Many reasons for hope in this newsletter.
The Social Economy, Future of Europe Conference in Strasbourg was a highlight of the beginning of May. The City of Strasbourg warmly welcomed the Congress, its Mayor seemed to us very motivated and sincere to guide the city towards an ecological and solidarity transition. Before the opening of the meeting, RTES organized a day for its 20th anniversary in a tiers-lieu installed in a former factory (see the interview with Chloé Sécher conducted in Villarceaux in September).
Many statements of intent on the part of the representatives of Europe with in the first instance Nicolas Schmidt, European Commissioner for the SSE, who presented a,– dare we say it –, ambitious plan, to promote SSE in Europe.
Do we want to take literally the pledges of this great gathering of good wills? All the topics that concern us were discussed during the workshops, including those that several RIPESS members facilitated and coordinated. You will find short or more detailed reports sent on the spot jus after the closing, with a focus on the advocacy made by the European youth presented at the closing, as well as the Post Strasbourg declaration. Let’s greet Claude Alphandéry, a French veteran, former member of the National Committee of the Resistance and creator of the Labo de l’ESS, 100 years old and still with the same energy to promote SSE.
This issue is dedicated to shared housing, in all its forms and in several countries. It is an increasingly popular choice, as are removable housing solutions. A key economic issue that allows at the same time costs sharing, a reduction of the footprint on the land, the organization of neighborhood solidarity and the fight against isolation, especially of the elderly, but not only. In July, RIPESS Europe, will contribute to the European Ecovillage Gathering in Denmark from 7 to 10 July, leading the “Economic Abundance” sessions. This formula is in a way the most exhaustive of a trend that is developing from cohousing in various forms of sharing and co-managing a territory with a sense of belonging. In Hungary, ACRED was created as an alternative real estate development institution. In Italy, the Collaborative Housing Days extend the initiative to all housing experiences focused on interpersonal relationships, with a view to creating a more inclusive and supportive community. The European Collaborative Housing Day , held on 5 June in Lyon, showcases inspiring citizen initiatives and raises awareness of community housing solutions. In France several experiences gathered within the framework of Habicoop show that the solution of cohousing concerns all ages and borrows different adjectives: shared, grouped, cooperative, inclusive, participatory housing. It is in any case the breeding ground for ecological transition but also a way to set up neighbourhood solidarity and fight against lsolation, reasons declared as preeminent by seniors who are beginning to take an interest in it more and more. For the REAS (Spain) lThe first experiences, stemming from the real estate crisis, have become icons of the socio-community and architectural configuration, as well as references in other aspects such as care, sustainability and efficiency. Finally we republish a series of analyses of SAW-B (Belgium). This relevant remark can be noted, although it sounds a little strange. What is the use of a habitat, if there are no others to come and inhabit us?
Socioeco has identified additional resources on the subject. And the agenda for the coming months is rich and some of us will be speaking in Bordeaux during the RIUESS meeting.
Housing is a central point of the petition we are publishing, addressed to the authorities of the European Union to welcome refugee women in a decent way. This will undoubtedly be one of the important issues of the new project that RIPESS Europe is launching around the question of sheltering and better organizing women’s workplaces.
