Building Communities: The Co-operative Way, First Published In 1988, Sets The Flourishing Of Housing Co-operatives Throughout The 1980s In A Theoretical And Historical Framework That Suggests That Tenant Control Is The Best Way Out Of The Still-problematic Issue Of Housing Policy.before The First World War, Co-operative Housing Was Poised To Become A Potent Force In Government Policy, But Instead Municipal Housing Rose To Prominence. However, Alongside A Growing Crisis Of Confidence In State Housing And A Continued Decline In The Private Rented Sector, A New Political Consensus Has Emerged That Has Placed Co-ops Firmly At The Top Of The Agenda. Setting Out The Argument For Collective Dweller-control Of Housing, Birchall Demonstrates That The Arguments For Co-operatives Are Strong, Based On A Broad Spectrum Of Political Thought.