Urban Habitat Collective

Location

Wellington

Stage

Folded

Date Initiated

September 2018

Date Completed

July 2023

Housing Type

Cohousing

Number of Residents

45

Number of Dwellings

25

Size of Land

913 m2

Developed By

Self-developed

Legal Ownership Structure

Unit Title

Individual Dwelling Tenure

Unit Title

Funding Model/s for Development

Owner equity and bank loan for development.  Individual mortgages after completion.

Housing Type and Numbers

2x apartment buildings around a shared garden.

Shared Facilities

Garden, common room, workshop and roof garden.

Total Cost in Year Completed

Construction cost estimate in Aug 2020 $12.2 million. Final cost quote Feb 2022 $23 million plus tags.

Governance Model

Consensus with provision for majority vote if necessary (not used)

What were the external barriers experienced during development?

Escalating building costs during covid and supply chain disruptions. Being betrayed by the early engagement contractor when the going got tough.

What were the internal challenges during development?

Members contributed huge amounts of time and skills.  The process takes courage, tenacity, and patience.  We were seeking the balance between momentum and engagement and between clarity of rules and relying on respect and affection to enable dispute resolution.  Mostly this was achieved but it took a lot of work.

If you had your time again, would you do anything differently?

Rather than asking “Can we afford this?”  I would be asking “What is the minimum we need to achieve our purpose?” then “Can we afford that!”.

What advice would you give to aspiring projects starting out?

It is a great idea - so start optimistically but get cynical quickly.  Everyone will be supportive but there is often no practical way for them to help the project.  Everyone in the construction and development industries has highly evolved self-interest and you need to find ways to align your interests with theirs. 

Building a community is not the same as making friends.  Some of the people will become friends but you are building a group based on common purpose and shared expectations.   That gives much more scope for including a diverse range of people.

Further Information and Contacts

urbanhabitatcollective.nz

Can People Contact You Directly to Ask Questions?

Yes Bronwen Newton - bronwenmnewton@gmail.com