The aim of this research paper is to redefine the current state of working and living developments that oftentimes result in gentrification and deindustrialization. It recognizes the importance of keeping these developments affordable, especially in the context of Merwe-Vierhavens, an old industrial port area in Rotterdam. The redevelopment plan that proposes to mix dwellings and production in this area lacks the ambition to create affordable housing or to keep low-tech industries on the site, and is at a high risk to become unaffordable over time. As a way of providing affordable housing, I proposed a combined model of cooperative co-housing and zero-energy housing. By incorporating waste management facilities into this development as the production space, I explored the synergies with dwellings. The findings from the site analysis, academic sources, interviews, and case studies showed that in addition to contributing to affordability, zero-energy housing, cooperative co-housing, and waste management systems all entail a social potential by co-existing in the same space.