Zurich’s Inspiring Cooperative Housing
1 LU|HSW
Description:
Zurich, Switzerland is both a center of global finance and a municipality with a century-old proven cooperative model for providing access to permanently affordable nonprofit housing. Moreover, Zurich's cooperatives have been at the forefront of innovations in architecture and urban design. Presenter(s) and participants will discuss how we can learn from development in Zurich and the Zurich approach can be applied or adapted for use in the US.
This course examines how Zurich’s cooperative housing model advances human-centered design and long-term livability. The session highlights how architectural strategies (such as shared courtyards and natural ventilation) contribute to occupant health and well-being. It further explores how Zurich’s nonprofit cooperative structures and housing regulations promote safety through affordability and social cohesion. By unpacking the regulatory frameworks and financial mechanisms that enable equitable and inclusive housing, the session provides transferable strategies that can improve the health, safety, and welfare of residents in other contexts. These insights are essential for architects and planners seeking to create resilient, accessible, and sustainable housing environments.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will:
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Identify architectural and design strategies used in Zurich’s cooperative housing that promote occupant health and well-being, including natural light, ventilation, and shared amenities.
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Understand how Zurich’s housing policies and cooperative models ensure safe and resilient living environments, particularly through nonprofit ownership structures and long-term affordability.
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Evaluate the impact of design regulations and planning frameworks in Zurich on occupant safety, accessibility, and community welfare.
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Apply lessons from Zurich’s cooperative housing to inform Health Safety or Welfare-focused housing solutions in their own design, planning, or policy contexts.
Speaker:
Susanne Schindler, an architect and urban historian. She co-authored Cooperative Conditions: A Primer on Architecture, Finance and Regulation in Zurich.
Bio:
Susanne Schindler, an architect and urban historian. She co-authored Cooperative Conditions: A Primer on Architecture, Finance and Regulation in Zurich.
Susanne Schindler is a Research Fellow at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, an architect, and an historian interested in the relationship between architecture, finance, and regulation in housing. Dr. Schindler studies history to understand the present and connects information across national boundaries to challenge the assumptions that shape the future of living together. Her research aims to identify the conditions for more innovative housing design through cooperative and public development models.
Schindler is dedicated to public scholarship and writes regularly for a range of publications, including Urban Omnibus, Platform, and Places. Her essay “The Case for Truly Public Housing” (with Chris Moyer) was part of the inaugural exhibition at the National Public Housing Museum in Chicago in 2025. The book Cooperative Conditions: A Primer on Architecture, Finance and Regulation in Zurich (with Anne Kockelkorn and Rebekka Hirschberg) was released by gta Verlag in 2024. It is available open-access here.