La Traverse, SAS (simplify joint stock compagny) cooperative company with variable capital
La Traverse is a cooperative, multi-generational, anti-speculative and experimental living space that promotes harmony with its natural and human environment. La Traverse promotes the values of solidarity, tolerance, openness and sharing.
Local
France
Créon 33670, Gironde, Nouvelle Aquitaine
Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): La Traverse Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: BENELLI Last name of representative: Ophélie Age: 29 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Gender: Female Nationality: France Function: Associate member of cooperative organisation Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 71 rue Montuard Town: Créon Postal code: 33670 Country: France Direct Tel:+33 6 06 40 33 88 E-mail:latraverse.gestion@protonmail.com Website:http://latraverse-habitatcoop.fr/
The La Traverse project responds to multiple issues:
1. social issues :
- exclusion and isolation of the elderly, single-parent families,
- social exclusion
2. ecological transition issues
3. problems of access to housing for all
Our solution, a cooperative society of inhabitants (SAS law 1947), a real estate alternative between individual property and social housing where future associated inhabitants can :
- Define their real estate project according to their vision of a habitat to meet the challenges of the time (solidarity, inclusion, ecological transition...) and of the territory (limitation of artificialization of soils, use of carbon energy vehicles, participation in city life)
- Dedicate a reasonable amount of money to housing (20% of the cooperative's share capital) and raise funds for the cooperative
- Build or have built or rehabilitated housing
- To become tenants of their cooperative and thus directly manage their destiny as inhabitants without being owners, thus avoiding any land or property speculation. Decisions are taken with the rule: one inhabitant = one vote, which is disconnected from the value of the occupied flat.
In concrete terms, we are 8 households and 18 residents from 7 months to 70 years old, from various social and professional backgrounds, all committed to implementing participatory and sustainable housing, trained in the tools of shared governance.
The adults are between 30 and 70 years old (including 4 retired), there are 6 children from 7months to 14 years old, one of whom lives in one of the homes which is his "approved foster family". A young adult of 32 years old with an Autism Spectrum Disorder is welcomed at La Traverse.
anti-speculation
sharing
ecology
inter-generational
social diversity
Sustainability will be ensured:
1. Environmentally by :
- the use of local bio-sourced materials,
- the re-use of materials, the reduction of land artificialisation compared to the existing (a common house shared to receive family, friends, meetings),
- the use of dry toilets and treatment of waste water on the site,
- very important thermal insulation and the use of greenhouses for regulation,
- installation of solar collectors,
- sharing of vehicles and tools (household appliances, gardening, DIY) to reduce our footprint
2. On the social level (reduction of social fractures):
- values charters, consent decisions,
- reduction of isolation, keeping elderly or dependent people at home, mutual aid, inter-generational conviviality, quality environment for all, accessibility for all
- social and generational diversity
3. On the financial level :
- accessible, modulated rents
- after repayment of the loans, the cooperative will only have to pay the maintenance costs and the rents can be as low as possible
From start, the partners agreed on a charter of values and a method of decision-making by consent (sociocracy) on the principle of one inhabitant = one vote.
This is how the architectural project was elaborated by the inhabitants with the expertise of our architect, Mrs A. Bouter.
The site of the old Créon swimming pool, which is exceptional because it is surrounded by forests and a stream with a natural area, was chosen. The land has a natural slope towards the stream.
La Traverse housing will be as follows:
- 8 housing distributed over 2 buildings with one floor.
- The 140m2 house, which has been preserved and renovated, will become the community house.
- A natural area of 5000 m2 with playground, vegetable garden, orchard, educational garden.
The two buildings that will form a central square, a place for all exchanges and sharing towards the common house. They will be curled into the slope to offer protection and reasonable height with a great diversity of typologies.
The buildings will house flats of varying sizes, all of which will be walk-through, accessible on the same level and mostly facing north-south.
Access to these flats will be via two central spaces, one per building, linked to the central square. Each central space will be treated as a greenhouse and a transitional space between inside and outside. People will enjoy passing through, chatting, exchanging, preparing seedlings, bringing in plants in winter.
The volumes with offsets and recesses allow for the play of volumes and light.
The ground floors of the buildings will be made of stone and the upper floors will be made of wooden frames with wooden cladding. The insulation will be made of straw. The joinery will be wood-aluminium. The roofs will be tiled.
Fruit trees will be planted and a vegetable garden created.
Objectives :
- to provide level access to all accommodation and the common house
- to overcome isolation by providing communication spaces (greenhouses between flats, common house, in shared spaces)
- ensure the possible evolution of the flats at any time towards housing adapted to people with reduced mobility
- ensure a mix of ages through appropriate recruitment
- ensure the recruitment of various social categories thanks to accessible, modulated rents that are eligible for state aid.
- allow access for all to inclusive housing of good environmental and ecological quality, thanks to a cooperative approach, a judicious choice of land and adapted architecture.
- to allow everyone to participate thanks to a decision-making method based on consent (one inhabitant = one vote) and sociocracy.
The exemplary nature of our project lies in its operation as a residents' cooperative (no speculation), its governance (use of sociocracy) for the participation of all (one resident = one vote), and a charter of values (intra-generational and social solidarity, sharing, ecology).
Involvement of everyone :
1. to finance the beginning of the project (shares and loan to the cooperative at very low or even zero rates over 25 years)
2. to give their time at all stages:
- reflections on the decision-making process, on the charter of values, on the architecture, on the statutes of the cooperative
- the search for financing,
- administrative management
- maintenance and self-construction of part of the building and shared spaces
These two types of investment made it possible to obtain a truly united and supportive group.
The project has been recognised and supported at :
- local: the support of the town of Créon (the cooperative La Traverse obtained a building permit on 28/03/22, letter of support in the framework of the call for projects AMI in the framework of the operation "Small towns of tomorrow").
- regional: Our project won the call for projects launched by the Gironde department as part of Agenda 21 ("Les Trophées de l'Agenda 21"); prize money: €2,500.
- national: our group won the call for projects in Gironde within the framework of the "Small towns of tomorrow" operation; prize money: €15,000.
This recognition enabled us to make ourselves known and to pay for preliminary architectural studies.
The fields involved in our project are
- law (notarial deeds, drafting and filing of cooperative statutes, etc.)
- management of a cooperative society
- architecture
- the residents' cooperative movement
- Sociocracy
The interactions were fruitful and the input was reciprocal between us and the professionals who helped us because they easily perceived that our approach was an innovative and fruitful one for the future.
As partners or actors in these fields, everyone was able to progress in competence.
The innovative character of our project lies in a systemic approach to the housing problem (social aspect - social and generational mix -, environmental and ecological, democratic, financial) for a small group with a response that takes care of these different constraints thanks to our mode of decision, participation and the chosen cooperative structure.
The innovative character of our project lies in a systemic approach to the housing problem (social aspect - social and generational mix -, environmental and ecological, democratic, financial) for a small group with a response that takes care of these different constraints thanks to our mode of decision, participation and the chosen cooperative structure.
That everyone can benefit from quality housing that meets the social, climatic and ecological challenges.
