The potential of cohousing for rural Austria

Abstract

Spatial living conditions have been changing fast because of economic and demographic transition. Rural areas in particular face the challenge of maintaining the infrastructures of everyday life. This article argues that cohousing projects are successful in co-developing and maintaining flexible infrastructures for everyday life for their residents and the neighbourhood. The article understands cohousing and planning as mutual learning processes and proposes a feminist approach to planning for everyday life. The potential of innovation of planning practice is explored on the basis of three Austrian cases. Conclusions show the potential and obstacles of planning and housing policies that favour cohousing and of planning innovation in rural Austria.