Through community agency, people can find housing where they are the priority, not profits. Baugruppen, or “Building Group” in German, is a movement in Berlin that combats stylistic homogeneity, gentrification, and quality of life issues with new developments. The movement promotes an alternative to the usual developer: self-initiative. In most cases, a group of individuals will go to an architect and collectively develop the housing complex for themselves. That said, all can project differ at every level of development.

What differs between Baugruppen projects and developer built projects is that Baugruppen projects care about the people living in them beyond their rent. Many have gardens open to the public, communal space on the ground floor, offer alternative living situations, and are built with environmental materials. Some Baugruppen projects even accommodate low-income residents by offering them opportunities to fix the buildings instead of paying rent. This movement shows that quality housing is possible through community action.