Vital Democracy
FutureLab as Development Partner
FutureLab approaches area development as a cooperative development process in which the social living environment, ownership, and collaboration are central. Together with residents, public and private parties, we develop new forms of area development and realization. There are various ways in which FutureLab can be involved in area development.
Housing cooperatives
With the FutureLab method, we guide (existing) communities in their growth into residential, learning, and living communities, enabling them to realize and collectively shape cooperative ownership of affordable housing.
Tender Procedures
FutureLab can be deployed in municipal and national tender procedures as a development method that bridges the gap from participation to cooperative development processes, and in some cases to cooperative ownership and management. This creates a scalable development structure instead of separate initiatives per plot, within a single coherent development framework.
Large-scale development
In large-scale development projects by housing corporations or private developers, the FutureLab method can be deployed as a process organization. FutureLab guides cooperatives and partnerships through to realization in an innovative process that avoids common obstacles.
Social return
In the case of FutureLab, social return consists of building human, democratic, and professional capacity in the neighborhood. Measurable results include cooperative housing and management; residents trained in moderation, management, finance, and decision-making; work-study placements in the neighborhood; the involvement of local entrepreneurs; and the establishment of startups.
