COPIED
3 mins

Regenerating cities: The critical role of buildings

" Reaching the goals of 2050 is not an easy scenario. We need to mobilise public and private investments. The European Green Deal Investment Plan will provide around EUR 500 billion from the EU budget, but we will need at least EUR 1 trillion of investment to achieve the desirable neutrality. "

Furthermore, the forthcoming renovation wave will be an opportunity to achieve an energy-efficient and climate-neutral building stock by 2050, as well as to tackle energy poverty and to provide healthy, decent, affordable and energy-efficient buildings where people can reach their full potential, in line with the European Green Deal.

The renovation wave may help to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, by supporting workers in small and mediumsized enterprises and fostering high-quality jobs in the construction and renewable energy industries. In addition, the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive aims to increase the smartness of the future building stock, including its ability to interact with other sectors to generate added value for European citizens.

Measures will include energy building passports and other inspection schemes for heating and cooling systems; support for electro-mobility by introducing minimum requirements for car parks at smaller buildings; use of smart technologies; upgrading of indoor environmental conditions, including indoor air quality; and helping to tackle energy poverty.

From the above, it should be evident that technology and design are at the heart of efforts to enable the built sector to achieve sustainability.

Energy efficiency actions for buildings can be considered significant opportunities to implement cost-optimal solutions. The International Energy Agency has reported that energy savings of 500 Mtoe per year worldwide could be achieved through multiple cost-effective technologies between 2020 and 2050. Moreover, energy renovations and high-performance building construction could reduce the building sector’s energy use by nearly 30% by 2050. Also, a further reduction could be delivered through digitalisation and smart demand-side management in buildings.

Of course, reaching the goals of 2050 is not an easy scenario. We need to mobilise public and private investments. The European Green Deal Investment Plan will provide around EUR 500 billion from the EU budget, but we will need at least EUR 1 trillion of investment to achieve the desirable neutrality. The European Investment Bank Group, in particular, is expected to provide loans, guarantees and financial instruments, such as Private Finance for Energy Efficiency and the Smart Finance for Smart Buildings guarantee facility. Moreover, in that framework, InvestEU is expected to finance small-scale, cost-effective social housing renovation initiatives and services. These funding sources have different mechanisms and requirements, but it is hoped that, through EU investments, private organisations will be encouraged to invest.

" Transforming our buildings means that our cities will be scaled up and regenerated."

Transforming our buildings means that our cities will be scaled up and regenerated. That urban transformation with sustainability benefits that include social, capital and human investments combined with investment in transport and telecommunication infrastructure for sustainable economic development is, in fact, sustainable territorial development. This city regeneration will require not only reusing spaces and reforming buildings but also significant shifts in technology and political regulations such as pricing regimes and tariffs, as well as behavioural changes of users and adopters. The speed at which regeneration can take place is a vital element for consideration.

All in all, the focus should be on how to transform problems into economic, social and technological opportunities to regenerate cities. It’s not an easy task! Reaching the goal will require substantial changes and investment in technical infrastructures, urban physical planning and service provision, which in many cases are local and regional competences. Above all, there is a need for a significant change in consumer behaviour to make the demand for energy, and thus our daily lives, more sustainable.

This article appears in Green infrastructure and reuse of spaces

Go to Page View
This article appears in...
Green infrastructure and reuse of spaces
Go to Page View
Dubravka Šuica: How can we support people and regions to adapt to changing realities?
Dubravka Šuica is Vice President of the European
Željko Uhlir: A strong Europe in a world of challenges
Željko Uhlir is State Secretary at the Ministry
Foreword
The current pandemic has added to the numerous
Claude Turmes: Using ESPON in Policymaking
Claude Turmes is Minister for Energy and Spatial
Regenerating cities: The critical role of buildings
" Reaching the goals of 2050 is not
Green Infrastructure in urban areas
What is green infrastructure? Green infrastructure (GI) has
Cross-border cooperation in midst of COVID 19 crisis
The current unprecedented crisis has put to the
Green Infrastructure in the Netherlands: a policy-maker's perspective
I was asked to reflect on the ESPON
More than 100 acres of new green surfaces in Ljubljana
Degraded, overlooked and unused areas of the city
Circular management for greener cities
Circular management of spaces and buildings and green
How green is the reuse of spaces and buildings?
In many cities, population growth puts pressure on
Sustainable regeneration of port cities
Despite overall growth in the maritime sector, many
Urbanisation and land-use practices in European regions
Improving urbanisation and land use practices in European
Improving knowledge about the reuse of spaces and buildings
The new ESPON Policy Brief Reuse of Spaces
Cork’s docklands – learning from regeneration in a port city
On 31 May 2019, Cork City expanded its
ESPON evidence in planning practice and policy development
It is commonly understood that the development of
A practical handbook for SDG 11 and 15
The Urban Agenda partnerships on the circular economy
A practical tool to implement nature-based solutions
We consider the topics of reuse of spaces
Territorial approach is crucial for sustainability goals
Daniel Baliński is deputy director of the Strategy
Urban green infrastructure and reuse of spaces and buildings: views from Croatia
Croatian towns and cities face similar challenges to
State of the European territory: A key contribution to the debate about the future EU
As a geographer and a Member of the
Healthy and active ageing is more important than ever
In the Decade of Healthy Ageing (2020–2030), the
Shrinking Rural Areas: A fresh look at an old problem
Rural depopulation is not a new phenomenon. EU
The Hague and the urban circular collaborative economy
Jan Harko Post Jay Navarro Oviedo Triggered by
Scope and use of digital plan data platforms in Europe
In the past decade, many European countries have
Changing ground: The future place of the productive city
Over the past decades, metropolitan areas across Europe
Localising SDG goals
In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted the
A New ESPON tool for macroregions in Europe
The new European and Macro-regional Territorial Monitoring (EMTM)
Technological transformation: Growth opportunities for lagging regions in Europe
The 4.0 technological transformation rests on the creative
Success story: Quick Check Territorial Impact Assessment
Identifying whether or not EU policies, or policies
ESPON FUORE: A tool beyond the classical administrative boundaries
Development and sustainability policies are looking progressively into
Territorial Quality of Life: ESPON measurement
The ESPON Quality of Life Measurements and Methodology
ESPON TOURISM –a tool for the tourism of the future
Tourism is one of the largest economic sectors
Net impact of Interreg: statistical inference
As part of its transnational outreach efforts, ESPON
Entrepreneurial development niches for Interreg
This article introduces potential niches for Interreg programmes
interreg EUROPAN
European union European Regional Development Fund
URBACT
Driving change for better cities
INTERact
EU cities facing COVID-19: impact and responses URBACT,
Shaping the future of the ESPON programme
As the next programming period approaches, the exchanges
Geography of COVID19 and first policy answers in European regions
The sudden appearance and exponential increase in severe
Outlook for the German Presidency
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the priorities of
Looking for back issues?
Browse the Archive >

Previous Article Next Article