Leadership creator of new realities. Cooperative responses to challenges of housing

Cooperative housing of different types has been established in many countries; however, in Spain it is still a recent initiative. Given this reality, this research focuses on the role of leadership in cooperative housing in Catalonia, as well as on the democratic and innovative capacity within it. Specifically, we describe two case studies of cooperatives: Lacol and La Borda. Lacol is the architectural cooperative in charge of the architectural design of La Borda (housing cooperative with assignment o f use). The analysis incorporates the voices of the members of both cooperatives through in-depth interviews. The results evidence the impact of leadership in cooperatives in relation to innovation and social creation processes. In conclusion, the study presents a form of cooperative organization that overcomes the challenges of housing, providing an innovative response that promotes community management and access to housing.