Housing Lab Tallinn
Co-creating alternatives to Estonia’s unsustainable housing market
Estonian Academy of Arts (EKA), Tallinn Strategy Centre
✦ Challenge
Tallinn’s housing market is neither affordable nor sustainable. With 96% of homes privately owned, little regulation, and one of the highest rental costs in Europe, secure housing is increasingly out of reach, especially for younger generations. A projected 20% population increase by 2040 adds even more pressure.
Unlike many European cities, Tallinn offers almost no alternatives to private homeownership. Models like cooperative housing or co-ownership—proven elsewhere—are nearly absent in Estonia. Why?
Our research uncovered a complex tangle of cultural and systemic barriers:
- Post-Soviet mistrust of anything “social” or “collective”
- A deeply ingrained belief in the free market
- Lack of public dialogue or civic engagement
- And most critically: a lack of structural alternatives
Tallinn urgently needs a more diverse housing market, but residents lack the tools, knowledge, and support to take action.
Our research uncovered a complex tangle of cultural and systemic barriers:
- Post-Soviet mistrust of anything “social” or “collective”
- A deeply ingrained belief in the free market
- Lack of public dialogue or civic engagement
- And most critically: a lack of structural alternatives
Tallinn urgently needs a more diverse housing market, but residents lack the tools, knowledge, and support to take action.
✦ Approach
We began by mapping the systemic roots of the housing crisis, not just its symptoms. Over several months, we held over 20 conversations and workshops with key stakeholders: the Tallinn Strategy Centre (our project partner), city departments, housing NGOs, cooperative housing advocates, housing associations, and residents, both renters and homeowners.
Using systems thinking, we mapped the interconnections between policies, market forces, civic attitudes, and social trust. Futures thinking helped shift focus from constraints to possibilities. Through future scenarios, layered analysis, and backcasting, we explored how Tallinn could transition toward a more inclusive housing system.
A key insight emerged during participatory workshops:
Residents can't imagine alternative housing models because they aren't familiar with the possibilities.
This became our central question:
How might we create affordable and dignified housing options for Tallinn through citizen engagement?
We tested our concept with stakeholders to ensure feasibility, relevance, and support from both institutional and grassroots perspectives.
✦ Outcome
Our response was Housing Lab Tallinn — a civic platform that brings together residents, city officials, and experts to co-create alternative housing solutions designed for living, not for profit.
The platform operates through three pillars:
• Awareness – public events, campaigns, and a project library to inspire new thinking
• Ideation – collaborative spaces for residents to test and develop pilot projects
• Navigation – expert guidance and roadmaps to help turn ideas into real housing solutions
• Awareness – public events, campaigns, and a project library to inspire new thinking
• Ideation – collaborative spaces for residents to test and develop pilot projects
• Navigation – expert guidance and roadmaps to help turn ideas into real housing solutions
Housing Lab was presented to the Tallinn Strategy Centre and received strong support as a missing piece in the city’s housing ecosystem. It was also awarded Best Socially Minded Project of the Year at the EKA Design Showcase 2025.
With the foundation in place, the Housing Lab can grow into a space of experimentation, participation, and imagination—helping Tallinn take a first step toward a more diverse, just, and inclusive housing future.
