Abstract

Within the global capitalist system, housing has been profoundly reconfigured from a fundamental human need (use-value) into a speculative commodity governed by the logic of exchange value. This transformation has exacerbated inequalities in homeownership and severely restricted access to adequate shelter for low-income populations. Amidst this crisis, housing activist communities have emerged as counter-hegemonic actors, rejecting the commodification of shelter and reclaiming housing as a social right anchored in use-value. This study employs a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of thirty-four international peer-reviewed journals to investigate the research question: How do housing activist communities facilitate the provision of affordable, use-value-based housing under a capitalist regime dominated by exchange value? Findings indicate that these communities play a critical role in delivering affordable housing through innovative models such as Community Land Trusts (CLTs), community-led development (CLD), co-housing, self-help housing, group-build initiatives, and service-supported social interventions. Their contribution extends beyond the physical production of dwellings; they foster inclusive, participatory, and sustainable social structures. These communities establish collective governance mechanisms that center social solidarity and economic sustainability. Nonetheless, the movement faces profound challenges, including managerial capacity constraints, state co-optation, resource scarcity, neoliberal encroachment, profit-driven partnerships, and dilemmas of scalability. This review urges scholars, urban planners, and policymakers not merely to support but to learn from these communities as living laboratories in which just urban futures are actively being contested and co-created. The expansion and replication of housing activist models require deep sensitivity to local contexts and the meaningful participation of residents.