The Commodification of Community

Street poster reading “Community is not an amenity,” illustrating the commodification of community in housing.

The commodification of community turns housing, shared space and belonging into market products. An essay on financialisation, cohousing and alternatives.

The Architecture of Exclusion

GC Blog The architecture of exclusion 11 02 2026 by aibeo

The contemporary housing crisis is often framed as a shortage problem. Not enough homes, not enough speed, not enough efficiency. This framing is comforting because it suggests a technical fix: build more, build faster, build higher. Yet this diagnosis avoids a more unsettling truth. In many countries, Finland included, we have not failed to build […]

Against Spectator Renovation: A Democratic Playbook for Participatory Renewal

Gamified Cohousing team meeting 2025

Renovation is having its moment, but much of what is called “participation” today is merely a spectacle: decisions made elsewhere, with citizens invited to clap. This is spectator renovation—efficient on paper, brittle in practice. True participatory renovation goes beyond questionnaires and ribbon-cuttings; it impacts rights, budgets, and beneficiaries. Learn how we can make renovation a democratic process that empowers communities, fosters transparency, and gives those affected a voice in shaping their environments.