Opinion of the Committee of the Regions Housing and regional policy
Date: 2007-02-14
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: economic and social cohesion, housing policy, regional policy, town planning, urban renewal

C 146/10

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.6.2007

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions Housing and regional policy

(2007/C 146/02)

— Housing is not only about bricks and mortar, but also concerns the areas and communities where we
live. Tackling the housing agenda means working towards safer, cleaner, greener areas of our cities and
regions where people are able to develop their lives and interactions. Housing issues are also about
access to employment, transport and services and creating a high-quality environment. Therefore
although housing is not a specific competence of the European Union, many EU policies have a direct
or indirect effect on housing issues. This includes policies concerning the urban environment, energy
efficiency, renewable energies, noise pollution and health, but also completion of the internal market
in services and competition.

— New Member States can use up to 3 % of the allocation of the Operational programmes concerned or
2 % of the total ERDF allocation on housing and the opinion contains practical advice and examples
of good practice from across the EU to provide support for this spending. This includes ideas around
optimising the physical relationship between landscape and buildings, homes, jobs and local services;
energy efficiency and sustainable development; and avoiding ghettoisation in housing areas.

— All Member States can look at the role of training in building sustainable communities. Training local
people in the skills needed to improve their housing areas, develop green spaces and improve energy
efficiency can provide solutions to neighbourhoods in decline and constitute a new source of employ-
ment.

30.6.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 146/11

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

HAVING REGARD TO the letter of the European Parliament of 28 September 2006 requesting the
Committee of the Regions, in accordance with Article 265 (4) of the Treaty establishing the European Com-
munity, to draw up an opinion on Housing and regional policy;

HAVING REGARD TO the decision of its President of 20 November 2006 to instruct its Commission for
Territorial Cohesion Policy to draw up an opinion on this subject;

HAVING REGARD TO the draft report of the European Parliament on ‘Housing and regional policy’
(2006/2108(INI)) (rapporteur: Andria, Alfonso (IT/ALDE));

HAVING REGARD TO its Opinion on Cohesion Policy and cities: the urban contribution to growth and
jobs in the regions CdR 38/2006 fin;

HAVING REGARD TO the Conclusions of the informal Council of Ministers on sustainable communities.
Bristol, 6 and 7 December 2005;

HAVING REGARD TO the Communication of the European Commission on Cohesion policy and cities:
the contribution of urban areas and agglomerations to growth and jobs in the regions;

HAVING REGARD TO the Urban Inter-group of the European Parliament Proposal of a European Charter
for Housing;

HAVING REGARD TO its draft opinion (CdR 345/2006 rev.1) adopted on 11 December 2006 by its
Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy (rapporteur: Cllr Flo Clucas (UK/ALDE) (Member of Liverpool
City Council));

Whereas:

1.

2.

3.

4.

The result of the compromise of the Heads of Government on December 2005, in which housing
has been designated as eligible cost in Structural Funds only for the New Member states in a limited
proportion under the ERDF regulation (article 7.2): 3 % of
the Operational
programmes concerned or 2 % of the total ERDF allocation. Expenditure is also limited to multi-
family housing and social housing and has to take place in the framework of urban development
programmes. New instruments created under structural funds by cooperation between the Commis-
sion and the EIB as JESSICA which will allow for financing projects in a wider framework of urban
development;

the allocation of

the fact that housing is not a specific competence of the European Union, but many policies have a
direct or indirect effect on housing issues. In particular this includes policies concerning the urban
environment, energy efficiency, renewable energies, noise pollution and health, but also completion
of the internal market in services and competition;

local and regional authorities in the European Union are generally responsible for housing issues in
their areas, and urban settings provide the greatest challenge on housing issues;

access to decent housing is a key condition to maintaining social and territorial cohesion within the
European Union. Therefore, there is a strong link between housing and the Lisbon Agenda. Decent
housing is fundamental to the competitiveness of regions. Without sufficient good-quality housing,
regions cannot attract and retain workers, resulting in economic decline.

adopted the following opinion at its 68th plenary session, held on 13 and 14 February 2007
(meeting of 13 February):

C 146/12

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.6.2007

Views of the Committee of the Regions

ducing proactive neighbourhood management,
tackling anti-
social behaviour, improving environmental quality and design,
and ensuring good public transport
[See Annex,
example 4]

services.

1.
Housing is one of the key factors in combating social
exclusion and unemployment, making our towns, cities, rural
areas and regions better places in which to live and work,
encouraging harmony within and between communities and
also in working to meet sustainable development goals;

2. many regions and cities of the European Union are going
through, or need to go through, a process of renewal in areas
where there is poor quality housing, housing market failure,
compounded by a decline in the economic base, deterioration of
infrastructure
the physical
(education, health and community relations) in their neighbour-
hoods;

fabric and provision of

social

3.
housing is not only about bricks and mortar, but also
concerns the areas and communities where we live. Tackling the
housing agenda means working towards safer, cleaner, greener
areas of our cities and regions where people are able to develop
their lives and interactions. Housing issues are also about access
to employment, transport and services and creating a high-
quality environment. This
the ‘sustainable communities’
agenda. There are two dimensions to this agenda that need to
be addressed: territorial and social.

is

1. Territorial Dimension of Housing

There is a legacy of inadequate housing and excluded
1.1
communities as a result of decades of neglect in many of the
old, and particularly in the new, Member States of the EU. Lack
of investment in housing has, in those cases, led to ghettoisation
leading to disaffection and
of poorer, excluded communities,
occasionally resulting in social unrest and violence, as has been
seen recently in some Member States.

1.2
Urban planning is an essential foundation of future stra-
tegies and it is important to align housing strategies with the
spatial strategies of regions. Old Member States have experi-
in seeking to
enced both successes and failures in this area,
combat urban sprawl and traffic congestion in favour of more
attractive,
liveable cities, supporting and creating a sense of
place at a local/neighbourhood level. New Member States need
to take into account these experiences to avoid making similar
mistakes.

Neighbourhood renewal action will vary according to
1.3
local circumstances, but should be holistic and include measures
to improve education, health and other public services, enhan-
cing training, employment and economic opportunities, intro-

1.4
Priority needs to be given to re-use of derelict sites, recla-
mation of Brownfield land to maintain more compact cities and
prevent urban sprawl and encroachment into rural commu-
nities. This is often more expensive in the short term but there
are long term benefits
reuse of
resources and employment. Infrastructure subsidies and incen-
tives at a local and regional level are good tools to promote this
over new-build/Greenfield development.

in community cohesion,

Priority also needs to be given to the regeneration, main-
1.5
tenance and improvement of historical housing stock, through
measures to support renovation and reconstruction, and to
settling young people in historical town centres and in coastal
and inland rural centres which have been abandoned or have
ageing populations.

1.6
Setting up Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to exploit
derelict areas and provide a means to rehabilitate run down
multi-occupancy accommodation can change not only the
physical presence of such properties, but can enable neighbour-
hoods to become more attractive places in which to live and
work.

1.7
Compact neighbourhoods, with housing which is
designed to a high quality and of mixed tenure and size, have a
density of development and population which will be able to
support integrated services, shops and transport, ensuring their
economic viability. Housing supply must also be linked to provi-
sion of public services and attention paid to maintaining
optimum population levels in order to be able to sustain essen-
tial services. At a time of urban renewal in housing, maintaining
populations can be difficult and services suffer as a result.
Member States should recognise the importance of continuation
of services at a time of substantial change within a community.

A holistic view to planning is needed in order to under-
1.8
stand the physical relationship between landscape and buildings,
homes, jobs and local services. Projects need to fit well together
and with the space which surrounds them. When renovating
housing, or creating new housing, regions and local authorities
need to take into account issues such as design, in order to both
‘design out’ crime and create quality areas, sustainable develop-
ment and heritage, alongside the needs and aspirations of their
local communities and the wider impact on cohesion.

30.6.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 146/13

Appreciation of a neighbourhood's history and heritage
1.9
can be a key factor
in attracting investors and residents.
Utilising, rather than masking, a rich industrial or urban heri-
tage can be a driver for recovery and change, creating desirable
places to live with a strong identity to develop pride in the com-
munity. Therefore decisions on what
to retain, refurbish or
demolish should not occur until the physical, environmental,
social and economic factors are considered.

Social Enterprises,

1.10
including Housing Associations,
occupy an important place in housing renewal in some Member
States. They are able to provide stability and address issues of
integration and accessibility of suburbs as well as giving support
to communities under stress. Housing Associations as social
housing providers have flexibility and a direct relationship to
communities which can enable them to provide solutions to
problems which fit the needs of the inhabitants. They are also
employment creators and can work to attract public and private
support for projects. [See Annex, example 1 & 2]

1.11 With climate change an increasing concern for govern-
ment, energy efficient design of homes, providing affordable
warmth, and thus tackling fuel poverty, are all important in the
design of future housing. However, tackling poor insulation in
older properties is also vital and can both provide employment
and ensure energy conservation. One of the contributing factors
driving many low demand areas is the poor quality of the built
environment, of which housing is one component. When
putting in place housing infrastructure planners need to
consider environmentally sustainable options from the begin-
ning. For example,
installing geo-thermal heating facilities for
water is not only energy efficient but will reduce heating costs.
Avoiding waste in energy is essential for the EU to meet the
objectives of the Kyoto Protocol. This question should be taken
into account when undertaking urban renewal processes and
housing interventions, especially in the framework of the EU
Directive on Energy Efficiency of Buildings.

1.13
Planning neighbourhoods can already encourage people
to adopt sustainable and healthy lifestyles, for example services
and facilities at walking distance from homes, centres for recy-
cling, parks and play areas and good access to public transport.

1.14
It is crucial on this front to communicate with the
public and to involve them from the very outset of a redevelop-
ment project in order to actively involve them in the process
and to link the physical regeneration of the area with a regen-
eration of community spirit and social inclusion and solidarity.
Above all, regeneration measures must benefit residents, and
must not result in socially disadvantaged residents being driven
out.

1.15
Training local people in the skills needed to improve
their housing areas, develop green spaces and improve energy
efficiency can provide solutions to the double problems of
unemployment and disaffection, where neighbourhoods are in
decline. [See Annex, example 5]

1.16
Often the focus of PPPs is on public infrastructure
projects such as transport, waste management and utilities
provision. Although the value of PPPs in urban regeneration has
been recognised by some organisations, it could be developed
further. A pre-requisite for this would be clarification of the
Community legal
the
moment there is some uncertainty about the definition of ‘in-
house’ entities,
the classification of certain joint activities
relating to social housing as PPPs and the classification of some
low-cost housing bodies as institutionalised PPPs.

framework regarding PPPs,

since at

1.17
In varying degrees across Europe, urban regeneration
poses a major challenge to city authorities and requires signifi-
cant investment, whether financial, creative or managerial. Many
cities are no longer able to meet these investment challenges on
their own, whether this is because of shortages of public money,
limited professional skill pools or simply because the associated
risks are too great, or simply because there are legal restrictions
(on taking out loans).

1.12
Housing design within neighbourhoods must consider
how the spaces between houses will be used and how public
spaces can assist in the interaction between people. For exam-
ples streets need to be built for people and not just seen as thor-
oughfares for cars.
‘Home zones’, where cars are secondary to
the needs of pedestrians and residents is one example of spatial
interaction. Utilising intermediate labour market schemes and
horticultural training in such areas can change physical percep-
tion of an area, enhance the sense of well being of local resi-
dents and change under used land into more productive green
space.

1.18
PPPs can assist here not only in providing access to
additional capital finance, but also in helping to find the best
solutions to bring each side of the partnership away from its
purely traditional stakeholding role. The complimentary skills of
private partners can offer project management and organisa-
tional simplicity to projects. Community organisations that are
more flexible than formal municipal
structures, close to
informal networks and represent long-term interests of the local
community can help provide efficiency and also help ensure
public acceptance and support. Projects can therefore be deliv-
ered more rapidly and with greater long term sustainability.

C 146/14

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.6.2007

1.19
However there is a risk that the entry of private finan-
cing can lead to an artificial inflation of prices in the housing
market. This can have many adverse effects. Local communities
can find themselves priced out of home ownership, thus forcing
the break-up of communities with people having to move away
from their local areas, families and support networks. This is
where social housing can and should play a vital role. Social
housing can reduce the impact of such inflation, and further
provision can be made for local communities through shared
ownership schemes, and the availability of low cost mortgages.
These can retain existing residents, attract new residents to an
area under stress, and provide a new economic stimulus for the
local economy.

2. Social Dimension of Housing

General Measures in favour of access to housing for
population

2.1
To assist the general population in accessing housing,
efforts need to be made to have an adequate supply of homes
for rent, encourage and assist people to become home owners
and help them be able to maintain the physical fabric of their
homes. Assistance can come in the form of reduction of admin-
istrative costs, maintaining low interest rates and tax incentives
for certain groups, as well as facilities to access banking
products. Incentives such as subsidies to maintain the facades of
buildings and ‘green’ the front of buildings can also help in
developing housing standards. [See Annex, examples 4, 5 and 6]

Measures for specific sectors of population

2.2
Building integrated communities across social, racial and
faith divides, can often be met by meeting the housing needs
and aspirations of different parts of the community. This can be
in the form of mixed tenure possibilities,
including shared
ownership of housing and different sized housing allowing for
extended family or single residence. The value of land can be
used as a tool to create such low cost options, where the muni-
cipality is prepared to use its land holding for that purpose. The
needs of faith groups, for example the requirement for running
water for ritual washing, should also be taken into account
when building new homes or allocating homes. Accessible, life-
for disabled and older
time homes can also be important
workers.

successful communities with high concentrations of residents
from one ethnic background. But it is unfortunate that in some
areas, a variety of black and minority ethnic communities are
concentrated in poor quality private housing and impoverished
members of the white community on social housing estates.
Lack of interaction, partly as a result of physical segregation,
may lead to fear and mistrust, multiplied as segregated housing
leads to segregated schooling and leisure activities.

2.4
The pattern of economic and social disadvantage facing
many minority or excluded communities means that many
‘mainstream’ regeneration strategies and programmes aim to
tackle these problems as part of broad-based packages of inter-
ventions. Housing action must play a part within these
programmes, and should also be included as part of broader
consideration of the impact of intervention and investment in
delivering successful regeneration.

2.5
It is important that housing areas reflect the culture of
the communities who live there. Local landmarks such as com-
munity centres, places for religious worship,
local markets or
specialist shops are important for building communities. Orga-
nisations such as Habitat for Humanity can provide mechanisms
for creating new housing that is open to all, but particularly
those who have a religious objection to debt or mortgages,
offering a way of realising home ownership by non traditional
means.

Demographic change and workers mobility in the EU are
2.6
both factors which have an effect on housing needs and
demands. In some cities and regions more houses are left empty
as populations have moved to find employment
in other
regions, with the consequent drop in population. New complica-
tions facing many member states are the phenomenon of older
parents having families later in life with fewer children being
born, and older people living longer, which results in a demand
for more single-person living accommodation. Regions need to
be aware of both demographic challenges and the effects of
immigration and migration of workers, and adjust their housing
strategies accordingly.

3. The Committee of the Regions recommends

to continue

The European Parliament

the debate
3.1
launched with his initiative report (1), and incorporate into the
report the proposal for a European Charter for Housing adopted
by the Urban-Housing Intergroup as the EU cannot constantly
ignore the concerns of EU citizens regarding housing as a major
element in the growth and productivity agenda.

2.3
Citizens' housing choices may contribute to the concen-
tration of people from ethnic background in particular localities.
This is not in itself a problem, and there are many examples of

(1) Draft report of the European Parliament on ‘Housing and regional
policy’ (2006/2108(INI)) (rapporteur: Andria, Alfonso (IT/ALDE)).

30.6.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 146/15

3.2
That there is a recognition of the role housing plays in
supporting social and economic growth. Decent housing within
sustainable communities, contributing to a high quality environ-
ment are places where people want to live. Attracting people
will attract
investment and encourage sustainable economic
growth.

good practice and calls for a European network to be set up to
capitalise on and share good practice in the use of intelligent
energy in housing, and in energy efficiency education for resi-
dents.

3.3
The use of the JESSICA instrument for housing in the
New Member states as a tool capable of complementing other
ERDF initiatives for urban renewal and urban development. In
this regard, the CoR recommends integrating housing in the
sustainable urban development strategies that can be financed
by JESSICA. The use of financial engineering can be very useful
in the implementation of effective housing policies, particularly
micro-credits for housing renewal and refurbishment which can
be assisted through the JEREMIE initiative.

The New Member States

3.4
to increase the financial
resources at the disposal of local authorities in order to effec-
tively deal with the problems of sustainable urban development
and housing, press ahead with national housing strategies
(programmes) to promote the construction of local authority
and social housing, and to make investment available for the
development of infrastructure.

3.5
That priority needs to be given to re-use of derelict sites,
reclamation of Brownfield land to maintain more compact cities
and prevent urban sprawl and encroachment into rural commu-
nities.

3.6
That the public be involved in urban renewal projects,
especially in the redevelopment of run-down neighbourhoods
where both community spirit and relations and integration
between inhabitants need to be re-established. The experiences
of EU-funded projects (such as INTERREG IIIC POSEIDON)
should be made accessible to the Member States and taken into
account in this process.

3.7
That all Member States look at the role of training in
building sustainable communities. Training local people in the
skills needed to improve their housing areas, develop green
spaces and improve energy efficiency can provide solutions to
neighbourhoods in decline and constitute a new source of
employment.

Undertaking a revision of the Directive of the EU on the
3.9
energy efficiency of buildings and a careful survey of its imple-
mentation in the Member States. Energy in housing can be also
promoted through EU programs such as Intelligent energy for
Europe
Framework
Programme) in the period 2007-2013.

the CONCERTO initiative

(7th

or

Focusing primarily on educating the public in saving
3.10
energy; the remaining demand must be met using renewable
energies as a priority. To this end, the CoR recommends chan-
nelling more funds into research and awareness-raising in this
area.

3.11
Including housing as an important element of any EU
urban policy, in view of the Leipzig Informal Council of Minis-
ters in charge of urban affairs that will take place in May 2007.

That a holistic view to planning is needed in order to
3.12
optimise the physical relationship between landscape and build-
ings, homes, jobs and local services. Measures at local, regional
and national level must ensure that land is available for social
is used for its intended
housing in particular, and that
purpose.

it

The consideration to the fact that housing supply must
3.13
be linked to provision of public services and the infrastructure
necessary for the provision of public services be put in place
when new housing is built. Attention should also be paid to
maintaining optimum population levels in order to be able to
sustain essential services.

The role of Housing Associations is recognised as they
3.14
have both the flexibility and the direct relationship to commu-
nities which can enable them to provide solutions to problems
which fit the needs of the inhabitants.

3.15
The consideration of the role of housing in the context
of demographic change and also in integrating immigrant popu-
lations in EU immigration policy, recognising the specific role
that regional and local authorities can play in this field.

The CoR recalls with the conclusions of

3.8
the Bristol
informal Council on sustainable communities that it is necessary
to increase the skills and the knowledge base of urban planners.
In this respect, it calls on the Commission to take further initia-
tives, in particular in the field of cooperation and the transfer of

The recently created inter-service Task force of

3.16
the
Commission in charge of urban affairs to deal with housing as
an important element of urban policies.

C 146/16

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.6.2007

3.17 Welcomes
in its
the Commission's
communication on social services of general interest, of the role
played by social housing in implementing the Treaty's objectives
to strengthen social cohesion and fundamental rights.

recognition,

Calls on Member States to simplify and make trans-
concerning housing
the

administrative procedures

3.18
parent
renewal.

3.19
‘Regions for economic change’ as a potential

The use of the URBACT network and the new initiative
the

tool

for

Brussels, 14 February 2007.

exchange of expertise and best practice between cities and
regions of the European Union.

3.20
That the European Union directive on energy efficiency
should include the rehabilitation and regeneration of historical
housing stock as a priority area for action with the aim of
preventing the extension of built-up land, without first making
use of all existing inhabitable housing stock, thereby avoiding
the local burden of unnecessary new building.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Michel DELEBARRE

APPENDIX

LIST OF EXAMPLES OF HOUSING PROJECTS

Consulting Communities

Example 1: Include is the partnership between a Housing Association (CDS), and Liverpool City Council, where neigh-
bourhood management is undertaken by the partnership. Staffs are seconded into the company by both partners, and resi-
dents in the partnership area hold regular meeting with the partnership to ensure that the community is consulted on all
matters relating to their area. Involving communities in decisions about the areas where they live in this way, can result in
empowerment of local people, pride in their areas of residence and sustainable urban renewal.

Example 2: A further example of consultation is the Anfield Regeneration project in Liverpool, where some 19 000 house-
holds — public, private and social housing tenures — have been an integral voice in the renewal of their neighbourhood.
This is an example of housing renewal and refurbishment stimulating private investment in a run down inner city area.
Structural funds will provide funding for training and environmental improvements that will attract some EUR 20m of
public sector and EUR 300m of private sector monies to the area.

Innovative Approaches to Housing Market Renewal

Example 3 Merseyside is at the forefront of an innovative approach to housing policy, which places it at the very heart of
regional regeneration, as part of the Government's new Housing Market Renewal Initiative.

As one of nine ‘Pathfinder Areas’ within the UK, Merseyside will now be able to meet the challenge of housing market
renewal by accessing the national Housing Market Renewal Fund, which has been allocated £720 million over the next
three years. Future funding will be determined through subsequent Government spending reviews.

The Merseyside Pathfinder, New Heartlands, is a partnership spearheaded by three Merseyside local authorities — Liver-
pool, Sefton and Wirral, together with Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs), the North West Development Agency and
English Partnerships. It covers 130,000 properties in some of Merseyside's most disadvantaged communities

Example 4: There is a scheme in Liverpool to encourage people who come to study in an area to stay and work and build
roots in the city by offering assistance to access the housing market. (New Heartlands). Similar schemes exist for other
young workers and families. For older residents a scheme now exists where accredited ‘handymen’, carry out minor
repairs to property at no cost to those on restricted incomes, particularly the elderly.

Example 5: Another scheme worth noting is Athens' Prosopsi (facades) project, aimed at encouraging owners of flats to
renovate and restore their facades using long-term loans facilitated by the council; this scheme has bolstered community
spirit and raised the quality of life in the neighbourhood. Originally linked with the Athens 2004 Olympics, the scheme
has been extended and is now being promoted by the government nationwide.

30.6.2007

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 146/17

Example 6: Italy also has some interesting self-build projects in which the local council makes land available to low- to
mid-income families — half of them immigrants from other countries and from different ethnic backgrounds — who
take out loans at favourable rates and build their own homes themselves, paying for them by modest monthly instal-
ments.

Example 7: Integration housing project in Vienna. About 30 % of people living in Vienna have a migration background
(as first- or second-generation migrants, from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey in particular). For the last few years,
subsidised housing construction in Vienna (about 6 000 new units per year) has included ‘integration projects’. Usually,
the developers are non-profit-making residential construction companies. Support is conditional on at least half of the
new housing units being allocated to migrants. Evaluation of such projects indicates that both Austrian-born residents and
migrants are very satisfied with them. Integration housing projects therefore significantly help to achieve a social and
ethnic mix of residents and avoid conflict.

Integrated approach and regional initiatives

Example 8: Neighbourhoods in crisis in Cataluña. This program is co-funded by the ERDF, the regional Government of
Catalonia and the local authorities involved. The objective of the program is to deal with the structural problems of
certain deteriorated neighbourhoods detected in the region but mainly old town centres, housing states and unplanned-
housing marginal districts. The problems addressed are deficiencies in town planning, weak economic and commercial
structure and social problems (ageing, low income levels, low educational levels, decline in the numbers of inhabitants,
and high concentrations of groups with special needs).

The tool used has been to articulate a Fund to renovate these districts integrally while fostering cooperation among the
authorities involved. An integrated approach has been used, with complementary measures on public and green spaces,
renovation of common parts of buildings, provision of amenities for common use, promotion of IT, gender equality and
improvement of the accessibility and the environment of the districts.

At the end of the period (2004-2007) it is expected that 60 districts will beneficiate from support, with a total investment
of EUR 800 million.

Skills and Housing Renewal

Examples in Liverpool, Brussels and Harlem in the United States provide good models in such ventures, providing training
for those without skills, employment opportunities for the exercise of those skills and a means of rebuilding local econo-
mies as a result. Liverpool Housing Action Trust is one such model.

Example 9: ‘Soft urban renewal’ in Vienna. Every year, buildings with some 10 000 flats are renovated and improved,
with the help of generous government grants. Flats are thoroughly overhauled to raise housing standards (e.g. by adding
bathrooms and linking them to distance heating networks). There is considerable emphasis on involving residents (who
are usually tenants). The aim is to substantially improve conditions in both public- and private-sector flats, without
driving out existing tenants, who are often socially disadvantaged. The renovation programme in Vienna has been
running for about 30 years and is the largest of its kind in Europe. It has already received the UN-Habitat Best Practice
Award twice.

Example 10: Construction demands a high level of specific skills. Merseyside in England's Northwest funded a project in
its Objective 1 programme 2000-06 in which Structural Funds have been used to assist in developing the skills needed to
build housing for the community. Merseyside Construction Initiative received European funds to train local people,
previously unemployed in construction and building skills which has helped meet the employment needs of the city. In
some cases people have then worked on the building of homes for their own neighbourhoods.

A number of Intermediate Labour Market initiatives take those who are long term unemployed and give them the oppor-
tunity to learn through working, thereby tackling worklessness. The Green Apprentices scheme in Knowsley is one such.
Financed in part by Structural Funds, it offers local young people the opportunity to work within their own area, on a
graduated skills based programme which can lead to full apprenticeships and qualifications.

National Initiatives

Example 11: The UK Decent Homes Initiative aims by 2010 to bring all social housing into decent condition, which
means a home should be warm, weatherproof and have reasonably modern facilities. Most of the improvements are
taking place in deprived areas, and also aims to increase the proportion of private housing in decent condition occupied
by vulnerable groups.

C 146/18

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.6.2007

Since 2001 the number of ‘non-decent’ homes in the social sector has been reduced by over 50 per cent. However the
aim is to make all council and housing association housing decent by 2010. It also wants to improve conditions for
vulnerable households in privately owned housing, particularly those with children.

Sustainable urban design and energy efficiency

Example 12: Following the Second World War, Warsaw (Poland) needed to rebuild its housing stock very quickly to
provide for a rapidly growing population. The Natolin Wyzyny Housing Estate is one example of the type of housing
estates built. It is characterised by high, multi-storey buildings, a monotonous spatial structure and large areas of open
space. Reconstruction and privatisation of the estate started in 1994. Reconstruction measures included adding heat insu-
lation to building facades, modernising heating and plumbing systems and introducing metering systems for individual
consumption. A state subsidy of 920 000 ECU was granted to insulate the facades. By 1998, about 60 % of dwellings
had been privatised and 90 % of the housing stock renovated or reconstructed. In addition, the functional patterns of
buildings were changed to provide a mixed use pattern and create sustainable neighbourhoods rather than the original
uniform housing blocks that provided almost no services to residents. Significant new volumes of retail space, shops and
office space were created. The reconstruction project has created a more sustainable community that is an attractive place
to live in with high standards of energy efficiency. (Source: European Commission).

Example 13: Renovating residential heating systems in Vienna (Thewosan).
In order to substantially reduce energy
consumption, particularly in housing built during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and thus help to achieve the Kyoto objec-
tives, the City of Vienna is supporting the renovation of residential heating systems. So far heating systems have been
renovated in buildings with around 50 000 flats; in most cases, savings in energy consumption amount to over 50 %.
These projects are therefore very popular with residents too, as the subsidised low cost of renovation is measured against
clear savings in heating costs. Heating renovation in both public and private housing is eligible for support.