On 26 September 2024, in Berlin, Emmanuelle Causse, Secretary General of UIPI, led a brainstorming session with eight attendees. Co-organised with UIPI’s German member association, Haus & Grund, the session focused on engaging property owners in sustainable urban transformations, as part of UIPI’s role in the CrAFt project. The discussion highlighted the crucial role of property owners in initiating energy-efficient renovations at a neighbourhood level, with an emphasis on collaboration and community involvement.
Causse presented a new engagement guideline developed by UIPI for the CrAFt project, which will contribute to structuring the “CrAFt Cookbook” for property owners. This guideline outlines key processes, including how to convince neighbours, foster engagement, secure commitment, and guide decision-making. It offers practical, scalable strategies for property owners to lead sustainable transformations, particularly in multifamily buildings.
The presentation also aimed to gather valuable input from experts. Their feedback and insights were essential in refining the guideline, particularly in terms of helping neighbours in multi-apartment buildings take the first steps toward committing to energy renovations. The session provided Haus & Grund with an opportunity to share their views on the challenges and strategies for fostering collaboration and commitment among residents.
Several key points were discussed as conclusions:
- Step-by-step guidelines, like the “CrAFt Cookbook,” should be tailored to the scale of property owners, offering clear scenarios on how to engage and commit entire communities to the renovation process. However, it was emphasised that a leader within the community is essential to drive the process.
- For private property owners, it may be more effective to focus on examples of best practices where neighbours took the initiative to renovate, rather than relying on institutional interventions.
- In multi-apartment buildings, owners have a legal obligation to reach agreements with their neighbours on decisions, which often makes the process more manageable. However, for individual properties, the challenge lies in motivating neighbours to undertake collective energy-efficiency improvements.
The session underscored the importance of community leadership and collaboration in achieving sustainable urban transformation.
Written by Ana Verónica Martínez, International Union of Property Owners (UIPI)