Stucco Co-operative
|
|
Stucco Housing Co-operative is the first and only student housing co-operative in Australia, although other types of housing cooperatives are relatively common. This gives it a status out of proportion to its size - it officially houses only 38 students - compared to similar co-operative in the United States which are a common type of university housing. As such, Stucco operates in a far more radical way than most American student housing co-operatives, in that no functions of the co-operative management are outsourced, all administration and decisions being made on a consensus basis by residents. This reflects the left-wing principles of Stucco's founders. Originally an abandoned and squatted warehouse, a consortium of interested parties persuaded the University of Sydney and the Office of Community Housing (OCH) to purchase the property and allow its redevelopment into housing as it is today. This is a completely unique arrangement. In return, Stucco must house only students of the University of Sydney, and two-thirds of those students must be within the income threshold to qualify for community housing. Stucco opened its doors in 1991.
Stucco is located at 197 Wilson St., Newtown, New South Wales. Its name is a contraction of "Student Co-operative" - there is no stucco in the building.