Refugees arriving in Europe face multiple challenges associated with local housing supply. Collaborative housing (CH) encompasses significant levels of participation and self-organization among (future) residents and has proven to deliver affordable and high-quality housing across Europe, while strengthening equity, liveability, health, access to services, social ties, and community
engagement. Drawing on previous national and international research, this project explores the potential of collaborative housing models/solutions for the long-term integration of refugees. It aims to provide a research-based, comparative and collaborative platform of exchange for unlocking the potential of CH for long-term integration of refugees and seeks to deliver recommendations for urban policy-making based on our studies in Austria, Sweden and the UK.

This is an applied research project that uses some elements of traditional research (eg, literature review and some interviews) but relies mostly on a series of incremental conversations and collaborations with those who have direct experience and interest in developing better ‘transitions’ towards inclusive CH.