The thesis starts with a simple proposition: What if housing were a common? A pre-modern English custom of land ownership and use, the notion of the commons has reemerged in recent architectural debates as a participatory ecology for production, ownership, and use. The thesis explores their transfor- mative value in addressing the much-needed change in London’s housing context today. In that sense, grassroots efforts promise not only more accessible housing economies but also architecturally valuable models for owning, sharing, and dwelling. Most importantly, they challenge modern preconceptions that form the foundation of how residents relate to housing, land, and each other. While existing architectural scholarship focuses mostly on hierarchically planned housing, grassroots sharing cultures and their spatial imaginaries remain little studied. The research aims to explore this gap by discussing the relationship of the commons with architecture.

The thesis consists of two parts that employ different but interconnected methods. The first part establish- es the theoretical and historical context. A historical case study analysis reconstructs a genealogy of hous- ing commons in London. The second part draws on qualitative methods to discuss the Lewisham-based community land trust RUSS and its inaugural housing project, Church Grove.

The thesis concludes that housing commons are yet to emerge in London. To achieve autonomy, hous- ing projects need to connect with other realms and scales of commoning. This is addressed by the intro- duction of the term coalitions, which refers to spaces and practices that allow for multiple commoning systems to link up. To support the commons, architectural practitioners and researchers need to embrace more coalitional roles, connecting different actors and local relational networks. Then architectural prac- tice can become a common itself.