ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the mitigation aspect of climate change, namely the necessary transition from relying on fossil fuels to developing renewable energies, and how that energy transition affects housing and vice versa. It frames the questions for co-housing, gender-aware planning and climate change, exploring how connecting these fields might advance thinking about climate change strategies in a European context. The chapter looks at co-housing projects in general: what they are, why they emerge, and, following this, the key characteristics are specified. The focus then turns to the extent to which co-housing initiatives conceive energy transition and gender equality respectively. The chapter presents representative empirical material, to understand what makes co-housing different from mainstream clustered housing projects, reflecting on the overlaps between the strategies for climate change and gender equality as found in co-housing practices. This enables a reflection on whether co-housing can be seen as a feminist, ecological practice of housing.