1. Introduction
During the last decades researchers of collective self-managed low-income housing have pointed out, along with positive attributes, the many difficulties associated with such initiatives. Organizations are unprepared and inexperienced in assuming responsibility for the complexities of housing development. The gap between housing cost and salaries is too great to be met without additional resources (subsidies, external aid, etc.). Poor families do not have access to formal credit for land purchase and housing construction. The volume of production is too low to be significant. There are conflicts between organizations and with authorities. Financial and technical support is not provided. The cooperative spirit and commitment fade out after houses are built and long-term affordability is not secured (Lewin, 1981; Durand-Lasserve, 1987; Yap, 1989; Vakil, 1991; Payne (1989) and Payne (1999)).
The emergence and growth of self-managed low-income housing cooperatives in Porto Alegre during the 1990s did, however, challenge some of the limitations listed above, mainly the lack of cooperation between organizations and authorities, and the lack of provision of technical support. This study focuses on the experience of the low-income housing cooperatives program implemented in that city during the last 12 years. The aim of the paper is to contribute to understanding how the partnership between the local state (the planning and housing agencies) and civic associations (the housing cooperatives) has unfolded. What difficulties have the parties involved in this relationship faced? What impact have these interactions had on shaping these organizations and on the implementation of local policies in the field of land and housing in Porto Alegre?
The development of self-managed low-income housing cooperatives in Porto Alegre resulted from a joint effort carried out by the municipal government and organized civil society, mainly labor unions and community-based groups. Over time, cooperative members and government officials have referred to the interactions between the local power and the cooperative associations as a partnership, where the meanings of roles and responsibilities have been defined by the two partners in the process of construction of the relationship. Although unions and community groups participated actively in the process, the cooperative program was launched by the municipal state through its housing agency.