Shortcomings in mainstream housing provision are increasingly met by alternative – particularly collaborative – initiatives addressing sustainability. We explore how sustainability in alternative housing is framed in Swedish media and policy, and map prevalent categories. Findings indicate a gap between claims and practice. Key aspects concern the framing of housing as collaboration or as a service, that the emphasis on sharing is not necessarily translated into typological innovations, and that few projects unify multiple sustainability aspects. Further examinations should address how alternative practices are moving into the mainstream and what sustainability potentials are gained or lost along the way. 

The complexities of contemporary planning, the urgent need for affordable housing and increasing demands for sustainable development are pushing current housing provision practices to their limits. In response, more collaborative housing approaches have (re)gained prominence in recent decades, offering diverse sustainability potentials. This paper explores the framing of sustainability within European and US literature on collaborative housing while contrasting the perceived sustainability potential with practical implementation challenges. Approached through a systematic sample of selected literature, the socio-economic and environmental sustainability claims associated with collaborative housing are explored. This analysis outlines identified knowledge gaps, financial hurdles, and political challenges, offering insights into the emerging discourse on structural support for collaborative housing models. The findings indicate an absence of substantiated support for the sustainability claims made, emphasising a reliance on individual case studies. Furthermore, a disparity emerges between the potential of sustainable collaborative housing and the current policy environment’s capacity to facilitate their realisation. This research underscores the urgency of strengthening empirical foundations and aligning policies and instruments to bridge the gap between sustainability aspirations and the realities of the housing sector.