RAD Housing

Housing Collectivism Current

A collective housing model designed to Retrofit and Decommodify housing Collectively, and in Solidarity.

Live
A square of half red, half green, with the words "Rad Housing" on it.

RAD Housing Link to this heading

About the model Link to this heading

The Retrofit and Decommodify (RAD) Housing approach is one possible approach to collectivising housing. It is a transitional model based on current conditions, and is intended to complement other approaches seeking to ensure equitable housing for all.

The goal of RAD housing is to collectively acquire, retrofit, and decommodify existing suburban housing so that we, and others, can live in resilient and affordable housing.

My involvement Link to this heading

I’m a co-instigator of this housing approach, and currently sit in a small working group moving the structural elements of decommodifying housing through discussions with lawyers into a useable legal model.

I also participate in regular talks about RAD Housing that we list on this events page.

And finally, I’m a member of the Brassica Collective, a group planning a specific implementation of the RAD Housing approach.

Theory of Change Link to this heading

This project has emerged in response to both the climate crisis and the housing crisis. The housing crisis highlights barriers to meeting our basic need for shelter within a capitalist system (that treats housing as a commodity that can be sold or rented-out on the basis of a changing market price rather than quality). Within this system, most of the available housing is low-quality and will not provide adequate shelter during the extreme weather events we will increasingly face over the coming years.