Dare to Design for Disaster: Kooperatives Wirtschaften als Schlüsselprinzip resilienter Stadtentwicklung

Amidst a growing polycrisis—characterized by intensifying climate breakdown, global and economic upheavals, as well as authoritarian power grabs—the necessary momentum for transformation and adaptation may well lie in a new, shared understanding of democracy and the economy. It may also reside in the consciously designed interplay between public and civil society actors—underpinned by the realization that sufficiency and post-growth do not signify renunciation but rather constitute the prerequisite for an economic model that equally meets both social sufficiency and planetary boundaries. The urgency of this task is immense: in the face of accelerating crises, infrastructures of resilience—encompassing local supply networks, the circular economy, universal basic services, and climate adaptation—must not merely emerge; they must be scaled up across the territory and firmly anchored within enduring legal and administrative frameworks. Cooperative economies and networking can serve as pivotal elements in the foundation and scaling of these infrastructures—precisely because they aggregate needs, capacities, and decision-making authority at the very places where infrastructure is genuinely required: within local neighborhoods, cities, and regions. Drawing upon illustrative examples from France and selected approaches in Germany, the authors identify recurring factors within cooperative economic models and multi-stakeholder arrangements that contribute effectively to resilient urban development; furthermore, they investigate which institutional frameworks enable such successes and facilitate their widespread dissemination. They conclude with pertinent recommendations tailored to the German-speaking region.