Transformative innovation initiative on housing decarbonization in the BMR
Innovative and inclusive economy
Environmental and climate emergency
Proper housing
The initiative for transformative innovation in housing decarbonization is part of the RIS3CAT 2030 strategy of the Generalitat de Catalunya, and its objective is to promote an energy efficient and socially equitable decarbonization of the housing stock in the metropolitan region of Barcelona. How does it aim to do this? By bringing about transformative changes in the actors involved in energy renovation processes in order to reach the most vulnerable groups and prevent potential negative impacts of decarbonization, such as higher housing prices or social exclusion.
Objectives
- To contribute to the European framework of smart specialization strategies with the transformative initiatives at the metropolitan level on energy renovation and decarbonization of housing as one of the major systemic transformations in SDG 11.
- To detect opportunities for knowledge transfer (bottom-up) from various players in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region (BMR) quintuple helix towards public policies on energy renovation and inclusive housing.
- To promote research in innovation in the areas of housing decarbonization in line with shared agendas through the opportunity detection mechanisms.
- To manage to replicate the transformative initiatives identified in the project.
The project is part of the RIS3CAT 2030 strategy, which promotes transformative innovation initiatives to drive the transition towards green, digital, resilient and fair development through collaboration with universities, research centres and other stakeholders in the region. This strategy seeks to address environmental and social challenges in a coordinated manner to move towards a more sustainable future.
The Barcelona Metropolitan Strategic Plan (PEMB), with the support of the AuS Group of the Catalan Architects’ Association (COAC) and the Metropolitan Housing Observatory of Barcelona, is leading a transformative innovation initiative to promote an energy-efficient and socially just decarbonization of the metropolitan region’s housing stock.
The need for this project becomes evident if we consider some key facts: 45% of the region’s housing stock was built before 1970, 42% of the population lives in rented accommodation and only 9% of buildings have an energy performance certificate while 63% of buildings have the potential for renovation. In addition, lower income environments have a higher proportion of homes in need of renovation.
The project’s objectives are clear: to highlight the importance of energy renovation to improve living conditions, to extend the scope of these processes to a larger number of homes, to avoid residential exclusion for vulnerable groups and to ensure that the benefits of energy renovation reach all households.
The project seeks to implement actions aligned with a shared vision of the future, working together with local authorities, public, private and civil society players that promote the decarbonization of the housing stock. These projects will be developed through three lines of work:
Line 1: Training, talent and entrepreneurship in the new renovation sector
This line focuses on training and promoting entrepreneurship for professionals, specialists and people from the industrial sector in the field of sustainable, efficient and inclusive energy renovation. It promotes collaboration between experts in building materials technology, architectural design, management, entrepreneurship and building maintenance.
Line 2: Guiding citizens in the renovation process
The plan envisages three levels of guidance to facilitate energy renovation:
- A technical or ex officio administration figure available to all home owners’ associations.
- A network of neighbourhood offices that specialise in renovation.
- A renovation agency at the level of the BMR.
Line 3: Innovation in governance, financing and impact assessment
The aim is to develop new instruments of governance, financing mechanisms adapted to the household economy and methodologies to assess the environmental, economic and social impacts of energy renovation.
Each line of work incorporates two cross-cutting elements: the participation of the scientific and academic community through urban laboratories and communication and outreach actions to raise public awareness.
To implement the actions, working groups will be formed made up of metropolitan municipalities (at least one of which will lead and tailor the solution to the region), actors from the private sector, public administrations, non-profit organisations and members of the academic world.
Finally, universities and CERCA centres are expected to participate in the call for proposals in the Regions of Knowledge Programme, co-financing research and innovation actions with the ERDF Operational Programme for Catalonia 2021-2027. These actions will be key to addressing the challenges set forth by the RIS3CAT 2030 strategy.
If your organisation is connected to the processes of energy renovation of buildings and housing in the metropolitan region of Barcelona and you want to be part of this transformative innovation initiative, send us an email at lpinto@pemb.cat and dubeda@pemb.cat.
The initiative features the participation of the Cornellà de Llobregat City Council, Viladecans City Council, Sant Cugat del Vallès City Council, Mataró City Council, the Municipal Housing Institute of Barcelona - IMHAB, the Municipal Housing Society of Terrassa, Diputació de Barcelona, the Directorate General for Housing of the Generalitat de Catalunya, INCASÒL, the Metropolitan Housing Observatory of the Metrópoli Institute, the Architects for Sustainability Group AuS of the COAC, the Col-legi d'Administradors de Finques de Barcelona-Lleida, the PDU-AMB drafting service, the Mesa de Entidades del Tercer Sector, Batec, the Gremio de Constructores de Obras de Barcelona y Comarcas, the Clúster de Servicios Inmobiliarios, the Clúster de la Energía Eficiente de Cataluña, BIT Habitat, the International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering - CIMNE, the Polytechnical University of Catalonia, the University of Barcelona, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the Centre for Demographic Studies, Cíclica, Leitat and Arquitectura Sana, among others
