The search for decent and affordable housing appears to be a common and persistent struggle among European citizens. Gentrification, displacement, touristification and airbnbfication form a suffocating cloak around places, communities, families and especially young people, according to the scientific data, analysis and personal testimonies shared during the workshop. This bleak picture can be counteracted through interventions in our streets and neighborhoods, which can lead to much needed life style changes towards innovative affordable models of living in common. This hypothesis was supported by numerous examples nonetheless participants and facilitators alike raised concerns, as even socially responsible projects hold the potential to trigger gentrification phenomena. The ongoing debate around expropriation in Berlin shared by a participant enriched the discussion right before the final part of the workshop that aimed in drafting a declaration in a participatory way.

Echoing the laughter, fears and energy of the young pupils that once swarmed the former kindergarten with the brightly tinted windows, the collective wisdom of this enthusiastic mosaic of people with fresh ideas, diverse experiences and common dreams filled the colorful room. Housing is a guarantee of FREEDOM and human rights that are based on community and culture! As such, it needs to benefit the common good vs profit; to be affordable, accessible, and inclusive, to support the needs of different groups and species, to contribute to a healthy planet and human wellbeing while being connected to the urban fabric, the landscape, history and identity of the place.

Enabling innovative community housing frameworks, co-shaped, based on research and needs assessment as well as targeted financial support tools (tenants, owners) are needed to address the housing crisis in a bottom-up approach engaging with different stakeholders. More specific proposals were formulated to discourage urban expansion like the reuse/ repurposing of existing buildings, an EU vacant house rule imposing fines to member states for not making use of vacant houses and national plans for an existing housing-new buildings ratio. Lastly, imposing a social tax for big enterprises in exchange for tax deduction can enhance social housing.