Living in a brand new flat without being an owner or a tenant

PalamósIn a context where the housing market is more strained than ever, any alternative that provides solutions to the housing emergency, however imaginative, is good news. This is the direction in which Sostre Cívic works, which advocates for cooperative housing: apartment blocks where residents, members of the cooperative, are neither owners nor tenants, but enjoy an indefinite right of use cession, with collective self-management and fees set at cost price, outside the speculative logic of the real estate business, with no possibility of purchase or resale.

In Palamós, on Avinguda dels Països Catalans, which borders the houses closest to the beach, this July Sostre Cívic inaugurated a very modern apartment block with 34 homes, named Terra de Mar. The cooperative has already handed over the keys to about fifty people. One of them is Joana Gallardo, a nursing assistant at Palamós Hospital. Since this summer, she has been living with her son in one of these brand-new, three-bedroom apartments. Having settled in, she assures that she faces this new stage "very happy to move from a rental apartment, which is insecure, to this exciting project".

Four years ago, the owners of the apartment where she lived warned her that they intended to sell it and that she would have to pack her bags. "My world fell apart. But by asking around and spreading the word, I learned that Sostre Cívic was holding an informational meeting. Once the initial uncertainties were overcome, I decided to go ahead, become a member, pay the initial fee and, from now on, pay monthly installments that allow me to live here indefinitely", she comments. The initial social capital deposit ranges from 10,000 to 15,000 euros, and the usage fee, from 245 to 425, depending on the size of the home.

Community spirit and sustainable architecture

These first weeks of life in the Terra de Mar block are very busy. The new neighbors are arriving well-loaded and at the entrance doors there are boxes and furniture to assemble. A shared feeling of novelty and an atmosphere of collaboration and empathy prevails over everyone: "We have all gotten to know each other in the preliminary meetings and we have been creating a neighborhood with people who have very diverse professions and skills: IT professionals, economists, healthcare workers, painters... I am a nursing assistant and I chose to be part of the care commission, which is responsible for accompanying new arrivals and ensuring that everyone feels comfortable".

The 34 homes in the block are officially protected and range from 39 square meters, in the case of one-bedroom apartments, to 60 square meters, for three-bedroom ones. They have all the basic services, but, faithful to the foundational cooperative spirit, the block also has shared spaces for laundry, kitchen, and a multipurpose room for celebrations and meetings. 

In a way consistent with its off-market logic, the building has been designed following sustainability and energy efficiency criteria. Designed by UMMA Arquitectes, the five-story block incorporates an industrialized facade with a wooden frame that provides a lot of warmth, cross-ventilation, mobile solar protections, a centralized aerothermal system, and photovoltaic panels on the roof. It is the first cooperative housing in usufruct in the State to obtain an environmental certification of this level.

The development is an initiative of Sostre Cívic with the support of the Palamós City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya. The cooperative members advocate for the need to extend this model to address housing access difficulties, especially in coastal municipalities like Palamós, affected by tourist pressure and seasonal rentals. "It is a way of life that, at first, may be difficult to understand. But now it is a reality and shows that the housing problem can only be addressed if we stop thinking that everything must serve to line someone's pockets," concludes Gallardo.