The housing shortage has not disappeared, the way it operates has changed
Dr hab. Matysek-Imielińska began by analysing data that shows that the housing problem hasn't disappeared – it's just taken a different form. In Poland, a significant portion of the population lives in overcrowded apartments. New apartments are being built, but they are primarily sold to investors or used as investments. In many cities, hundreds of thousands of vacant properties – even though they have formal contracts and don't consume Energy – sit empty, while young families and those starting independent lives "nest" with parents, roommates, or in "micro" spaces.
Housing as a right vs. housing as a commodity
In the pre-housing transformation era, the prevailing model was one in which housing was a right – its availability was a part of the social democratic project of a dignified life. After 1989, housing began to be discussed in market terms, transforming it into an investment tool. Dr hab. Matysek-Imielińska underlined that this shift fuelled speculation and created barriers for those who prefer to live rather than invest. In this narrative, apartments cease to be used for living, becoming "investments" and "products," destabilising social reproduction and everyday security.
Vacant buildings, micro-apartments and the facade of community
The discussion highlighted specific examples of the pathology of contemporary housing. One of these was the demolition of a historic Olympic-sized swimming pool in Wrocław, which was replaced by a student residence with a sauna, gym, jacuzzi and underground carpark. For students, this solution was not only too expensive but also unnecessary. In reality, the term "dormitory" disguised micro-apartments – rooms that did not meet the minimum housing requirements.
Micro-apartments have been identified as semantically and socially problematic: the term "apartment" in conjunction with "micro" blurs boundaries, masks poor conditions and simultaneously limits the space for living, building relationships, and community. Such "apartments" are often a symptom of loneliness and individualism, rather than a real response to housing needs.
Alternatives: Cooperatives, Cohousing, and Reclaiming Community
Dr hab. Matysek-Imielińska pointed to cooperatives and various forms of cohabitation as a counterweight to the market model. She explained that authentic cooperatives were not a relic of the Polish People's Republic, but rather the idea of voluntary, democratic cooperation. It is a model that allows for cost sharing, reducing environmental impact and creating lasting relationships – from early adulthood to old age.
Cohousing and co-living have been described as spaces where not only rooms are shared but also responsibility, ritual, and care – this requires certain social skills, but also builds a more lasting community than isolating micro-apartments.
Sources of inspiration: community instead of market
The book and the author's reflections were inspired by, among other things, the history of the Warsaw Housing Cooperative (WSM) and the idea of the "common good" in urban space. WSM is presented as an experiment combining modernity, education, self-organisation and community – with institutions, rituals and everyday learning, but also with the characteristic tension between discipline and self-governance. The author underlined that this was not a book about architecture or Warsaw itself, but about urban activism – about ways of building place from the perspective of a community working "against and beyond" purely market logics.
Dr hab. Magdalena Matysek-Imielińska is a cultural studies scholar and sociologist from the University of Wrocław. She specialises in urban studies. She examines the city as a space for action, and is interested in self-organisation, participation and engaged urban planning. She is the author of the books "Miasto w Działaniu" (2018) and "Warsaw Housing Cooperative. City in Action" (2020). She writes about critiques of capitalism and critical thought, cooperates with cultural studies journals, and has led a series of popular science meetings in Wrocław for years – Cultura Culturans and Cultura Lectionis.
The event was held as part of a series of meetings with authors of the best humanities books in Poland on the occasion of the 10th edition of the competition for the Professor Tadeusz Kotarbiński Award organised by the University of Lodz.
Edit: Małgorzata Jasińska and Michał Gruda (Centre for External Relations and Social Responsibility of the University)
