Christoph Langscheid: A Different Approach to Land Ownership

Christoph Langscheid, what prompted you and some young people without particular financial means to create a foundation and name it after a woman, Edith Maryon?

"Two former schoolmates and I were concerned that in our society land is treated as a commodity, even though it was not created by man and cannot be increased. We wanted to do something about this type of speculation and decided to create a foundation. The foundation was to act as a "container" for land and property, thus removing it from the flow of commodification and inheritance and making it available for purposes of public interest. The aim was and is to use land of all kinds in such a way that it serves the many rather than the few, and that ecological and cultural diversity has the highest priority in these uses.

We chose Edith Maryon as our inspiration because we were struck by her social conscience and practicality. She was a sculptor who came to Dornach in 1914 to help build the first Goetheanum. She was one of the first to translate I essential points of the social question by Rudolf Steiner, a work that we three founders also studied and which was one of the decisive factors in our attention to the land question. Edith Maryon also initiated the construction of the first houses for the Goetheanum employees from all over the world."

Why did you think it was a good idea to acquire properties and offer them for rent at affordable prices?

"We started from a need: affordable housing was and is increasingly scarce. There is a need for organizations that deal with land and property in a different way and that are not purely for profit. At the same time, there are many people who own property and want it to be used in a socially meaningful way. We are able to combine these two needs by accepting tax-free donations of property or capital, as an organization with the necessary expertise, and then making them available to socially responsible third parties. Our capital at the time was small (we created the foundation with 12.000 Swiss francs), but we could count on many ideas, a lot of commitment and a good network of friends and supporters."

Your project was a great success: how did you manage to continue to raise capital for your activities?

"There are always people looking for opportunities to realize their ideals. The need for individual citizens to allocate their properties to the common good was there thirty years ago and is still there today. The now large network that surrounds the Foundation, the numerous personal relationships and the great trust placed in us are essential to our work. Just as the "lighthouse" character of some of the projects associated with us is very important for our visibility.

Although the foundation has grown significantly over the years, we are constantly aware of our financial limitations: after all, we do not work with the foundation's assets, but rely on donations, gifts and loans. On average, we have to turn down nine out of ten requests because we do not have the necessary funds, and I am only talking about requests for projects that have already been defined. With more capital, we could implement more projects and act more quickly when short-term intervention is needed."

How has your profession developed in recent years?

"My role has become increasingly complex and my responsibilities have grown. For the first ten years, I worked for the foundation on a voluntary basis, like the other two founders, but since 1999 it has been my permanent job. Today we have several branches and the number of employees is constantly increasing. However, the expectations of us are growing accordingly and we are increasingly perceived as a "rich" foundation, thanks to the large number of properties in our portfolio. However, all these properties have a function and are not disposable assets." 

In which countries is the Edith Maryon Foundation present and what are the most successful projects?

«Our activities are concentrated in Switzerland, especially in north-western Switzerland. We also have properties in Germany, a farm in Austria and some “exotic” projects, which came to us as individual cases, such as an apartment and a cultural center in Budapest. Among the best-known projects are the Unternehmen Mitte or the Markthalle in Basel, in Ticino, the Casa Andrea Cristoforo in Ascona, the Rudolf Steiner School in Lugano-Origlio.

However, we do not necessarily measure the success of our projects by their size or their level of notoriety. For us, successful projects are those in which different needs can be reconciled, or those in which a seemingly hopeless initial situation can be overcome.

It should also be emphasized that we do not “make” the projects, we simply guarantee the structure or the land: a third of our projects consist of building rights, that is, we own the land, but our project partners own the buildings. And therefore also the actual managers of the project itself». 

What positive and negative experiences have you had in recent years with artists and people? di modest economic background who lived in your buildings?

"Ultimately, our projects thrive because of these people who imbue the buildings with content and give meaning to their existence. We are constantly impressed by the wealth of ideas, commitment and perseverance of these people. Negative experiences are negligible in this context."

What are the criteria to meet to rent an apartment from the Edith Maryon Foundation?

"As I said, we are not the owners of a third of the properties, but the holders of the related building rights. We have a rental regulation for condominiums, which also includes the rules of occupancy, for example. For many buildings, we place the emphasis on the greatest possible self-management. This means that existing tenants are involved in every new rental agreement and that care is taken to ensure that new tenants fit into the community."

Today everyone talks about so-called “fundraising campaigns”: what advice would you give to someone who is looking for funds to restore a building?

"There is no universal recipe. In order to give advice, it is necessary to know more about the context in which one operates. Is the building intended for public or private use? Who is the target group? What are the special characteristics of the building? Is it a building subject to protection constraints? What are the characteristics of the territory? These are just some of the questions and assessments that need to be made."

What are your plans for the future of the Edith Maryon Foundation?

"One of the basic ideas of the foundation is that the land and buildings remain in the Foundation's possession for the long term. We are constantly working on the structures needed to keep this promise. In addition, the topic of "Living in Old Age" will be an important focus for us. There is a lot to do in the coming decades, because the offer is too limited.

We also want to encourage as many people and organizations as possible to advocate for a different approach to the issue of land and property. Many more initiatives are needed in this country and around the world to counter long-term land speculation. In this context, we are also involved in the association Gemeingut Boden (www.gemeingutboden.ch), which has set itself the task of drawing the public's attention to the possibilities of managing the available land in an innovative and common-good-oriented way."