Affordable Housing District Demonstrator (IA) -

Expected Outcome

Projects are expected to contribute to following outcomes:

• Demonstrate innovation in renovation or construction of social housing districts to obtain replicable demonstrators or “lighthouse affordable housing districts” following the principles of the Affordable Housing Initiative[1] and, more broadly, taking into account the values and the concept of the New European Bauhaus[2]. Demonstrators can contribute to a smart neighbourhood approach setting liveability of local communities and residents at the forefront.
• Mobilise within the project a cross-sectoral industrial[3] and multi-stakeholder partnerships at local level to develop, adapt, design new processes, methods or technologies on affordable housing (by developing one or more innovative strands), with a focus on SMEs active in the area of social housing construction, renovation and development. Examples include SMEs related to construction, energy efficiency, circular economy, modular building, smart living, eco-design, social housing service etc.. Equally engaging other non SME stakeholders such as residents, social and public housing associations, civil society actors, public authorities will be key to boost tailor-made and fit for purpose innovation;
• Demonstrators should go the ‘extra mile’ and prove continuity in terms of a more integrated renovation or new build approach at district level by demonstrating one or more innovative strand(s):
• Adapted and affordable technological innovation fostering liveability for local communities and residents, accessibility, access to (social) services, improving cohabitation amongst residents and interaction with social housing providers.
• Social innovation, addressing specific social challenges in housing districts and neighbourhoods. Examples could be models improving the wellbeing of residents, addressing basic needs and services, promote new forms of housing and housing organisation such as intergenerational and mixed forms of housing and accessible architecture open for cultural and creative innovation. Social innovation may also promote social business models fostering economic activity at district or neighbourhood level.
• Innovative partnership and engagement models: project, financial, investment and business models based on inclusivity and cooperation, as well as partnership models improving stakeholders’ involvement in the construction process. Examples could be cooperative models for housing and utilities (cooperative housing, community land trust), leveraging social engagement models to empower and engage residents, public private partnership and impact investment schemes, post renovation planning and spatial organisation allowing socio-economic regeneration of the district.
• Green innovation. Examples could be: resource efficiency, circular and environment friendly techniques during the construction process as well as facilities and interventions fostering the ecologic ambition of housing once the construction is completed (such as integration of green spaces, improvement of biodiversity, landscaping, water-, waste- and energy management, shared consumption models, clean mobility provision, green spaces, city agriculture, air quality, monitoring instruments,…) as well as deployment of a Positive Energy District[4].

Replicability of innovative solutions demonstrated by the project is important. To this extent, relevant indicators and metrics, with baseline values, should be stated clearly in the proposal.

Effectively capture and disseminate learnings and major innovation outcomes to support the implementation of industrial-urban symbiosis, connection to European communities of practices established by the Affordable Housing Initiative and the New European Bauhaus or other relevant initiatives such as the European Urban Agenda.

The ultimate objective of the proposed action is to obtain a set of lighthouse affordable housing districts that each have followed a different approach, focussing on one or a combination of different innovative strands.

The proposed action supports the New European Bauhaus and Affordable Housing Initiative, as lighthouse districts should display the application of the New European Bauhaus practices focussing on co-creation with the affected populations as well as on their improved quality of experience (including in terms of aesthetic or cultural meaningfulness) resulting from the renovation and building of social housing districts.

Scope

Industrial symbiosis needs to be fostered amongst most relevant partners engaged in construction and renovation of social housing facilities. The local and regional dimension is important since local energy and utility networks, adjacent industrial infrastructures and available by-products and services in such districts needs to be considered in a holistic and integrated approach.

Where appropriate, projects can address COVID-19 related challenges and opportunities such as reorganisation of housing areas and districts, conversion of office buildings into housing units, (inter)generational living, housing facilities addressing new work-life standards and needs, neighbourhoods driving local economic activity and new entrepreneurial opportunities, energy price shocks, increased material costs, etc.

When proposing the demonstrating district, projects are expected to address all following aspects:

• Identify districts that are "ready to go" or at least in an advanced planning stage allowing the integration of an “extra mile” effort in terms of one or more innovation strands.
• As a basic condition, energy efficiency and insulation aspects should be already integrated in the renovation scheme; potentially including local renewable energy production and energy communities.
• Generate results that are replicable for other districts. In this context ‘replicable’ is to be understood as: outcomes generated by the demonstrator projects’ implantation (for example, know-how, innovative solutions, proof of feasibility, new business models, adapted and scaled technology usage, policy recommendations, guidelines, prototypes, demonstrators, databases and datasets, trained researchers, new infrastructures, networks) should be directly usable or transferable for implementation after the project ends. Results should be appropriately documented to serve as guidance for actors in other territories outside the project interested in applying or adapting the solutions to their specific context.
• Plan actions for overcoming relevant barriers for renovation at district level (e.g. regulatory limits, lack of trust amongst different stakeholders, lack of private investors and awareness of the integrated approach potential);
• Guarantee a majority (+50%) of social housing dwellings including a dominant focus on affordability for the remaining dwellings.
• Ensure to prevent potential perverse effects are taken into account such as energy poverty, gentrification effect, creaming and 'renovictions' or ‘ghettoisation’ and make sure resident engagement is embedded.

In terms of project design and methodology, proposals should include:

• The development of an ambitious, mission-oriented, quality co-design process, based on citizens’ and stakeholders' participation and multidisciplinary and multilevel collaboration An ambitious and credible executive plan that identifies and analyses the challenges and resources of a given territory (e.g. neighbourhood, district, ecosystem) in terms of sustainability (in line with the European Green Deal), inclusiveness (including social cohesion, accessibility and affordability) and aesthetics (including functionality, comfort, attractiveness, etc.).
• Deployment of an initial set of solutions as demonstrators within a two-year timeframe, accompanied by a rigorous impact evaluation methodology. Involvement in the testing of the innovation actions within the demonstrators with international experts.
• A detailed roadmap for implementation, with a sustainable financial plan identifying potential and substantial additional investment based on involvement and partnerships with different actors (national, regional, local, public and private sources).
• Projects are expected to participate in European-level networking opportunities in the context of the Affordable Housing Initiative
• Projects are expected to contribute to the New European Bauhaus initiative by interacting with the New European Bauhaus Community, NEBLab and other relevant actions of the initiative through sharing information, best practice, and, where relevant, results.

  In the context of this topic, geographical areas of the European Union and Associated Countries are NUTS level 1 regions of European Union Member States and of Associated Countries for which they are defined. In the case of Associated Countries without NUTS classification, the country as a whole is to be considered as one geographical area:

• List of Associated Countries not defined by NUTS level 1: Armenia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Faroe Islands; Georgia; Kosovo;[5] Israel; Moldova; Tunisia; Ukraine.
• List of countries not defined by NUTS level 1 with which association negotiations are being processed or where association is imminent: Morocco.

[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?qid=1603122220757&uri=CELEX:52020DC0662

[2]https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus/index_nl

[3] Refers to the 14 Industrial Ecosystems for Recovery

[4]https://jpi-urbaneurope.eu/ped/

[5]This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

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