Support David's Journey to Transform Housing

We need New Approaches to Land and Housing!

Send David Ackos to Berlin to Bring German co-housing and co-development back to Minnesota!

Hi, I’m David. I know we can transform our relationship to land and housing, and all live better in the process. Help me help us get there by giving to support my education at a global center for urban development and collective management.

My wife and I have taken a loan out for the bulk of the education costs, and I'll be working in Berlin, but the budget for the 1.5 year program is very tight. Donated funds will purchase flights, books, and fund research costs, helping me to bring more and more detailed information on social and collective housing back from Europe to Minnesota.

Read more below:

The Twin Cities have a dire housing shortage. We all feel the forces of gentrification and the stress of finding an affordable place to live. Simultaneously, the built environment keeps us isolated from one another, forcing us into cars to connect. The only options our government or market are providing for housing are luxury apartments, built cheap and often with subsidies, or single family homes with a high maintenance burden. Being a single family homeowner is common in Minnesota, but tying your home ownership up with your retirement savings pits you against the renters in your neighborhood, who are likely to be pushed out if land and home values go up.

There are some great solutions out there. David has studied Baugruppen (German Collective development), and written about decommodification of housing. They are going to Berlin to learn how to develop and manage collectively, and bring a model for collective development back to Minnesota. This will dovetail with theory work, to show Minnesotans a path to decommodification of housing - housing as a human right that doesn’t rely on non-profit owners.

David knows we can have a brighter future if we distribute the immense wealth of our cities broadly, and make the good life available to everyone. But from their years of working in housing, from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage to Minneapolis Public Housing Authority to District 2 (Greater East Side) Community Council, they’ve seen that all the solutions available to us maintain the supremacy of property ownership above the right of individuals to live well and have a share of our great cities to make their own. David believes we can decommodify, putting housing before profit. Collective development is part of that path.

In the Twin Cities, David has devoted their time and energy to organizing tenants, building towards a future Twin Cities Tenants Union, and writing about housing justice and urbanism. They’ve also helped start the East Side Community Investment Cooperative to help launch collective development on East Side of Saint Paul.

David plans on starting a social housing developer focused on democratic control and democratic ownership. They also want to help small groups of people, like those found on Intentional Communities Twin Cities, to build the social scaffolding to make collective purchases and collective development of urban villages and mixed-use urban housing projects possible.

The Urban Management M.Sc. Program at TU Berlin is a world renowned master’s program, and it boasts Professor Michael LaFond, a world expert in co-housing and collective development. David’s been accepted, and has been working hard to save and secure loans. But they need your help!

Do you believe in decommodifying housing? Do you want to help a visionary doer, thinker, and organizer to bring new models of development and ownership to the Twin Cities? Donate today and help David go to Berlin!

Affidavits:

"David's writing and work bring me so much hope. Since attending People Camp together almost 20 years ago, David and I have talked about how we can incorporate community into life in the city. I'm glad to know them and support their work! I can't wait to participate and live in their first urban village-build together!" - Molly Grove, Minneapolis Resident

"At its best, contemporary American planning education focuses on pushing towards progressive community-minded goals but does little to challenge a society where wealth is based on private real estate ownership. I have had the privilege of working with David over the last few years as we've attempted to push the needle in the right direction, and I believe they are the right person to help craft a vision for the future of housing in Minnesota. Attending the Urban Management program in Berlin would give David valuable expertise in creating a transformative and sustainable housing model that they can bring back home."

- Ben Werner, Urban Planner and Affordable Housing Developer