Together, we can achieve more!
The GrätzlGenossenschaft connects residents and local businesses in the ‘Grätzl’ (neighborhood).
Affordable living is not just about affordable housing. It's also a matter of saving on everyday expenses, sharing resources, and living a communal lifestyle. This has become even more important since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has greatly impacted everyone's lives. In the wake of the pandemic, it became clear that novel approaches are needed to promote and support a new sense of community, integration, inclusion and solidarity among residents in the district. The GrätzlGenossenschaft, founded in Vienna in 2019, is putting these approaches into action.
The idea of the Grätzlgenossenschaft is to support the people in the neighborhood in taking care of each other. It is a socially oriented cooperative, fully owned and operated by its members. It’s motto: “Connect. Share. Save. Together, we can achieve more!”
There is currently one GrätzlGenossenschaft in Vienna. It is located in Vienna's 22nd district on an empty construction plot in Berresgasse, housed in a construction container designed by local artists. The site is currently being upgraded as part of one of Vienna’s biggest urban development areas; a public park will be built in the future as part of a newly constructed urban neighborhood. However, the GrätzlGenossenschaft is not only intended to bring benefits to future residents of the new district. People who already live in the surrounding area can enjoy the benefits of the cooperative at an early stage and play an active role in shaping it.
There is already a large variety of activities going on at the container, even before the construction of the new buildings has begun. All activities are organized by local members of the GrätzlGenossenschaft: together with kids from the local youth centre an old telephone booth was transformed into a ‘public library’ (including reading sessions with local authors), community cooking and clothing swaps are taking place outside the container, and local businesses get the chance to network and to think of activities to promote the Grätzl. It is also possible to borrow things like chairs, tables or to rent the container for parties, exhibitions etc. More activities will follow.
There are plans to establish further branches of the GrätzlGenossenschaft in the future, especially in connection with new urban developments (there is no geographical restriction). The aim is that local people shape the GrätzlGenossenschaft according to their interests and get involved accordingly.
