Making a house a home

• Community buy-in wins half the battle for sustainable neighbourhoods

  We continue looking at a bold new approach to sustainable living—neighbourhoods that don’t just cut energy use but actually generate more than they consume.With the EU ramping up its housing and climate commitments, Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods (SPENs) are proving that entire districts can be energy-positive while remaining affordable and inclusive. One initiative leading the way is syn.ikia, an EU-funded project demonstrating how social housing providers across Europe an deliver these climate-friendly communities. But what will it take to movefrom pilots to widespread adoption?To help us answer that, we’re joined by Ciarán Cuffe,recently elected Co-President of the European Greens and a key architect of the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). We’ll discuss why theneighbourhood approach is essential for decarbonising Europe’s building stock, the biggest political and practical barriers to scaling up SPENs, and how the social housing sector can play a leading role in this transition.And with major developments at the EU level—including the first-ever Commissioner for Housing, a European Commission task force working across policies, and growing momentum for a pan-European investment platform—couldthis be the breakthrough moment for energy-positive neighbourhoods? Stay with us to find out.The syn.ikia project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 869918.

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• Watts needed: securing a just energy transition for housing

  As Europe moves towards a fair energy transition, ensuring access to affordable, sustainable housing has never been more urgent. With the first-ever EU Commissioner for Housing, a dedicated Task Force within the European Commission, and the upcoming Affordable Housing Plan, housing policy is taking centre stage in Brussels.In our first episode for 2025, we’re returning to a crucial question straight from the European Parliament: how can we achieve a fair energy transition while ensuring access to affordable, sustainable housing?This episode explores the intersection of housing and climate policies, examining how initiatives like Fit for 55 and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive impact low-income households. Our guests, MEP Brigitte van der Berg, a leading voice in the European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis, and Julien Dijol, Policy Director at Housing Europe, share insights on the financial and regulatory solutions needed to scale up sustainable housing across Europe.As the voice of over 43,000 public, cooperative, and social housing providers in 31 countries, Housing Europe highlights the role of social and cooperative housing as a driver of innovation. One key example is syn.ikia, an EU-funded project developing plus-energy neighbourhoods—communities that generate more renewable energy than they consume.Enjoy listening!The syn.ikia project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 869918.

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  29:47
• The social housing in the Netherlands that produces more energy than it consumes

  Climate change is one of the biggest challenges that we are facing today. Science has brought us far and we know that reducing greenhouse gas emissions to achieve a just transition to a low-carbon and energy-efficient built environment will be vital. But this entails another challenge. How can we get there, while also ensuring access to decent, quality, future-proof affordable housing? The energy and building sector have an important role to play in progressing towards a low-carbonsociety. Part of the answer could be the development of neighbourhoods that produce at least as much renewable energy as they use in a year in different climates, contexts and markets in Europe. In a Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhood, the geographical boundary is expanded to the entire site of the neighbourhood. This will be possible by using innovative solutions and focusing on encouraging resident engagement. The EU-funded Horizon2020 project, syn.ikia that Housing Europe and social housing providers from the Netherlands, Austria, Spain, as well as private real estate in Norway are part of is offering solutions in this direction. Led by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the project syn.ikia has been expanding the know-how of the sector and fast-tracking innovation to mitigate the energy crisis. In this podcast show, Housing Europe's communication team tuned straight from our 2022 Renovation Summit that took place in Brussels to speak with a Dutch social housing provider, care provider and tenants who are experiencing what is it to build and live in Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhood. The Dutch pilot is located in Loopkanstraat, Uden, a typical mid-size town in the Netherlands representing a marine climate which means that summers are rather cool and the winters are generally mild. The demo is constructing new add-ons to existing buildings and with syn.ikia’s strategy, the neighbourhood will reach the plus energy standards. This can be replicated in similar neighbourhoods in the Netherlands and other comparable contexts in Europe. The construction was finalised in May 2022, allowing tenants to move in. Area housing corporation lets approximately 8.500 homes in Uden, Veghel and the surrounding villages. It is a partner for people that depend on a housing corporation for their accommodation: people on low incomes, starters, residence permit holders and people with a disability. Labyrinth Care & Work / Connect Living is offering guidance to (young) adults with a mental and/or mild intellectual disability. The ambassadors are tenants who accompany neighbours who may need care &contributes to a pleasant living environment and promotes social interaction. Today’s interviewees will walk us through what a Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhood means from different perspectives: social housing provider, care provider organisation and the tenants themselves. What challenges were met along the way? What does it take to adapt to such an environment? Let’s get started.

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  17:25
• Fair circularity in affordable homes put into practice

  It has now been three years since Housing Europe embarked on a special journey – to increase circularity in social and affordable homes, by bringing renovation techniques, recycling, and upcycling to a new level while preserving affordability and fairness. While we have seen multiple public, cooperative, and social housing providers implement circular models, we are now referring to Housing Europe’s partnership in the EU Horizon 2020 funded HOUSEFUL project, which has at its core the aim to increase the use of circular building and renovation techniques. My name is Diana Yordanova and you are with another episode of ‘Making a house a home’, the podcast show of Housing Europe where we bring the vision of more than 43,000 public, cooperative, and social housing providers whose main goal is to ensure that people relying on modest incomes can also live in decent, affordable homes. One way of doing that is, of course, circularity and making the best out of buildings’ waste. Together with various partners within the EU-funded Houseful project, we are doing this by testing and developing new circular housing solutions in four demo sites in Spain and Austria. This includes social housing buildings of Neues Leben from Vienna and Agencia de L'Habitatge de Catalunya based in Barcelona. With the help of Housing Europe’s research coordinator, Dara Turnbull we are going to hear from representatives from two of those demo sites - the Cambium Community, a new eco-village concept, and Neues Leben, a limited-profit housing association. In the next few minutes, they are explaining a little bit about the circular solutions that are being tested, and also why these new approaches can help to provide cheaper and more sustainable homes to social housing tenants. If you are curious to know more about Houseful, you can check out the website www.houseful.eu. You can also contact us directly at Housing Europe at [email protected] Enjoy.

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  24:57
• Taming mortgage markets can make homes more affordable

  Cheap money is gold for private housing investors, and central banks have a big role to play in directing money flows. This is one of the key messages from our previous podcast episode that focused on how central banks are affecting our access to decent, affordable housing. Of course, we know that many more players are involved and responsible for the housing situation we observe in different locations. Today, we will be getting closer to the action and zeroing in on the role of mortgage banks and how these financial institutions are regulated in a way that influences housing affordability – for better or worse. Has there been too much reliance on debt? Does the easier access to mortgages mean that more people have become homeowners? What can regulators do and what has been the role of investment flows? Many interesting questions to which we are providing the answers today. You are with ‘Making a house a home’ and the 3rd episode of our “Tools to tame financialisation” podcast season which is part of the #Housing2030 initiative led by the European Federation of public, cooperative, and social housing providers known as Housing Europe, UNECE and UN-Habitat. I am Diana Yordanova and these new episodes are kindly supported by the Irish Research Council and the Irish Council of Social Housing. Once again, I will be joined by the lead writer of the #Housing2030 report, Dr Julie Lawson from RMIT University and Professor Michelle Norris from University College Dublin who was the main mind behind the chapter about sustainable finance. You will hear many of the seasoned experts from episode 2 who also have a say on how we could ensure that mortgages are not hampering access to affordable homes. Our next discussion on the topic will be in real life. On 15th June, Housing Europe, UNECE, and UN-Habitat will be at the third International Social Housing Festival in Helsinki, Finland. We are hoping to see some of you, our listeners at Helsinki City Hall and to hear your view on how we could tackle the commodification of housing collectively. You can still register for the event at the official website of the Festival - www.socialhousingfestival.eu Tell us if you are coming via the #Housing2030 hashtag.

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