The role of tenure, work and cooperativism in sustainable urban livelihoods

This paper responds to challenges posed by urban sustainability through a consideration of sustainable livelihoods within the Western, industrialised context of Australian urban areas. Application of sustainable livelihood considerations to urban areas is a task notably absent from literature to date. Sustainable urban livelihoods (SULs) necessitate that affordable housing and hybridised governance be made accessible, widespread and mainstream and that work be reinterpreted and reorganised along local, cooperative lines. This paper uses contemporary case studies and recent relevant models to illustrate why non-profit tenure systems, more localised and diversified work structures and cooperative governance are crucial components for establishing sustainable livelihoods within Western cities.