On February 5th 2025, we hosted our second Policy Lab around The Cooperative City, a key moment within the WELCOMIN research project where we collaborate with various actors of the urban field to build our research. We were hosted by Bruxelles Environnement, and we brought together various participants to explore innovative approaches to cooperative models.
The day involved a series of presentations, collective discussions, and interactive role-playing sessions. Through this Policy lab, we shared insights from successful cooperative models across Europe and explore the importance of WELCOMINs in addressing urban challenges and promoting ecological and social resilience.
The workshop included presentations by three international experts, each invited to share their unique insights: Sigrid Niemer, co-founder of ufaFabrik Berlin, who spoke about its origins and how it operates today ; Petar Atanackovic, who introduced the unique model of Mietshäuser Syndikat ; Mauro Castro Coma, co-director of La Hidra, who explored cooperative practices in Barcelona. The morning concluded with an open discussion, allowing participants to reflect on the insights share, their relevance both to Brussels and to their own work.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to interactive role-playing sessions, where participants engaged with real-world case studies from Brussels. Together with the participants, we explored the opportunities cooperative models could offer in the Brussels of tomorrow.
We are grateful to all the participants for their valuable contributions as well as the knowledge and perspectives they shared. Their input will play a key role in finalising our second scenario.