomous communities.
Our Mission
There is a long way in Hungary for cohousing projects to become an alternative choice of living. Therefore, as a first step, we promote community living and support already existing community arrangements. In the meantime, drawing on knowledge dissemination, we dedicate a significant effort to designing and gradually improving the Hungarian cohousing model.
Based on our experience since 2012, we believe that such projects are to be realised in Budapest and other major cities at first, because it is where strong communities are most sorely needed and their establishment is most feasible. A movement of bottom-up urban initiatives has already started in Budapest, which sensitivises citizens to be more open to similar initiatives in the housing sector as well.
Our Objective
Our immediate objective is to gather and disseminate information on cohousing initiatives from a wide variety of backgrounds and contexts and to support the establishment and development of cohousing projects in Hungary through well-informed professional assistance.
We strive to build a professional network which connects and supports individuals and organisations with an interest in the topic through the exchange of know-how and best practices. We seek to become an integral part of the international cohousing network, maintaining a close relationship with organisations which encourages and supports the dissemination of information on local and regional cohousing initiatives and ultimately the drawing up of the Hungarian cohousing model. Along the lines of long-term sustainability, we also provide assistance to already existing communities and groups planning to set up their own community initiative in the future.
What We Do
Research and Innovation
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Expanding our knowledge base, discovering and presenting a wide variety of examples of cohousing projects, and obtaining and sharing best practices are at the centre of our focus.
We continuously share our knowledge in numerous online and offline publications. We also aim to explore and connect already existing cohousing initatives by providing a shared knowedge base.
Presentations
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As dissemination and awareness raising are part of our main obejctives, we accept invitations to present the results of over seven years’ worth of academic research and experience mainly in Budapest and its proximity, but by individual invitation in other provincial cities as well.
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Consulting
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You don't know how to get started? Have you gotten stuck in the planning or in the realisation phase? You have the architectural plans ready but would like to ask an external expert to take a look? We are happy to help!
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Regular or one-time consultations on next steps
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Regular, monthly monitoring for established and newly formed groups
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Branding - so you are able to reach out to your specific target audience
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Connections - we make sure you are in contact with the right experts and professionals
Workshops
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Would you like to find your group's common vision and objective which you can build on? Would you like to draw up the framework you can collaborate within? We are here to help!
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One of the pillars on which cohousing initiatives are built is the continuous development of a community. It is worth assigning time for at any point during the realising phase, however, it is most important during the start-up phase so that you can build on a solid foundation afterward.
Architectural Planning
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Another pillar of cohousing projects alongside community itself is the planning and realisation of appropriate and suitable spaces for cohabitation.
Be it remodeling or raising a brand new building, we will find the suitable professionals through our professional network, both for planning and for construction.
Community Housing Tours
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We organise visits to already existing cohousing communities in Hungary and field trips to well-established cohousing projects abroad.