Single Family Housing Estates of the Post - War Era – a ...€¦ · – a European Comparison of...

Workshop

Single Family Housing Estates of the Post - War Era

– a European Comparisonof Opportunities and Risks

5th September 2013AGIT mbh Aachen

DOCUMENTATION

ILS – Institut für Landes- und Stadtentwicklungsforschung

Single Family Housing Estates of the Post - War Era2

Imprint

Publisher and distribution ILS – Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development gGmbH Brüderweg 22–24, D-44135 Dortmund

OfficeAachen,Karmeliterstr.6, D-52064Aachen Germany www.ils-research.de

Research Topic Single Family Housing Estates of the Post-War Era – a European Comparison of Opportunities and Risks Editing AndreaBerndgen-Kaiser Authors and Co-authors Ute Baldermann Cornec, Germany Leslie Belton-Chevallier, France AndreaBerndgen-Kaiser,Germany Huibert Haccoû, the Netherlands Jean-Marie Halleux, Belgium Yves Jouffe, France Anne-FrancoiseMarique,Belgium Stefan Netsch, Germany Michel Rousset, France

Source of supply www.ILS-research.de

Design / setting and Layout Sonja Hammel, ILS Year of publication 2014

Picture credits cover, photo: ILS

Reprinting Copyrigth reserved

Single Family Housing Estates of the Post - War Era 3

Content

Imprint

Introduction

The future of mature housing estates in Germany - Recommendations for municipalities to support the long-term sustainable use of houses built from the 1950s to the 1970s

Abstract

1 Introduction

2 Research project - Housing estates built in the 1950s to 1970s2.1 Researchquestions2.2 Researchmethodology2.3 Findingsoftheregional-levelriskassessment2.4 Findingsofthemunicipal-levelriskassessment2.5 Casestudies2.5.1Somefindingsoftheexpertinterviews2.5.2Somefindingsofthesurveyamongresidents2.5.3Casestudyexample:BeverungenPoelten,NRW2.5.4Conclusionsfromthecasestudies

3 Practical impact and policy options3.1 Optionsformunicipalintervention 3.2 Toolboxofmeasures3.2.1Strategicurbandevelopmentplanningandmonitoring 3.2.2Policiesfocusingonexistingestates 4 SignificanceforotherEuropeancountries 5 Conclusions

6 References

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Emerging trends and their demographic origins; their impact on the US, EU and Dutch housing markets

1 Introduction 2 Life style differences between generations 3 Demographics

4 The Netherlands in the European context 5 Conclusion regarding Overijssel

6 References and sources

A strategy for dealing with older housing estates built in the 1960s and 1970s in Havixbeck (Münsterland)

1 Introduction

2 Case study: Havixbeck in the Münsterland

3 Conclusion 4 References

Renewal of Walloon suburban neighbourhoods and perspec-tives for a research project on “suburban densification”

Abstract

1 Introduction and context

2 Theenergyefficiencyofsuburbanneighbourhoods2.1 Methodandhypotheses2.2 Formsofinterventioninsuburbanneighbourhoods2.3 Wheretointervenetolimitcardependencyandtransportenergy consumption?

3 Opportunities and perspectives for a research programme on suburbandensificationandtheBimbydevelopmentmodel

3.1 Whatwouldbethebenefitsofsuburbandensificationandgarden developments?

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3.2 Anopportunityfortransnationalcooperation3.3 Potentialresearchactivities

4 Conclusions

5 References

A “triple bind ”: local attitudes to the energy crisis. A theoretical discussion on the situation of low-income households in French periurban neighbourhoods

1 The energy “crisis”: between “systemic crisis” and personally experienced crises

2 Resolving the energy “crisis” in neighbourhoods hit by population shrinkage: local and non-local attitudes

3 „Sustainable development” versus the periurban energy threat 4 From the expert counter-discourse on “near-the-city rural life” 5 To the “triple bind” experienced by households 6 Social experience and ethics of dwelling 7 Reflectingonlocalattitudestothis“triplebind”asatrigger to initiate local action 8 Bibliography

Build In My Back Yard experiments - from noticing the benefits for everyone to a negotiated urban planning. Redensification of detached housing areas in the Eure Department (UpperNormandie), a negotiated utopia?

1 Presentation of Caue27 2 TheBIMBYactionsconductedbyCAUE27 2.1 Managingafuturescenariowithtoolsofurbanplanning 2.2 Managinglocalexperiments 2.3 Exploitationofexperiments

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3 PositionofCAUE27withregardtoaBIMBY“shortpath” 3.1 Limitationsofaparcelapproachsupportedbybimby.fr 3.2 Shortcutofastatisticalandeconomicapproachsupportedbybimby.fr 3.3 Limitationsofaselectiveapproachonaharmonisationofinterests 3.4 Interestofalocalisedurbanobservation 3.5 Managementofrealestateactionplansisafundamentalaspect oftheprocessofthedensificationofdetachedhousingestates 3.6 TowardsaBoro-bimby:frompromotingthebenefitsofeveryoneto wards coordinating construction of urban planning for a neighbourhood 4 Boro-bimbypilotprojects:theprinciplesofcoordinatedplanning 4.1 Passingfromthehazardousconnectionoftwointerests (private and general) to a combination of three interests (private, general and collective) 4.2 Focusingtheresearchonthreequestions 5 The four experimental sites 5.1 St-Aquilin-de-Pacy 5.2 LesAndelys 5.3 Pont-Audemer 5.4 Heudebouville 6 Orientations resulting from the pilot projects 6.1 Fromwhichkindofsharedcultureshouldnegotiationsstart? 6.2 Whichcommonbasefornegotiations?

7 Conclusion

Outlook

Index of Authors and Co-Authors

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Introduction

On 5 September 2013 the International Workshop “Single Family Housing Estates of the PostWarEra–aEuropeancomparisonofOpportunitiesandRisks”washeldinAachen.Organised by the ILS (Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development), the event was a venue for European researchers working in the wider context of the future development of ageing post-war housing estates faced by such challenges as demogra-phicchangeandcurrenteconomicdevelopments.

Thee-bookcoversmostofthecontributionspresentedattheworkshop,highlightingthediversityofdevelopmentsindifferentEuropeancountries.

AndreaBerndgen-KaiserfromtheILS(ResearchInstituteforRegionalandUrbanDe-velopment)startsbypresenting thefindingsofaGermanresearchproject fundedbythe Wüstenrot Foundation, where strategies for municipalities on how to adapt post-war housingestatestochangingrequirementsweredeveloped.

The following contribution by Huib Haccoû from Saxion University in Deventer (theNetherlands) focuses on changing lifestyles and their impact on the demand for older houses in theNetherlands. Furthermore he analyses different demographic develop-mentsinvariouspartsoftheNetherlands.

ThethirdarticlebyUteBaldermannCornecreferstoastudyshesupportedduringherjunior professorship at the University of Münster (Germany) in cooperation with the mu-nicipalityofHavixbecknearMünster.TheresearchprojectfocusesonthesustainabledevelopmentofHavixbeckhousingestatesbuiltinthe1960sand1970s.

Anne-FrancoiseMariquefromtheUniversityofLiège(Belgium)thenpresentsherPhDthesisontherenewalofWalloonsuburbanneighbourhoods,focusingonenergyeffici-encyinthebuildingandtransportationsectors.Jean-MarieHalleux,alsofromtheUni-versityofLiège,completesthepresentationwithashortdescriptionoftheBIMBY(Buildin my back yard) approach, a strategy focusing on creating new housing by densifying existingneighbourhoods.

Thenextarticle,writtenbyYvesJouffefromtheFrenchLVMT(citymobilitytransportre-searchlaboratory),dealswithhisresearchabouttheinfluencetheenergycrisisishavingonlow-incomehouseholdsinFrenchperi-urbanneighbourhoods.

Finally,MichelRoussetfromtheFrenchCAUE27(Councilofarchitecture,urbanplan-ning and environment) in the Eure département (Upper Normandy) presents the BIMBY approach in theEure département. The approach involves analysing legal tools andgovernance procedures supporting the regeneration of detached housing areas and the correspondinginsituexperimentsinseveralmunicipalities.


The future of mature housing estates in Germany - Recommendations for municipalities to support the long-term sustainable use of houses built from the 1950s to the 1970s

Abstract

In collaboration with IREUS, the Stuttgart Institute of Regional Development Planning, andHFT, Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences , the ILS –Research Institute forRegional and Urban Development has conducted a research project (sponsored by the WüstenrotFoundation)-analysingthequalityofhousingestatesbuiltfromthe1950stothe1970s.Theobjectiveoftheprojectwastodeveloprecommendationsforlocalautho-ritiestoenhancetheirpost-warhousingstock.Intheproposedsubmission,majorresultsofthisprojectwillbepresented.

With the original owners of these houses gradually dying out, a generation change is nowtakingplace.Thedemandforcertainsectionsofthishousingstockisquitelow,es-peciallyincertainregionsofGermany.Alongsidethedeclineinthosepopulationcohortspreviously representing thegreatestpotential forhouseownership,qualitative factorsarehavingagrowinginfluenceondemand.Oneobservationisthat,duetotheincreasedmultiplicityof lifestylesandtheiraccompanyingspatialandtemporalflexibilisation,ur-ban locations are set to gain in importance, being easier to access and having a good infrastructure.Theconsequencewillbethatthosehousesinregionsaffectedbydemo-graphic and economic problems as well as houses in sub-prime locations or real estates withstructuralorinsulationdeficitswillsufferfromadownturnindemand.Thisinturnmeans that older houses will in future be more vulnerable to falling prices or even in cer-taincasesremainvacant.

AnanalysisofWestGermanmunicipalitiesledtoatotalof14municipalitiesbeingex-aminedinfiveWestGermanLänder(federalstates).13ofthemaresmallandmedium-sizedtowns(atleast5,000inhabitants).Theysupportedin-depthcasestudiesinspeci-fiedareasthroughtheprovisionofdata.Theresearchteamconductedexpertinterviewswithlocalofficialsandrealestateexperts,assesseddetaileddataontheselectedareas,andaskedinhabitantstoanswerastandardisedquestionnaire.

Based on the results of the empirical surveys and in contrast to the widespread opinion that post-war housing estates in Germany would fall outside the scope of public inter-vention,theprojectrevealedawiderangeofpoliciesandpotentialmeasuresforaction.Theresearchresultsunderlinetheimportanceofhousing-stock-orienteddevelopmentinordertoenhancethefutureattractivenessofpost-warhousing.

Activatingstrategiesfordevelopingbrownfieldsitesandinfillingcouldbeappliedatlocallevel, while image-raising campaigns for older housing stock may be needed, with a view tostimulatingdemandatameso-level.Atthemacro-level,collaborationbetweenneigh-bouringmunicipalities could help avoid competition in attractingnew residents.Evenlocal communities currently not seeing any need for action should conduct continuous

AndreaBerndgen-Kaiser,ILS–Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development, Dortmund


monitoring of their housing stock in order to avoid unfavourable developments and tackle problemsinaforward-lookingmanner.

Keywordsdetached and semi-detached houses, post-war housing stock, generation change, housing policy case studies

1 Introduction

In association with IREUS, the Stuttgart Institute of Regional Development Planning, andHFT,theStuttgartUniversityofAppliedSciences-FacultyofArchitectureandDe-sign, the ILS carried out a three-year research project (funded by the Wüstenrot Foun-dation).Theprojectendedwiththepublicationof thefinalreport in2012.Theprojectobjective was to develop recommendations for local authorities on what to do with their post-war housing estates made up of owner-occupied houses (hereinafter referred to as ‘houses’ and ‘housing estates’1).Thefollowingpaperdescribesthestudyanditsfindings (WüstenrotStiftung2012).

The paper starts by outlining the characteristics of housing estates in Western Germany.Thestudyisthenpresented,lookingattheresearchquestions,methodologyandfindings(Chapter2).Practicalpolicyrecommendationsaresubsequentlyprovided(Chapter3)andthepotentialsignificanceofthesituationforotherEuropeancountrieshighlighted(Chapter4).

Post-war suburbanisation led to large numbers of owner-occupied houses being built in West Germany, with nearly every third residential building in West Germany now being ahousebuiltbetween1950and1980.

One result of Germany’s relatively low residential mobility is the deferred generation changeofhouseownership. In fact,onlyapproximately20percentofGermanhomeowners relocate after the age of 55 (Neugebauer 2007: 43), implying that four out of everyfiveowner-occupiersstayintheirhomesaslongaspossible.Thiseffectleadstoahomogeneousandincreasinglyoldagestructure.Themajorproportionofhousesbuiltin the1960sand1970s iscurrently in themiddleofagenerationalchangeofowner-ship.Aquantitativeimbalanceinthedevelopmentofsupplyanddemandforhousesinpost-warestatesisconsideredtobeaconsequenceofpopulationdeclineandchanginghouseholdstructures.Whiletheproportionoftraditionalfamilies(twoparents+children)israpidlydeclining,thenumberofsinglehouseholdsandchildlesscouplesisincreasing.Inaddition to thisquantitative imbalance, it isassumedthat therearealsoqualitativesupplyanddemandimbalances.Withone-parentfamiliesandchildlesscouplesgaininginimportance,familyaccommodationrequirementsareexpectedtochange.Accordin-gly, car-dependent residential areas with a lack of urban services might not be able to fulfillthespecificneedsofpost-traditionalfamilies(Häussermann2007;Siebel2008).

1 The German terms “Einfamilienhaus” (literally “single-family house” and contrasting with a “Zweifamilien-haus” – “two-family house”) and “Einfamilienhaussiedlung” (literally a “single-family house estate) are not readilytranslatableintoEnglish.Inthisarticletheterms“house”and“housingestate”areused”.


2 Research project - Housing estates built in the 1950s to 1970s

The following chapter dealswith the researchproject onhousingestatesbuilt in the1950sto1970s.Afteroutliningtheresearchquestions(Chapter2.1),theresearchme-thodologyispresented(Chapter2.2).Thisisfollowedbyapresentationoftheresultsofassessmentsconductedattwodifferentlevels(Chapter2.3and2.4).Chapter2.5descri-besaseriesofcasestudiesandtheconclusionsdrawnfromthem.

2.1 Research questionsAgainstabackgroundofchangingsupplyanddemand,severalresearchquestionswereelaborated.Thefirstquestionwas:are there regionsmoreaffected thanothers?Mo-reover, a classification of the currentmarket situation of the post-war housing stockwasconsideredarelevantoutcome.Thethirdresearchquestiondealtwith thegene-rationchangeofownershipandhowitistakingplace.Relatingtothesequestionswehypothesise that older houses will not only be faced with falling demand, but also with qualitativelychangingdemand(e.g.fewerfamilieswithchildren,moresingle-personandsingle-parenthouseholds).

Additionally,itwasconsideredimportanttoassessthesignificanceofthishousingstockin the perception ofmunicipal stakeholders. The final questionwas therefore: whichmeasures need to be taken to support the long-term occupancy of the housing stock assessed?Theseresearchquestionssettheframefortheoverridingresearchobjecti-ve: to develop recommendations for local authorities on what to do with their post-war housingstock.

Figure 1: Methodology of the research project, Source: authors‘ own graph


2.2 Research methodologyOurresearchprojectwasdividedintothreeworkingphases(cf.Fig.1).Westartedbyanalysing the available data on the housing stock and population development at a re-gional and municipal scale, identifying counties and municipalities with a high probability ofhousingsupplysurpluses.

Table1:Indicatorsfortheregional-levelriskassessment,Source: author’s own table

Afterthedataanalysisphase,weconducted29casestudiesin14municipalitiesin5WestGermanLänder.Intheseweanalysedmunicipaldataandassessedin-depthin-spectionsoftheselectedhousingestates.

Thetableshowstheindicatorsappliedinourregional-leveldataanalysis(cf.Table1).Init,wehavecombinedsupplyanddemandvariablesforolderhouses.Thecoincidenceof rising market supply and falling demand is interpreted as a risk of oversupply on the marketforsuchproperties.

Moreover, we conducted semi-structured interviews with local authorities and real estate expertstoascertaintheirproblemawarenessandsolutionapproaches.Inthe10resi-dential areas chosen as a reference, representing different types of areas, we conducted aresidents’survey.

2.3 Findings of the regional-level risk assessmentTheresultsoftheanalysis,usingthesespecifiedindicators,ledtotheconclusionthattheriskofoversupplydidnotnecessarilyincreaseinareaswithquantitativelythehighestshareofthehousesinquestion(i.e.insuburbanareasclosetoagglomerations).

Theregionsmostlikelytobeaffectedaree.g.“peripheralregions”closetotheformerinner-GermanborderorborderregionsbetweenLänder.


In conclusion, agglomerations are less affected by potential oversupply, whereas more problemsaretobeexpectedinruralareas.

We were able to identify districts with an above-average risk of supply outpacing demand forolderhouses.Lookingspecificallyathousesbuiltbetween1949and1978(6.56milli-ondwellingunits),wedividedtheWestGermanregionsintofiveriskclasses.Thedarkerthecolouris,thehighertherisk(cf.Fig.2).

Figure 2: Low- and high-risk regions for oversupply in the housing market, Source: Wüstenrot Stiftung 2012: 29


2.4 Findings of the municipal-level risk assessment Conclusions from the district-level analysis cannot be transferred to the municipal level onaccountofdivergingdevelopmentsinindividualmunicipalities.Municipal-orneigh-bourhood-level problems or vacancy levels are dependent on further factors not exclusi-velyassessablethroughdistrict-leveldata.

Toreliablyselectpotentialcasestudies,a furtheranalysis, this timeusingmunicipal-leveldata,wasconducted.Thoughtheresultsbroadlymatchthespatialpatternofthedistrict-level analysis, the hypothesis of diverging situations at a municipal scale is con-firmed,withlow-riskandhigh-riskmunicipalitiessometimeslocatednexttoeachother.

Oneofthekeyfindingsofthequantitativeanalysisisthefactthat–otherthanexpected- regions, municipalities or areas with a higher market risk for selling houses may only partlybeidentifiablewiththechosenindicatorset.Nevertheless,thestatisticalanalysisconducted by us helped generate lower or higher certainties for potential market im-balancesonaregionalormunicipalscale.Marketingdifficulties,fallingpricesorevenvacancies caused by structural problems depend on multiple factors particular to each case.

2.5 Case studiesAsdescribedinthesummaryofthemethodology,casestudieswereconductedin14selectedmunicipalities.Locatedin5GermanLänder(LowerSaxony,NorthRhine-West-phalia,Hesse,Baden-WürttembergandBavaria-cf.Fig.3),theywerechosenwithre-gard to their vulnerability in relation to unstable supply and demand developments in the marketforolderhouses.

Figure3:The14participatingmunicipalitiesinWestGermany,Source: Wüstenrot Stiftung, based on BBSR Raumtypen 2010: 44


Important criteria for the selection of the case study municipalities were such spatial categories as character (rural, partially urban and predominantly urban) and location (veryperipheral,peripheralandcentral).Ineachmunicipalityweanalysedtwoorthreeestates(atotalof29).Anotherimportantselectioncriterionwassize.Awiderangeoftownsizesisrepresentedinthestudy,fromaruralmunicipalityofjustover4,000inhabi-tantstoacityofnearly200,000people.Averagesizewas22,000inhabitants,indicatingthatmostofthecasestudymunicipalitiesweresmallormedium-sized.

2.5.1SomefindingsoftheexpertinterviewsInspections of the housing areas revealed disparities in the development of structurally similarneighbourhoods,evenatamunicipallevel.Thesearetoagreatextentattributab-letolocationfactorsoraneighbourhood’simage,factorsalsoconfirmedbytheplanningandrealestateexpertsinterviewedinthecasestudyareas.Theystatedthatthelocationof the area with regard to the city centre, its image and the state of repair of individual houseswereallfactorsinfluencingtheattractivenessofthehousingstock.

Theresultsoflocalinspectionsshowedthatalotofrefurbishmentworkhadalreadybeendone.Non-refurbishedestatesbuiltbefore1980werehardlytobefound.Eventhoughnotmuch costly energy-efficient refurbishmentwork had been done,many residentsstatedthattheywereplanningsuchworkinthefuture.

Experts stated that high property density resulted in marketing problems - in contrast to freestandinghouses.Thesedisadvantagesincreasedinrelationtothedistancetothetowncentreorwhenthetopographymadebarrier-freeaccessdifficult.

2.5.2SomefindingsofthesurveyamongresidentsSupplementing the extrinsic view of real estate and municipal experts on the problems, weconductedasurveyamongresidentsin10selectedresidentialareas,questioningatotalof2004residentsandachievingaresponserateof29percent.

Afewofthesurveyfindingsareillustratedbythefollowingfigures:

Figure4:Ageofresidents,Source: author’s own graph


Nearly90percentofthefirstownersare65yearsandolder,whilesubsequentownersaremostlyworking-agepeople(cf.Fig.4).

Askedaboutpotentialhouse-sellingproblems,44percentoftherespondentssawdiffi-culties, with nearly 80 percent afraid they would be unable to obtain the desired price, andmorethan40percentfearingtheywouldnotfindabuyer.Afurtherrecurringproblemstatedbynearly25percentofintervieweeswasthelackofOAP(OldAgePensioner)-friendlydwellingsasanalternative to thecurrenthousingsituation (cf.Fig.5and6).

Figure5:Dotheintervieweesfeardifficultiessellingthehouse?Source: author’s own graph

Figure6:Whatkindofdifficultiesdotherespondentsfear?Source: author’s own graph


85percentoffirstownersand99percentofsubsequentownershadcarriedoutminorenergy-relatedrefurbishmentworkandfurtherconstructionwork.Onlyafewownershadcarried out extensive insulation work, though half were considering more comprehensive energy-related measures in the future, pointing to the high motivation of property owners andofferingasuitablestartingpointforcorrespondingincentives.

2.5.3 Casestudyexample:BeverungenPoelten,NRWInthefollowingtheBeverungencasestudyispresentedexemplarily.Beverungenisasmall town located in the eastern part of North Rhine -Westphalia bordering Lower Sa-xony.OverthelastdecadesBeverungenhaslostmanyofitslargecompanies,meaningthatemploymenthasdroppedonethird.Thepopulationhasbeenindeclinesince1998andisforecasttodropafurther17percentbetween2010and2030.

TwohousingestatesinBeverungenwereexamined.Thefollowingmap(Fig.7)showsoneofthem,thecentrallylocated“Poelten”estate.

Figure 7: Facilities in Beverungen, Source: Wüstenrot Stiftung 2012: 82


Thefollowingtableshowssomeofthetopicsexaminedinourcasestudiesandtheout-comes for Beverungen Poelten:

Table2:FindingsofthedataanalysisofPoelten,Beverungen,Source: author’s own table

Acomparisonofsomeoftheoutcomes:inourcasestudieswefoundold-agedepen-dencyratiosbetween0.30and1.28.Thepercentageofforeignersrangesfrom0to11.9percent.Traditionally,onlyfewforeignersliveinpost-warestates.

Figure8:AtypicalPoeltenstreet,Source: author’s own picture

Theneighbourhood’sarchitectureistypicalofestatesbuiltinthe1950sand1960s(cf.Fig.8).ClosetoBeverungentowncentre,theareawassteadilydevelopedinthe1950sand1960s,withmanyfreestandinghousesbeingbuilt.Sincethe1990stheestate’spo-pulation has declined 17 percent, explainable by a negative birth rate and out-migration foreconomicreasons.“Pricesfornon-modernisedornon-refurbishedhouseshavede-clinedsignificantly[…]leadingtofearsthatthegenerationchangewillcausevacanciesinsuchhousingestates”(Statementofarealestateexpert2011).


2.5.4 Conclusions from the case studies Our case studies revealed no serious marketing problem as yet, with only a few sporadic vacancies.Nevertheless,futureproblemsneedtobeanticipated,aspopulationdeclineisunpreventableintheshorttermandcanonlybestoppedbyimmigration.

Thesurveyrevealsthatgenerationchangehasnotyetterminated,asobservedbythehighaverageageofresidentsandtheverylowdwellingdensity.Itisnotuncommontofindjustoneresidentperhouse(theso-called“innervacancy”).Formerfamilyhomesareoften not appropriate for the elderly because of stairs and other barriers restricting mo-vement.Mostofthebuildingshavebeenupgradedtoacertainextent,thoughextensiveinsulationmeasuresremainoutstanding.

One important result is that no problems are anticipated for dwelling areas in urban and suburban locations, though there is a need for action in rural-peripheral and economical-lyunderdevelopedregions.

3 Practical impact and policy options

The following section deals with practical impacts and policy options, based on thestudy’soutcomes.Afterdescribingoptionsformunicipalitiestocopewiththedifficultiesrevealed(Chapter3.1),differentmeasuresarepresented(Chapter3.2).

3.1 Options for municipal interventionWith regard to privately owned houses, a housing category where state and local autho-rityinfluenceislimited,wehaveidentifiedthefollowingoptionsformunicipalintervention.

Stabilisation: In estates considered as “fast-selling items”, preserving the current struc-ture and functions and leveraging location potential represent the key tasks for local com-munities.Thisincludesupgradingamenitiestomatchtheneedsoftheageingresidents.

Upgrading:Where problems related to long-term use are already apparent, upgrading action is required to improveutilisationprospects.Suchaction includesmeasures tosupportgenerationchangeandattractnewtargetgroupstothearea.

Restructuring: In estates where reuse problems are evident, more radical measures canbethecorrectanswer.Theseincludedemolishingexistingbuildingsandreplacingthem with new buildings or converting existing buildings to create more adapted dwel-lingsandotherpossibleuses.

Thoughsuchstrategiesrevealwaysofinterventionforthemunicipalities,theyhavetobetailoredtotheindividualsituationofdifferentareas.

3.2 Toolbox of measuresArangeofpoliciesandmeasurestoadaptpost-warhousingestateswereaddressed.Municipalities bear the main responsibility for executing improvement measures, though there are also options available which fall within the responsibility of the State and the Länder.


Todealwithdifferingconditionsindifferentmunicipalitiesandareaswehavedevelopeda“toolbox”,aflexiblesetofinstrumentsapplicableindifferentcombinations.Theyhavein common such central aspects as: • strategic urban development planning and monitoring• policies focusing on existing estates• infrastructure and local amenities• public space and townscape• transport and mobility• buildings and houses• residents and their public involvement• overriding topics (governmental and regional level)

Twoofthetoolslistedaboveareoutlinedinthefollowingsubchapters.

3.2.1 Strategic urban development planning and monitoringMunicipalitiesneedtofocusgreaterattentiononsucholderhousingestates.Thefirststep involves monitoring and analysing the state of older housing estates and their signi-ficanceforthelocalhousingmarket.Potential problems that could occur in these areas are: • serious decline in the number of residents and in population density• increasing average age • a high number of vacant houses• adecreaseinhomesregisteredasmainresidences(i.e.notsecondhomes)• disappearanceofpublicamenitieslikeshops,nurseries…

Asakindofearlywarningsystem(cf.Fig.9)enablinglocalauthoritiestoanticipateun-favourable developments and implement forward-looking measures, municipalities could useatraffic-lightsystem,withthecoloursindicatingdifferenttaskcategoriesformunici-palities.

immediate action

further monitoring

fast-selling item

Figure9:Trafficlightearlywarningsystem,Source: author’s own graph

Overallmonitoringofsupplyanddemandisneeded.Toachievethis,municipalitiesneedto collect available local statistics on such aspects as inhabitants, (vacant) plots, (vacant) buildings, resident status (owner or tenant), domicile (main place of residence or second home).Inmostcasesthisdataalreadyexists,butneedstobecorrelated.Furtherdatasuchaslandvaluesandinfrastructuredetailsshouldbeincluded.


Moreover, municipalities may obtain more comprehensive information through intervie-wingresidentsand/orestateagents.

3.2.2 Policies focusing on existing estatesAn important first stepwould see amunicipality giving priority to developing existingneighbourhoods. Other possible actions include strategies to redevelop vacant buil-dings, to close building gaps by vacant land management and to start marketing actions forexistingneighbourhoods.Moreover,actionscoveringthewholemunicipalitysuchastheestablishmentofurbandevelopmentconceptsneedtobetaken.Inaddition,measu-res balancing the interests of neighbouring municipalities with regard to decisions on buildinglandarerequired,wherebytheresultsofinter-municipalagreementsmayleadtoinformalpoliticalobligationsorhigherlegalcontractualobligations.Thesecanhowe-verbecounteractedbyanopeninformationpolicyandatrust-buildingcultureofdebate.

Thefollowingtwoexamplesrepresentmeasuresalreadyimplemented.

“FlächenpoolNRW” is a new instrument for channeling existing resources into reusing built-upplotsandbrownfieldsitesinalocalcommunityinordertopromoteinner-urbandevelopment.Theinstrumentcanbeusedtodevelopperspectives,removeobstacles,tappotentialandmanagesubsequentusage,underliningaclearcommitmenttoaninfillpolicy.

Thecampaign„Jung kauft Alt“ (young buys old) in the small town of Hiddenhausen sup-portsfamiliesbuyingahouseatleast25yearsoldinsteadofbuildinganewone(cf.Fig.10).

Figure10:Advertisementof“JungkauftAlt”campaign,Source:Hiddenhausen(s.a.)


Familiescanobtainsubsidiesofupto9,000€fromamunicipalprogramme.Thepro-grammewasevaluatedasawin-win-situationforbothfamiliesandthelocalcommunity.Afterthefirst5yearsoftheprogramme,thenumberofvacanthouseshasdecreasednoticeably.

4SignificanceforotherEuropeancountries

Thesituationofhousesbuiltinthepost-warperiodwillbeachallengeformanyGermanregionsincomingdecades.However,noteveryEuropeanregionisconfrontedwithaproblemassignificantasthat inWestGermanyonaccountof thefact thatsuchpro-nouncedsuburbanisationorotherspecificdevelopmentsleadingtothecurrentsituationdid not exist.Nevertheless,with regard to theprojecteddemographic developments,other European regions might be confronted with similar problems concerning their older housingstock.

The followingchartsshow theprojecteddevelopmentsof the65+populationand thefamily-raisingpopulationinvariousEuropeancountries.

Theshareofthe65+population,theclassicalsellerorvendorgeneration,issettogrowstronglyinallconsideredEuropeancountriesoverthenextdecades(cf.Fig.11).Asaconsequence,ahighsupplyofusedhousesmaybeexpected.

Figure11:Projectionofthedependentpopulation(aged65andabove),Source:authors‘owngraphbasedon Eurostat 2012


Atthesametime,theshareofthefamily-raisingpopulation(20-34years-old),theclas-sicalbuyergenerationforhouses, isdecliningonaEuropeanaverage.Nevertheless,developmentsindifferentcountriesdiffergreatly(cf.Fig.12).

Figure 12: Projection of the family-raising population in (aged 20-34) in the European Union and chosen European countries, Source: authors‘ own graph based on Eurostat 2012

Looking at countries confronted with a growing share of older people and a growing shareofpotentialfamily-raisingbuyers(e.g.Belgium,theUK,SwedenandFrance)thesituationwillassumedlybesolvedbythemarket.Bycontrast,incountrieswithagrowingsellerandshrinkingbuyerpopulation(e.g.Germany,SwitzerlandandtheNetherlands),demandforolderhousesmightbelowincertainregions.

In these countries, the imbalance between supply and demand for family homes may causeoversupply.This is justone factor influencing thecurrentmarketsituationanditcandifferatnationalandregionallevels.Furtherfactorsnotyetassessedneedalsotobetakenintoaccount.Nevertheless,demographicprojectionspointtosimilardemo-graphicdevelopments,clearlyshowingthepotentialsignificanceof thetopic forotherEuropeancountries.


5 Conclusions

DuetoGermans’traditionallyhighaffinitytofreestandinghouses,anegativedevelop-mentinthissectorhasnotbeenanticipatedtodate.DemographicchangeinGermanyishoweverexpectedtohavealong-termeffectonthemarketforpost-warhousing.Popu-lation decline and substantial changes in household structures are leading to falling de-mandforsuchhouses.Ontopofthesegeneralchanges,aregionaldivideisappearing.Regions suffering from structural economic weakness and ongoing out-migration are headingtowardsadeclineindemandforsuchhouses.Bycontrast,inprosperingme-tropolitan regions, positive population developments coupled with a lack of developable landareboostingdemand.

When emerging problems are recognised and counteracted at an early stage, the housing estatesinquestioncanbepreservedasliveablehabitats,evenwithalowerpopulationdensity.However,thisrequiresstabilisationandupgradingmeasures,ofteninasituationwhere local authorities have no systematic experience in managing such older housing stock.Againstthisbackgroundtheresearchteamwasabletoshowvariousopportuni-ties for municipal action, developing a set of strategies and measures for pro-active local governmentmeasures.Itiscrucialforlocalcommunitiestostarttacklingtheproblemsoftheirpost-warhousingstock.Afirststepinvolvesmonitoringandanalysingthecurrentstateoftheseestatesandtheirsignificanceforthelocalhousingmarket.Thisrequiresaclearmunicipalcommitmenttoupgradingexistingneighbourhoods.

Extending the perspective to look at the situation of post-war housing estates in different European countries, a European working team has been established, with members co-ming from various research institutions in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, SwitzerlandandtheUK.

6 References

Häussermann,H.(2007): Suburbia im Umbruch – das Einfamilienhaus im Grünen wird neu be-wertet”,inArchithese,vol.37(3),pp28-31Hiddenhausen(s.a.):Hiddenhausen.<http://www2.hiddenhausen.de/index.phtml?mNavID=1500.1&sNavID=1500.210>,accessed17thofDecember2014.Neugebauer, A. (2007): Die Alterung von Nachbarschaften – Vergleich unterschiedlicherKonzepte des Seniorenwohnens, diploma thesis, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel,urn:nbn:de:kobv:109-opus-12005,http://opus.kobv.de/zlb/volltexte/2007/1200/Real estate expert (2011): Interview on Detached housing areas of the 50s to the 70s, conducted 2011.Siebel,W. (2008): „Wohnen in der Innenstadt“, inDeutscheZeitschrift fürKommunalwissen-schaften,vol.47(1),pp.37-46Wüstenrot Stiftung (ed) (2012): Die Zukunft von Einfamilienhausgebieten aus den 1950er bis 1970er Jahren – Handlungsempfehlungen für eine nachhaltige Nutzung, Ludwigsburg:WüstenrotStiftung.


Emerging trends and their demographic origins; their impact on the US, EU and Dutch housing markets

HuibertAHaccoû,SaxionUniversityofAppliedSciences,Deventerand Stefan Netsch,KIT,KarlsruheInstituteofTechnology

1 Introduction

ThispaperdiscussestheemergingmismatchbetweensupplyanddemandforhousingintheWesternworld-morespecifically intheUSandtheEU–causedbydemogra-phics, changes in the life style of past, present and future generations, and other emer-gingtrendsofrelevancetohousingissues.

It outlines the life style differences between generations and the demographic trends in the Western world that are prompting planners to fundamentally change their perspecti-vesonthekeyfactorsfundamentaltotheplanningprofessionandteaching.

FromthisbroaderperspectivewezoominonthesituationintheNetherlands.

2 Life style differences between generations1

MichelSilver,planningpractitionerfromtheUSA,distinguishesbetweenthefollowinggenerations:theGreatestGeneration;theBabyBoomersandmostimportantlytheGe-nerationXYZ.

TheGreatestGeneration–thegenerationthatgrewupintheUnitedStatesduringthedeprivationoftheGreatDepression,andthenwentontofightinWorldWarII-isgradu-allydyingout.Itsmembersunderstoodthemeaningofhardworkandsacrifice,andthevalueofmoneyandsaving.Theextendedfamilylivednearbyandmutualsupportinthefamily-andthesurroundingcommunity-wasthenorm.Mostimportantlytheirattitudetolife was to give their today for our tomorrow.

TheBabyBoomersbornbetween1946-1964arenowtheleadgeneration,occupyingthedecision-makingpositions.Theylivedthroughtheflowerpowererawheretheylear-nedtofocusontheirinnerself.Theydidnottakeforgrantedwhattheirparentsthoughtwasbest for them,asseen in theiraversionto theVietnamwar.Havingexperiencedthe rise of information technology and the service and knowledge economy, they have grown accustomed to the age of consumerism, facilitated by the abundant opportunities ofthecreditcardandsubstitutingpersonaldebtforsavings.Their“wewantitallandwewant it now” mentality is nourished by the expectation of lifelong prosperity and an entit-lementtoimmortality.Theirattitudetolifeistypifiedbyyour tomorrow for their today.

Bornbetweentheearly1960sandthelate90s,thecohortsofthegenerationsX,YandZarenowapproximatelybetween14and55yearsofage.

1ThissectionisbasedonMichelSilver’skeynotepresentationtotheIFHPCentennialWorldConferenceheldinLondonon2-8June2013.


ThesocalledgenerationXfollowsthegenerationoftheBaby-Boomersandhasbeenbornbetweentheearly1960sandtheearly80s.ThisgenerationisoftencharacterizedasthefirstgenerationafterWorldWarIIthathasbeenraisedwithoutanyexperienceofwar.Ontheotherhanditisalsothefirstgenerationtoexperiencelesseconomicprospe-rityandsecuritythantheirparentsdid(economicmiracleinthe50s).

Generation Y describes those who have been born in the late 1980s to the early 90s, this cohortisalsocalledtheMillennials.Thisgenerationisregardedasbeinghighlyeduca-tedandhasahightechnologicalaffinitybecausetheyhavebeenraisedsurroundedbytheinternetandmobilecommunicationdevices.

GenerationZisthetermusedtodescribethecohortbornaftertheMillennials.Itcompri-sesthosewhohavebeenbornfromthemid-90suntilnow.Membersofthisgenerationarehighlyconnectedandfamiliarwiththeuseofelectroniccommunicationandmedia.

The“Millennials”,theirlifestyleechoesthatofthebabyboomergenerationthatraisedthem. Livingwith their parents’ consumerism, they have always known abundance,leadingthemtoexpectawiderangeofchoices(e.g.abreakfastwithachoiceofcere-als, bread, eggs, fruit, yoghurt or porridge, while in former days one had only the choice betweenbreakfastornobreakfast).Thisgeneration issavvywith internetanddigitaltechnologyingeneral,andispermanentlyonline.

Theirattitude to lifehasbeenshapedby thepermanentattention theyhaveclaimedandreceived.Onecansaythattheywerebroughtupas“trophykids”:noonelosesandeveryonegetsrewarded,nomatterwhateffortisinvestedorwhatresultsareachieved.ThisXYZgenerationattacheslittlevalueto long-termjobs(changingjobsfrequently),hasanurbanlifestyle,andopportunitiesandchoicesinabundance.Theyarehoweversignificantlymoreenvironmentally-aware, in linewith theirappreciationofwhere theylive.Locationmattersmorethanagoodjobandtheyprefertostaylivinginthecityevenifthismeansaless-paidjob.Thisiscombinedwithahighculturaltolerance.

Suchchangesin lifestylearenotgenerallyrecognizedasdrivingforcesforplanning.However, they need to become part and parcel of any analysis determining the trends thathavetobeaccommodatedinhousingandplanningpolicies.


3 Demographics

Fromademographicperspective, thisXYZgenerationbornbetween1960and1995comprisesabout60%ofthepopulationinEuropeandtheUS.WesterndemographicsComparestatisticalinformationthe“Kerncijfersvandebevolkingprognose2004-2050”onpage4forthe`Netherlands,whichisinlinewiththestatisticsfortheUSA)arefurthercharacterised by the following trends highly relevant to housing issues:

• OneinfiveAmericanshasoneormoredisabilities.ForEuropeweassumethesamefigures.

• By2030oneinfiveAmericans(andEuropeans)willbeovertheageof65andretired,i.e.notcontributingtotheearningcapacityoftheeconomy.

• Lifeexpectancyisforecasttoincreasefrom76yearsin1993to82yearsin2050.• IntheUStheover-85populationwilltriplefrom5.4to19mil-

lionin2050.WeassumesimilarfiguresforEurope.

Withregardtohouseholdcomposition,forecastsfortheUSApredictthatby2025thenumberofsinglehouseholdswillequal familyhouseholdsandthatby2050theover-whelmingmajorityofhouseholdswillbesingle.

Looking at family culture and the type of dwellings in demand, it is important to note that, in addition to this forecast overwhelming majority of single households, there is an unmistakabletendencytowardsnon-maritalbirths.Alreadyin2009,41%ofregisteredbirthsintheUSwerenon-marital.Whatthismeansintermsoftherobustnessofparentalrelationshipsremainstobeseen,asistheinfluenceonhousingpreferences.

ThepatternofshrinkingneighbourhoodsestablishedfortheUSistheresultnotonlyofanaturaldecreaseinpopulation(i.e.thedeathrateexceedingthebirthrate),butalsoofanexodusofyoungadultswhoseemploymentprospects(atleastinruralareas)arelow.Theyseekjobopportunitieselsewhere,mostlyinurbanareas.

Thesedemographicsarepairedwithotherfactorsboostingthedownwardspiral:

• Theworldwidetrendofrapidlyincreasingurbanisation;• Aging(post-war)infrastructureandbuildingstock,bothintheUSandEU;• Local authority tax bases are shrinking precisely because of the shrinking trends,

wherebytheeffectsofthefinancialcrisisareboostingthisdevelopment;• Planningsystemsareantiquated,andsuchpublichealth issuesas risingobesity

levelsneedtobeurgentlytakenintoaccount;• Thereisanurgentneedfornewperspectivesofferingjobsfortheupcominggene-

ration.

Thebottom-linetrendsforourplanningandhousingfocusaretherefore:populationgrey-ing and the changing household composition into single households and of non marital birthsandsingleparentfamilies.


4 The Netherlands in the European context

TheDutchpopulationisstillgrowing,withgrowthbasedontwofactors.Duetothegoodeconomicsituationinthepastthecountrywasveryattractivetomigrants,andca.1%ofannualpopulationgrowthisattributabletowork-relatedimmigration.Intheperiodbet-ween 1995 and 2011 there was a clear migration surplus, not only attributable to family reunificationbutalsotothepositiveeconomicsituationcreatingademandforworkers(CBS,2012)exceedinglocalavailability.ImmigrantscamenotonlyfromsuchtraditionalcountriesasMorocco,SurinamandTurkeybutalsoincreasinglyfromotherEuropeancountries(Buursink,2013).

Inadditiontoimmigration,theNetherlands(still)hasapositivebirthrate(i.e.abirthrateexceeding the death rate), with the Dutch population increasing naturally by 40,000 a yearonaverage.Thistrendisattributabletotwofactors:overthelastyearstheaveragenumberofbirthsperwomanhasrisenfrom1.7to1.8.ButanevenbiggerinfluenceisthequalityofDutchhealthcare(Demos,2009).

Figure 1: The Netherlandsmigration versus natural growth, Source: CBS 06.07.2011/ Stephan Netsch etal.ppt20-03-2012

Figure2:PopulationgrowthintheNetherlands2004-2050,source:CBS06.07.2011/StephanNetschetal.ppt 20-03-2012


TheforecastisthattotalDutchpopulationwillincreasemoderatelyuntil2039andthenremainstable.Thepredictedgrowthof the totalpopulation is insharpcontrast to theforecasts for the country’s rural regions, and what we are currently witnessing is overall nationalpopulationgrowthcombinedwithregionaldemographicshrinkage.TheNether-landsareshowingsignsofbeingacountrywithtwodifferentpacesofdevelopment.ThisaspectisnotnewintheNetherlands,asseenbythe1966nationalspatialprogrammewhichalreadyreferredtopreciselysuchaprocess.Theprogrammeattemptedtomitiga-tetheexpectedconsequences,onlytodiscoveracoupleofyearslaterthatthisprocesshadneveractuallymaterialised,withinsteadaperiodofunprecedentedgrowthensuing.Anotherimportantdemographicfactorispopulationageingingeneral.Theagebreak-down of the population is shifting, with an increasing proportion of the Dutch population

Figure 3: Greying in the Netherlands 1980-2025 in percentage of total population, Source: CPB/PBL


aged65orolder.Atpresentconstituting16%ofthetotalpopulation,thisproportionissettoincreaseto20%inthenearfutureandevenmoreincertainregions.Theincreaseinpeopleover65willcomeatthecostofthepopulationbetween20and65yearsold,i.e.theworkingpopulation.Thisgroupwillconsistentlyaccountforlessthan60%ofthetotalpopulation.Inabsolutenumberstherehasbeenanincreaseof2,500,000peopleover65yearsofageindeperiod1980-2025.Inlinewiththistrend,thestatutoryretirementagehasbeenraised.Wecanalsoobservethatthisageingpopulation is increasinglyimpactingtheeconomyandhealthcostsinparticular.

Overall forecasts show that the total population will keep on growing in the coming years, fromthecurrentfigureof16.7millionpeopleto18millionin2040.Nevertheless,thepu-blic debate in the Netherlands is dominated by the general notion that the population is infactshrinking.Lookingattheregionalforecastfor2010(publishedbythePlanbureauvoor de Leefomgeving), it is clear why this general opinion dominates the debate in ge-neralandthepressinparticular.Thereasonlieswiththelocalandregionaldifferencesinpopulationbuild-up.Duringtheperiod1998–2010,ruralareaslikethenorthernpartofGroningenorLimburgwerealreadyshowingacleardeclineingrowthofthepopulation.

Thisdecline ingrowth isexpected tocontinue inmost regionsoutside theRandstad,and will turn into a moderate decline in population outside the Randstad, with the result that the Netherlands will be split between a densely populated and economically strong urban area (the Randstad) and rural regions experiencing declines in both population

figuresandineconomicweight.Theimpactwillbegreatestinthoseregionswithalongtraditionofagriculturalproductionorinindustrialdecline,e.g.formercoalminingregionswheretheminesclosedinthe1980’s.

Figure 4: Population growth and shrinkage per regional entity in the Netherlands 1998-2025, Source: CBS/PBL


Atthesametimethetotalnumberofhouseholdshasincreasedsince1998onaccountoftheaveragesizeofaDutchhouseholddroppingto2.2personsperhousehold(CBS2007).Whenapopulationisconcurrentlyshrinkingandgrowing,itisinterestingtoob-servethedevelopmentof thenumberofhouseholds.The increaseseenhere isattri-butabletotwofactors:populationageingandsocialchangesingeneral.AsmoreandmorepeoplebelongingtotheBaby-Boomgeneration(bornbetweenthe1946and1964)die, thenumberofsinglehouseholdswithin thisdemographiccategory isset to rise.

Figure 5: Prognosis of growth (brown) and shrinkage (blue) per regional entity in the Netherlands 2008-2025, Source: CBS/PBL 2012

Figure 6: Growth (brown) and shrinkage (blue) in number of households in the Netherlands 1998-2025, Source: CBS/PBL


Togetherwithsocialchangeslikeincreasingdivorceratesanddifferentlifestyles,de-mandforone-persondwellingswill increaseovertime.Thecombinationof increasingin-migration to the Randstad and the rising demand for one-person homes will naturally fuel therealestatemarket in themoreurbanizedareasof theNetherlands,while themarketinthecountry’sotherregionsissettoshrink. Conclusions:- Overall the Dutch population is not shrinking-Thegreyingpopulationisincreasing-Thenumberofhouseholdsisincreasing-ThepopulationisdecreasingindeperiferieoftheRandstadmorespecifictheprovince ofLimburgGroningenandZeeland.- Re-urbanisation and growth will occur in the metropolitan regions (the Randstad)

Thisisimpactingthecountry’shousingsituation.Demandfornewhomesisnotsomuchbeingdrivenbyyoungfamilies,butmorebythegrowingnumberofsinglehouseholds.Inthe long term there is no need for major new developments, with a focus needing to be putinsteadonrefurbishingandadaptingtheexistinghousingstock.

Figure 7: Zooming in the bordering area Province of Overijssel

Figure 8: Livability index 2010 Pro-vince of Overijssel 2010,Source: CBS/PBL


Figure 9: Comparison of population development and development in number of households in the Province of Overijssel 2000 – 2040, Source: CBS/PBL

Figure 10: Development of num-ber of households in the Provin-ce of Overijssel 2004-2012 of households, Source: CBS/PBS

Figure 11: Development in num-ber of households in the Province of Overijssel 2012-2025, Source: CBS/PBL


LookingcloserattheNetherlands,wefindacountrysplitintoaruralpartandthemetro-politanRandstad.Theruralareas,mainlyconcentratedalongtheborderstoGermanyandBelgium,areexperiencingasignificantdeclineintheirpopulations.Bycontrast,theregionaroundAmsterdamandUtrechtisbecomingmoreurbanizedandisstillgrowing.Thisdevelopmentisalsoduetothejobsituation.

5 Conclusion regarding Overijssel Developments in Overijssel are overall in line with developments in the Netherlands as awhole.Increasingpressureonthehousingmarketduetotheincreaseinthenumberofhouseholds,despiteaforecastofmoderatedeclineofthepopulationasawhole.Theexistinghousingstockdoesnotmatchdemandformoredifferentiatedformsofhousing.

6 References and sources

IFHPCentennialWorldConferenceof2-8June2013inLondon.KeynotepresentedbySilverMitchel.RIGO Research Consultants have done a secondary analyses on the national statistic supplied by theCentralBureauofStatisticsandtheDutchNationalBureauEnvironmentforthespecificationofthedemographicandhouseholdsdevelopmenttrendsintheprovinceofOverijssel.August2013.CBS(30mei2012):Bijna18miljoenNederlandersin2040,CBSDenHaag.CBS(12oktober2011):ForsebevolkingsgroeiindeRandstadtot2025,CBS,DenHaag.CBS(2012):PrijsindexBestaandeKoopwoningen,CBS,DenHaag.Coen van (2011):Deonzekeretoekomstvandepensioengerechtigdeleeftijd,CentraalBureauvoorde Statistiek,DenHaag.Dam,Frankvan;Verwest,Femke(2010):Vanbestrijdennaarbegeleiden:demografischekrimpinNederland,PBLDenHaag.Elsinga,Marja,Jong-Tennekes,Martijnde,Heijden,Harryvander(2011): Crisis in de woningmarkt, TUDelft,Delft.Jong,Andriesde;Duin,Coenvan(2011): Regionale bevolkings- en huis houdensprognose 2011–2040:sterkeregionalecontrasten;CBS-PBL.Jong,Andriesde;Duin,Coenvan(2011):Regionaleprognose2009-2040:Vergrijzingenomslagvangroeinaarkrimp;CBS-PBL.Latten,Jan;Kooiman,Niels(2011):Aantrekkingskrachtvanregio’sendemografischegevolgen;CBS.Veer,Markter;Boschman,Sanne;Verwest,Femke(2011):Dekrimpregio’svandetoekomst;De-mosNr.8:5-8.Verwest,Femke;Dam,Frankvan(2010):Demografischekrimpenregionaleeconomie,RooilijnNr.4:508–513.Verwest,Femke;Sorel,Niels;Buielaar,Edwin(2010):KrimpvraagtomveranderingenWoningvoorraad;DemosNr.1:7-9.

Figure 12: Population development in the Province of Overijssel 2012-2025, Source: CBS/PBL


A strategy for dealing with older housing estates built in the 1960s and 1970s in Havixbeck (Münsterland)

UteCornec,UniversityofAppliedSciences,Neubrandenburg

1 Introduction

Theearly1960ssawaperceptiblesuburbanisationofresidentialareastakingplaceinWest German cities, driven by the high birth-rate age groups of the 1930s and 1950s andresultinginabuildingboominsuburbanareas(cf.DGD2007,p.9;GLASZEandGRAZE2007,p.467HEINEBERG2007,p.312).

With demographic change (ageing population and low birth rates), increasing employ-ment in cities and changing lifestyles leading to decreased suburbanisation at the begin-ning of the 21st century, a number of suburban municipalities found themselves facing negativepopulationdevelopment.

Furthermore, the situation of suburban households has changed – in many cases, child-renhavemovedout,spouseshavediedorcoupleshaveseparated.Thelossoffamilyties,demographic change in thesuburbanareasanddecreasinghouseholdsizesallmeanthatthereisaneedtocriticallyreviewsuburbanhousingsituations(cf.GLASZEandGRAZE2007,pp.467-468).

In thefinalanalysis, increasingenvironmentalawarenessand technologicalprogressrequireanup-to-dateevaluationofthesituationinsuburbanareas.Inits“SustainabilityStrategy”, the German federal government states that land use for new residential and road developments should be cut to 30 hectares per day by 2020 (2007 - 2010 average: 87ha/day)(cf.UMWELTBUNDESAMT2012,n.p.).Thisrequiresthespace-savingde-velopmentofnewhousingestatesandthedensificationofexistingestates.Inaddition,technological progress is leading to a widening range of aids for physically handicapped people - a cohort whose numbers are rising with increasing life expectancy -, opening up newpossibilitiesforthebarrier-freeconversionofexistingproperties.

2 Case study: Havixbeck in the Münsterland

AgainstabackgroundofthegrowingpercentageofelderlypeopleinHavixbeck,themu-nicipality commissioned the University of Münster to conduct a research project, “Strate-giesforthesustainabledevelopmentofsingle-familyhousingestatesbuiltinthe1960sand1970s”,forthe2012summertermandthe2012/13winterterm.FivestudentstakingaMaster’sdegreeprogrammeinGeography-CoraBerger,VanessaHelmer,TobiasKomurka,StefanoRossiandPeterStroms-wereentrustedwiththetask.Theaimofthe cooperation project between the local authorities and the university was to compile a problem-orientedguideforresidentswishingtorefurbishtheirhomes.

Torespondtotheincreaseinthepercentageofoldpeopleanditsconsequences(e.g.waste of living space, isolation of residents, decreasing revenues for the municipality)


andtoattractfuturegenerations,restructuringisneeded.Cooperationbetweenthemu-nicipalityandresidentsisthereforeessential.

Againstthisbackground,themunicipalityofHavixbeckwantedtolearnmoreabouttheresidentsofthesehousingestatesbuiltinthe1960sand1970s.Semi-structuredinter-viewswereusedhere,withresidentsquestionedonthefacilitiesandconditionof thebuildings,butalsotheirattitudesandwishes.Themapbelowshowstheareasurveyed.Thehousesmarkedinbluearetheoneswithparticipatingresidents(cf.Fig.1).

Figure 1: Map of research area


Thequestionnairewasdividedintofourmainsections.Thefirstfocuswasontheresi-dentsthemselves.Questionsrelatingtotheestate’spopulationstructureincludedhowmanypeoplelivedinahouseandhowoldtheywere.Thesecondpartofthequestion-naireaimedatfindingoutthebuilding’sstateofrepairandwhetheranyrefurbishmentworkhadalreadybeencarriedout.Thenextsectionwasaboutthequalityoflivingcondi-tions,whilethelastsectionlookedatthebuilding’sfuture.Thislastaspectwasexpectedtoprovidequalifiedinsightsintotheresidents’wishestostaylivingintheirhomesinthefutureandwhethertheydeemedthispossiblegiventhecurrentstateoftheirproperty.Asshownbyexperiencethewillingnessoftheresidentstoparticipateinthesurveyin-creasedthroughthephysicalpresenceoftheinterviewer,asreflectedbythefactthat52householdstookpartinthesurvey.

Thedataanalysisshowsthatthestudyareamainlyconsistsofsingle-familyhousesinprivateownership.Mostofthemaresingle-andtwo-personhouseholdswhogenerallystatethatthequalityoflivingconditionsisgoodorverygood(86%).Oneunexpectedresultofthequestionnairewasthehighrateofrefurbishmentworkalreadydone:75%ofthehouseshadbeenrefurbished.Mostoftheinvestmenthadgoneintoenergy-relatedimprovementssuchasnewheatingsystems,double-ortriple-glazedwindowsandim-provedinsulation.

Thechart(Fig.2)belowshowsthemainrefurbishmentareas.Fromtop:aretrofittingofthe heating system, bathroom refurbishment, new windows, improved thermal insulation, newfloorplans,newfuseboxes,cellar/loftconversionandothermeasures.

Thenegativesideofthishighrefurbishmentrate isapossibly lowerwillingnessto in-vestfurtherinthecomingyears.Thistheoryissupportedbytheresponsestotheque-stion whether further energy-related refurbishment measures were planned: Even with government subsidies available, less than 50 percent of participants planned such measures(Fig.3).

Figure2:Mainrefurbishmentareasofthehouseholds,Source:Questionnaire:CoraBerger,VanessaHel-mer,TobiasKomurka,StefanoRossi(2012)


Considering the age structure and the state of refurbishment, action is undoubtedly needed(Fig.4).

Figure3:Answerstothequestion:willyoutakeinvestmentsforrefurbishmentinfuture?Source:Question-naire:CoraBerger,VanessaHelmer,TobiasKomurka,StefanoRossi(2012)

Ascanbeseeninthediagramabove,fewofthesurveyedhouseshavebeenfullyrefur-bished(greenframe).Thoselivinginarefurbishedpropertyaremainlybetweentheageof50and65(orange),i.e.mostoftheolderpeopleliveinhouseswhicharenotoronlypartlyrefurbished.Onereasonforthiscouldbethefactthatitismoredifficultforelderlypeopletohandlethenecessarybuildingwork.

Figure 4: Refurbishment and age of residents


Creating awareness for the need for refurbishment therefore became one of the main goalsof thesurvey.Drawingupaguidewasdeemedpremature in thatstageof theproject, hence in the second term the students focused on events aimed at raising re-sidents’awarenessandprovidingthemwithinformation.Theseeventsaddressedbothcurrent residents and potential successors, and were organised as a travelling exhibition highlighting demographic developments, property price trends in Havixbeck and the con-sequencesofenergypricerises(Fig.5andFig.6).

Figure5:Posters1and2:Factsaboutdemographicchangeandtheirrelevanceforhousesbuiltinthe1960sand1970s,Source:VanessaHelmer,TobiasKomurka,StefanoRossi,PeterStroms(2013)

Figure6:Posters3and4:Examplesforbarrier-freelivingandenergy-relatedrefurbishment.Thepercen-tagesshowninposter4denotetheenergy-savingpotential,Source:VanessaHelmer,TobiasKomurka,Stefano Rossi, Peter Stroms (2013)


Some practical examples of energy-related refurbishment and barrier-free access measu-reswerealsoshown.Moreover,cost-benefitcalculationexampleswereprovidedduringtheevents.Incooperationwithanumberofparticipatingresidents,possiblemeasureswere presented in detail, highlighting pragmatic ways of making best use of their homes andplots.Oneexampleinvolvedthenewparcellingofplotsattheedgeoftheestate(makingthreeoutoftwo)(cf.Fig.7).Themoneygainedfromsellingtheone-thirdplotcouldthenbeinvestedinrefurbishment.Asecondexampleshowedadensificationcon-cept, with the existing building being demolished and a new building constructed where differentgenerationscouldlivetogether.

ThemainobjectivewastoraisetheawarenessofHavixbeckresidentswithregardtotheneed for refurbishment, and to motivate them to invest in building work to develop their neighbourhood in response todemographic-andclimatechange.Though thesurveyaddressedresidentsofhousesbuilt in the1960sand1970s, thefindingswillalsobehelpfulforotherHavixbeckresidentswithbotholderandnewerproperties.

Theprojectwasaccompaniedbythestudentsuntil theposterswereprinted,withthemunicipalauthoritiesthentakingovertoholdtheworkshops.Thesetookplaceinafor-merlocal‘Schlecker’drugstoreintheneighbourhood.TheHavixbeckauthoritiessoonsaw that refurbishment issues would also be important outside of Havixbeck, and even considered informing its French twin town of Bellegarde (near Orleans) about this pro-ject.ThisledtothepostersbeingtranslatedintoFrench.TheywillbepresentedinBel-legardeontheoccasionofthe40thanniversaryofthetowntwinning.

Nevertheless,itisveryimportanttounderstandtheexhibitionasjustthefirststepofaseriesofnecessarymeasures.Themunicipalauthoritiesshouldalsocheckfordensi-ficationopportunitiesinexistingestates,aswellaspushingforhigherlevelsofenergy-relatedrefurbishmentandbarrier-freeaccessandencouragingnewformsofhousing.

Figure7:Posters5and6:Possibilitiesforandpracticalexamplesofincreasingdensity,Source:VanessaHelmer,TobiasKomurka,StefanoRossi,PeterStroms(2013)


3 Conclusion

ThesurveyconcludedthatraisingawarenessfortheproblemsofdemographicchangeisthecorechallengeforHavixbeckwithregardtoitshousingestatesbuiltinthe1960sand1970s.Manyresidentsdonotyet realise thechallengeofageingestates.Tobeprepared for the future, residents need to be informed that refurbishment and conversion measuresarenecessaryforalong-termqualityoflife.Anotherunsolvedproblemisthedefinitionofthetargetgroupsforawareness-raisingcampaigns.Thesurveyfindsthatmost of the older residents are unwilling to invest in building work, even when supported by government subsidies. Therefore, their heirs have to be included in the decision-makingprocess,thoughthisisoftenverycomplicated.

Possible reasons why older residents do not invest:

a) Fear of decision-making stress and dealing with architects and construction companies b) Noise and dust pollution, inconvenience during building work c) Complications and delays (planning the measure) d)Previousrefurbishmentmeasures(“Ihavedoneenough…”) e)Amortisationperiods f) Uncertainty about the “wishes” of the heirs

Some of these anxieties (a-c) can be addressed through the help of the municipal autho-ritiesandthoughinformationcampaigns,whiletheothers(d-f)aremoredifficulttoallay.Whateverthecase,thereisanongoingneedforfurtherresearch.Thoughtheproblemof ageing housing estates is recurrent in many European countries, there is no coherent strategy,whetherinatightpropertymarket(e.g.Havixbeck)orinaslack(e.g.shrinkingareas)market.Bothsituations–thewasteofvaluablelivingspaceintimesofserioushousing shortages and ageing housing estates - constitute future challenges for the Germangovernment.

References

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Anne-FrançoiseMarique(1)andJean-MarieHalleux(2),UniversityofLiège

Abstract

Thispaperaddressesthechallengesandconditionsofasustainabilitytransitionofsub-urban areas inWallonia (Belgium), focusing on energy efficiency in the building andtransportationsectors.Threescenariosfocusingontheevolutionoftheexistingbuildingstock are modelled and assessed (building insulation, an increase in the built density, and demolition / reconstruction).Ourmain findings show that, beyond the traditionalpolarisationofdebateson theenergyefficiencyofourbuiltenvironmentbetween the“compact city” and the “sprawled city”, a new pragmatic paradigm, focused on the tran-sitionofsuburbanareasby“densification”,canmakesuburbanareasevolvetowardsgreatersustainability.However,thesemainresultsfocusingonenergyefficiencyneedto be studied in a larger framework to concretely operationalise a sustainability transi-tioninsuburbanareas.Inthisrespect,concreteideasforafurtherresearchprojecton“suburbandensification”areputforward,addressingtheopportunitiesfortransnationalcooperationaswellasproposingpotentialresearchactivities.

1 Introduction and context

Thereisgeneralagreementthaturbanformsaffectsustainabilityandthaturbansprawlis amajor issue of sustainable development (EEA, 2006). The impacts, causes andconsequencesofurbansprawlarenowwelldocumented. It is recognised thaturbansprawlsignificantlycontributestotheoverallenergyconsumptionofaterritory,namelyfortheenergyneedsofbuildingsandtransport.Butalthoughitisoftendefinedintermsof“undesirable”land-usepatternsinthescientificfield(e.g.Ewing,1994,UTF,1999),urban sprawl also often leads to lower land prices and more affordable housing (Gordon andRichardson,1997).Moreover,low-densityneighbourhoodsstillconstituteaprefer-redlivingenvironment(CouchandKarecha,2006;Howley,2009).However,continuingto promote such a development model, even with very high construction standards limi-tingbuildings’heatingenergyrequirements,willnothelptosolveanyofthenumerousproblems, including soil sealing, car dependency or higher costs for infrastructure and collectiveservices.

Opponents of urban sprawl often highlight the “compact city” model, in contrast to the “sprawled city” model, looking at the concepts of centrality, high density, mixed use and theperformanceofurbantransportationsystems.Theyarguethatmorecompacturbanformswouldsignificantly reduceenergyconsumption inbothbuildingsand the trans-portsector(e.g.NewmanandKenworthy,1999;Steemers2003;Ewingetal.,2008,).However, although numerous research projects and policies state that it is crucial to favour city compactness and to prevent urban sprawl, they do not come up with any adequatetoolsorpoliciestomeetthesegoals.Moreover,several impacts linkedtoahighlevelofcompactness(suchascongestion,pollution, increasinglandprices,etc.)arenotreallyaddressed.Finally,innumerousEuropeancountriestherenewalrateof

Renewal of Walloon suburban neighbourhoods and perspectives for a research project on “suburban densification”


thebuildingstock isquite low(1-2%peryear inWallonia(Belgium))andnumerouslow-density suburban neighbourhoods are already developed, meaning that the main challenge concerns the renewal of this existing stock and its transition towards greater energyefficiency.

Urban sprawl is to be found in many European regions and particularly in Wallonia (Bel-gium),where52%oftheexistingbuildingstockconsistsofdetachedandsemi-detachedhouses.Becauseof thepersonalpreferencesofhouseholds forsingle familyhouseswith large gardens and a regulatory framework supporting this kind of development, urbansprawlisaconcerninalargepartoftheregion’sterritory.Walloonurbansprawlhasseveralspecificfeaturesdistinguishing it fromneighbouringregions.Accordingtocadastraldata,50%of thecensusblockshaveameanhousingdensitybetweenfiveandtwelvedwellingsperhectare.IncomparisontoFlanders,wherepublicauthoritiesaretryingtoreduceplotsizeinnewdevelopmentzones,ortotheNetherlands,whereland supply is historically limited, land pressure remains limited in Wallonia and land is stillavailableinlargequantities,especiallywhenfarawayfromexistingcores.Suburbanneighbourhoods are spread out throughout Wallonia, dependent on land availability and car accessibility (which is high because the road network is very well developed throug-houttheregion).

In this context, the main objective of this short paper is to investigate the sustainability transitionofexistingWalloonsuburbanneighbourhoods,withafocusonenergyefficien-cybothinbuildingsandthetransportsector.Section2presentsthemethoddevelopedtoassesstheenergyefficiencyofsuburbanneighbourhoodsaswellasitsapplicationtotwelve renewal scenarios representing three main possible strategies: insulating existing buildings,increasingthebuiltdensityanddemolition/reconstruction.InSection3,welookcloserat thestrategyofdensification, considering thechances fordevelopinganewresearchprogrammeon“suburbandensification”.Section4summarisesourmainfindings.

2Theenergyefficiencyofsuburbanneighbourhoods

Thefollowingsectiondealswithformsofinterventioninsuburbanneighbourhoods.Afterexplainingthemethodusedandourhypotheses(2.1),ascenarioanalysisonpossiblemeasuresiscarriedout(2.2).Thefinalsub-sectiondealswithpotentialareasofinter-ventioninWallonia(2.3).

2.1 Method and hypothesesAmethodwasdevelopedtoevaluatetheenergyconsumptionofsuburbanneighbour-hoodsand renewalscenarios.Thefirstpartof themethodallowsus tocalculate theenergyrequirementsofbuildingsandwaspresentedextensivelybyMariqueandReiter(2012a).Thismethodologycombinesa typological classificationofbuildings, thermaldynamic simulations and statistical processing of national census data to assess the annualenergyconsumptionforroomheatingatneighbourhoodlevel.Thesecondpartoftheenergyassessmentdealswiththeenergyconsumptionfordailymobility and is assessed using a performance index developed by Boussaux and Witlox (2009)andadaptedbyMariqueandReiter (2012b) forsuburbanareas.This index is


expressedinkWh/travel.person,avaluerepresentingthemeanenergyconsumptionfortransportofonepersonlivingwithinagivenneighbourhood.This indextakesintoac-count the distances travelled, the means of transport used and their relative consumption rates.

Please note that the data used in this paper only concerns commuting to home and school, even if we could use the same methodology for data from in situ surveys taking alltravelintoaccount.Althoughcommutingtoworkandschoolislosinginsignificancein daily travel patterns in the Western world due to the dramatic growth in other activities (Graham, 2000), it still has more structural weight than other forms of travel because it occurssystematicallyandrepetitively.

2.2 Forms of intervention in suburban neighbourhoodsThreemaintypesofscenariosfocusingonpossibleevolutionsofthesuburbanbuildingstockarethendefined,modelledandassessedtoanswerafirstmainquestion:„howtointerveneinsuburbanareastoimprovetheenergyefficiencyoftheexistingbuildingstock“.

Thefirstscenarioinvolvesimprovingtheinsulationofexistingsuburbanbuildingswithoutany other interventions in the existing neighbourhoods (retaining their characteristics in termsofdensity, functionaldiversity,etc.).Fivesub-scenarios (A1 toA5)aredefinedto capture different levels of intervention, from insulating a building’s roof to completely retrofittingthebuildingenvelopetothe“passivehouse”standard.

The secondmain scenario involves a steady increase in the built density of existingneighbourhoods, constructing new energy-efficient houses or apartments. Four sub-scenariosaredefined.InB1,newdwellingsarebuiltonunoccupiedplots.InB2,existingplotsaresub-dividedtoallowtheconstructionofnewdwellingsatthebottomoftheplots.In B3, new dwellings (detached houses) are built between existing houses, while in B4, new dwellings (terraced houses) are built between existing houses (see Figure 1 for an illustrationofthesefoursub-scenarios).

Thethirdmainscenarioismoretheoreticalandconsistsofinvestigatingenergyeffici-ency gained from demolishing and re-building existing neighbourhoods, using different characteristicswithregardstodensity,urbanform,functionaldiversity,etc.

Threesub-scenariosaredefined. InC1, theurban formof theneighborhoodremainsunchanged (detached houses built on large individual plots) but with new houses being builttocurrentEuropeanstandardfornewbuildings.Inthelasttwosub-scenarios,thenumber of dwellings and the built surface area remain constant but in C2 new dwellings areterracedhouses(groundfloor+1floor)arrangedintraditionalurbanblocksandinC3newdwellingsareapartmentbuildings(groundfloor+2or3floors),asillustratedinFigure2.Insub-scenarioC2andC3,newdwellingsarealsobuilttothecurrentstandardfornewbuildingsasfarasenergyrequirementsforheatingareconcerned.

AshighlightedinTable1,fromanenergypointofviewallscenariospresentinterestingresults (from -7.3%whenonly the roofsofexistingbuildingsare insulated to -70.4%whenmorecompacturbanformscomplyingwiththecurrentenergy-efficiencystandard


Figure 1: Sub-scenarios B1 to B4 dealing with an increase in the built density of existing suburban neigh-bourhoods (existing houses are in black, new dwellings are in grey)

Figure2:Sub-scenariosC1toC3relatingtodemolition/reconstruction(C1.Detachedhouses,C2.Terra-cedhousesinurbanblockandC3.Apartmentbuilding)

are promoted (apartment buildings), and even to -89.8%whenmore energy-efficientinsulationstandardsareused in retrofitting (scenarioA5)).Combininghighlyefficientinsulation standards when reconstructing a more compact urban form will lead to even betterresults.Anincreaseinthebuiltdensityofexistingneighbourhoodsimprovestheirenergyefficiency,ashouseswithbetterenergyperformancethancurrentdwellingscanbeconstructed(B1toB3).B4resultsarebetterbecauseboththeinsulationofnewbuil-dingsandthebuildingdistribution(terracedhouses)arecombined.Anotherinterestingscenario, similar to B4, involves the construction of new collective dwellings in existing neighbourhoods where large plots remain available (for example in the centre of subur-banblocksthatwereonlyurbanizedontheirperimeter).Tooptimizeenergyconsump-

Table1:Averagereductionsinenergyconsumptionforheatingbuildings;forthetwelverenewalscenarios


tion in the scenarios involving an increase in built density, it would seem necessary to improvetheinsulationofexistingbuildingsaswell.Itisalsointerestingtonotethat,foradeterminedlevelofinsulation(e.g.currentenergyrequirementssetforthintheEuropeanDirectiveontheEnergyPerformanceofBuildings),themostefficientstrategiesinvolverebuilding existing neighbourhoods in a more compact urban form (terraced blocks or apartmentbuildings).

Thesescenariosresult inanenergyreductionofrespectively68.1%and70.4%whilethe“detachedhouses”scenarioonlyachievesa45.2%reduction.Theseresultshighlightthefactthatforadeterminedlevelofinsulationtheenergyefficiencyofdetachedhousesremainslow.

2.3Wheretointervenetolimitcardependencyandtransportenergyconsumption?Scenarios dealing with an increase in the built density and the demolition / reconstruction of neighbourhoodscannotberecommendedthroughouttheterritory.Aneighbourhood’sloca-tion must be taken into account when drawing up these strategies because car dependency andtransportationenergyconsumptioncanbehighinsomeneighbourhoods.Applicationofthe energy performance index to the whole Walloon territory highlights the dependency of transportenergyconsumptiononaneighbourhood’slocation(Mariqueetal.2013;Figure3).

Theparameterswiththestrongestimpactonthevariationoftransportenergyconsumpti-onareaneighbourhood’sfunctionaldiversityanditsbuiltdensity.Transportenergycon-sumption is greatly dependent on the distance travelled, and not so much on the means of transportchosen.

Figure3:Energyperformanceindexforhome-to-worktravel,inkWh/person.travel,atneighbourhoodlevel(Mariqueetal.,2013)


Theseresultsarefinallyusedinanattemptto identifythemostappropriatesuburbanneighbourhoods, where an increase in the built density and demolition / reconstruction couldbegivenprioritywithoutincreasingtheenergyperformanceindexforcommuting.Thissimulationisbasedontheproximityofasuburbanneighbourhoodtooneormoreexistingdensecoresofferingawiderangeoffunctions.Figure4highlights,inyellow,themostappropriateneighbourhoods.Neighbourhoodslocatedfurtherfromexistingcoresarerepresentedingreen.Inthelatter,anincreaseinthebuiltdensityanddemolition/reconstructionisnotrecommended.Becauseoftheirlocationandcharacteristics,trans-portenergyconsumptioncanbeexpectedtoremainhigh.Thisfirstapplicationofterri-torial application will be further developed, namely by taking into account accessibility criteriasuchasdistancetotrainstation,busservices,etc.

Figure 4: Neighbourhoods located close to an urban/rural core (in yellow)


3 Opportunities and perspectives for a research programme on suburbandensificationandtheBimbydevelopmentmodel

Theanalysesintheprevioussectionfocusedonenergyefficiency.Paralleltothisissue,it is also important to take into account the strengths and weaknesses of each strat-egyinabroadercontext.Asfarastheinsulationofexistingbuildingsisconcerned,ahugereductioninbuildingenergyconsumptioncanbeachieved.Thoughinsulationistechnically feasible, this strategy involves immense investment costs for private owners, withoutany reductionof transport energyconsumption.As farasdemolition / recon-struction is concerned, the main positive impact is achieved through the possibility to relocateneighbourhoodsandbuildmorecompacturbanforms.Neverthelesstherearenumerousconstraintsverydifficulttoovercome(socialacceptability,funding,adaptationof theregulationframework, impactonthe lifecycleofbuildings,etc.).Bycontrast,astrategy focusing on an increase in the built density of existing neighbourhoods seems morerealisticandfeasible,andthefollowingpartofthepaperwillreflectontheideaofdevelopinganinternationalresearchprogrammededicatedtothisissue.

OurreflectionsonsuburbandensificationareinspiredbyrecentFrenchworksdedicatedtotheissueofBimby,orBuildInMyBackYard,aneologismfirstusedinthecontextofaresearchprogrammefinancedbytheFrenchNationalResearchAgency(ANR)(MietandLeFoll,2013).ThemainobjectiveofanewresearchprojectdedicatedtoBimbywould be to develop a housing development model capable of exploiting the large land resourcesavailableinsuburbangardens.

3.1Whatwouldbethebenefitsofsuburbandensificationandgardendevelopments?Ashighlightedintheprevioussections,thedensificationstrategyrelatestoenergysavingthroughincreasingtheenergyefficiencyofbuildingsandreducingtransportneeds.Atthe same time, by reducing the need to extend urban sprawl into the countryside, the densificationstrategyalsoinvolvesthesparinguseoflandaswellastothepreservationofopencountryside.

It is well-known in urban economics that concavity is the dominant relationship between urbanlandpricesandlotsize(ColwellandMunneke,1999)-whenalot’ssizedecreases,thetotalpricedecreasesthoughthepricepersurfaceunit(themarginalprice)increases.Asaconsequence,plotdivisionleadstoanincreaseinlandvalues!Giventhispotentialaddedvalue,thedensificationstrategycouldbeanefficientwayofaccommodatingnewformsofhousing.Indeed,asrecentlyputforwardbySabatierandFordin(2012),whenproperty owners decide to sell a portion of their land, the income can be used to meet such housing challenges as adapting a house to the needs of the elderly or improving a building’senergyperformance.Inotherwords,weseehereconcreterelationshipsbet-weenthedensificationscenarioandtheinsulationscenario.

TheBimbyhousingdevelopmentmodel isclosely tied toself-providedhousing.Self-provision can be further divided into two major forms: self-building where households invest their own labour in the construction process, and self-development where the prospective owner mainly has a coordination role, commissioning a company to build the dwelling.Althoughsometimesconsideredasaprimitiveapproachtohousingprovision,self-providedhousingisactuallyamajorformofhousingsupplyinindustrializedsocie-


ties,particularly inNorth-WestEurope.Compared tocommercialdevelopments, self-providedhousinghasthemajoradvantageofreducingbuildingcosts.ArecentFrenchanalysisestimatesthecostreductiontobe10-15%(CastelandJardinier,2011).Thekeyreasons are the internalisation of different tasks by the households and the absence of profitmarginsforthedeveloper.ThismeansthatstrengtheningtheBimbydevelopmentmodelcaneasedemandforaffordablehousing.Thisbenefitbecomescrucialinregionswith a growing number of households and in suburban belts where the issue of housing affordabilityisacute.Anotheradvantageisthegreaterinvolvementoflocalconstructioncompanies,therebyboostingthelocaleconomy.

Besides the environmental dimension, the development of a project on steady suburban intensificationalsoprovidesopportunitiesfrombothaneconomicandasocialpointofview.Although therearemanyarguments in favourofusinggardens forhousingde-velopments (garden development), there are also many against it (such as,breach of privacy,increaseintraffic,lossofhabitatsandbiodiversity,anincreasedrisksofflaskflooding).Inthisperspective,theresearchprojectshouldnotonlyaimtoquantitativelystrengthenthedevelopmentmodels,butalsotoqualitativelyimprovethem.

3.2 An opportunity for transnational cooperationTransnationalcooperationwillundoubtedlybeveryhelpfulinstrengtheningandimpro-vingBimbyhousingdevelopment.Thepotentialinterestofinternationalcooperationinthisdomain relates to thegreat variability of gardendevelopments thoroughEurope.WhilebuildingongardenlandremainsmarginalinmostEuropeancountries,recentUKgovernment estimates show that housing construction in gardens could represent up to 25%ofoverallhousingproduction1.Givensuchasituation,thereisnodoubtthatconti-nentalplannerscouldgainvaluableinsightsfromUKexperiencesandpossiblemistakes.

AkeyexplanationofthequantitativeimportanceofgardendevelopmentintheUKisthecompactcitystrategy.Lookingatthisissue,AdamsandWatkins(2002)distinguishedbetweentheplanningobjectivesofcontainmentandmoreambitiouscompaction.Incon-tainmentpolicies, low-densitygreenfieldurbansprawl isacceptedaslongasthenewhousingareasareadjacenttoexistingurbanareas.Bycontrast,thecompactcityob-jective aims to increase density and the proportion of building construction within urban boundariesor,ifnecessary,onselectedsitesdirectlyadjacenttoexistingurbanareas.Since the 1990s, British anti-sprawl policies have evolved from mere urban containment tourbancompaction.

AsdevelopedbySayceetal.(2012),thestrictcompactionpolicyhasputstrongpressureonEnglishgardens.Intheirrecentresearch,theynotablynoticedthatthelevelofconflictbetween developers and local residents (and through them local politicians) is highly dependent on planning practices, particularly the integration of garden house-building in acoherentlocalplanningframework.

IncontrasttothesituationintheUK,housingconstructioningardensremainsmarginalincountriessuchasFranceorBelgium.Duetothemajorurbansprawlcharacterisingthosetwonationsinthelasthalf-century,theydefinitelyrepresenthugepotentialforthe

1Source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8728633.stm(accessed2May2013)


Bimbydevelopmentmodel.Urbansprawlinthetwocountrieshasnotbeenadequatelycontainedandlargeresidentialparcelshavebecomecommonplaceinsuburbanspaces.By contrast, the Netherlands and Germany have developed a planning tradition allowing amoreefficientuseoflandresources(Sellers,2004;Halleuxetal.,2012).

3.3 Potential research activitiesTheissueofresidentialdevelopmentsingardenswasexplicitlyconsideredinapioneerpaperpublishedbyWhitehandandLarkham(1991).Theypointedoutthat,comparedtourban regeneration within high-density inner-city areas, the issue of garden development hasattractedlittleattentionamongscholars.Theyalsostatedthatthisweakinterestisinsharp contrast to the high level of concern which such forms of development can create forhouseholdslivingintheimmediatevicinity.Todate,despiteitspotentialforsuburbanintensificationandurbancompactness,thetopicofresidentialdevelopmentingardensremainsrelativelylittle-researched(Sayceetal.,2010).Therefore,theresearchactivi-ties of our project will aim to shed light on the multi-facetted issue of garden development (legal,spatial,architectural,financial,etc.)throughfourlevelsofanalysis:thenational-regionalscale,theurbanregionscale,theneighbourhoodscaleandthemicro-scale.

At the national-regional level, research attention should focus on authoritiesworkinginthefieldofplanningandlandpolicy.Adifferentiationhastobemadeherebetween“local”landpolicyand“supra-local”landpolicy.Thefirstrelatestotheuseofexistingna-tional/regional laws by local authorities while the second relates to the action of national orregionalauthoritieswhenamendingtheirlegislation(Comby,2013).

Theurbanregionscalerelatestothelevelofthejobcatchmentareas.Theaimistoiden-tifythelocalitiesandtheneighbourhoodswheredensificationcanbemostusefulinre-organisingfunctionalurbanareas.Atthislevel,prioritywillbegiventoenergyefficiency.

Attheneighbourhoodscale,specificattentionwillbepaidtosuburbanlocationswherepreviousparcel divisionshavealready significantly transformed thephysical environ-ment.Issuessuchaspopulationdensity,trafficmovements,noiseandtownscapewillbeconsidered.Theoperationalobjectivewillbetocompile“densificationmethodologyguidelines” targeting local planners and decision-makers, to help them judge the desi-rableevolutionofthesuburbanneighbourhoodstheyareresponsiblefor.Animportantissue to consider here is the importance of demolition and high-density dwelling types (apartments).

Themicro-scalegoesdownto theparcelandhousehold level.Akey issuerelates tohousehold investmentchoiceswith regard to the followingquestions: (i)whatare themainreasons inducingownerstodividetheirplot tocreatenewlandsupply;(ii)whatare the residential preferences pushing households to seek housing constructed under theBimbydevelopmentmodel(SabatierandFordin,2012)?Toanswerthosequestions,research methodologies will need to be developed in the different partner regions to achievecomparableresults.Theissueofplanningregulationwillalsobeconsideredatthismicro-scale,lookingatproceduresandrequirementsallowingparceldivisionorlandreadjustmenttobeachieved.


4 Conclusions

ThreemainstrategiesfocusingontherenewalofexistingWalloonsuburbanneighbour-hoods (building insulation, an increase in built density and demolition / reconstruction) weretheoreticallyassessedinthefirstpartofthispaper,findingthat,overandabovethetraditionalpolarisationofenergy-efficiencydebatesbetweenthe“compactcity”andthe “sprawled city”, a new pragmatic paradigm focused on the sustainability transition of suburbanareasbydensificationcanhelpexistingsuburbanneighbourhoodsevolveto-wardsgreaterenergyefficiency,bothinbuildingsandthetransportsector.Thisexamplealso demonstrates the importance of including the impact of location on daily mobility in energybalances.Thesecondpartofthepaperpresentedresearchperspectivesdiscus-singadensificationofexistingsuburbanareas,outliningthenumerousaspectsneedingtobeaddressedinatransnationalcooperativeresearchprojectinordertoquantitativelystrengthenandqualitativelyimprovesuburbandensificationinWalloniaandelsewhereinEurope.

5 References

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Marique,A.F.andReiter,S.(2012b).Amethodforevaluatingtransportenergyconsumptioninsuburbanareas.EnvironmentalImpactAssessmentReview33,1-6.Marique,A.F.,Dujardin,S.,Teller,J.andReiter,S. (2013) Urban sprawl, commuting and travel energyconsumption.ProceedingsoftheInstitutionofCivilEngineers.Energy166,1-13.Miet,D.andLeFoll,B.(2013).Construiredansmonjardinetrésoudrelacrisedulogement.Cinqidées-cléspourcomprendrelafilièreBIMBY.Métropolitiques,18march2013.Newman,P.andKenworthy,J.R.(1999) Sustainability and Cities: overcoming automobile de-pendence.WashingtonDC:IslandPress.Sabatier,B.andFordin,I.(2012).Densifierlepavillonnaire,Étudesfoncières155,12-16.Sayce,S.,Garside,P.,Harris,C.,Vickers,A.,Villars,N.,Walford,N.andClements,B.(2010).Garden developments: understanding the issues-an investigation into residential development on gardensinEngland,DepartmentforCommunitiesandLocalGovernment.Sayce,S.,Walford,N.andGarside,P.(2012).ResidentialdevelopmentongardensinEngland:Theirroleinprovidingsustainablehousingsupply.LandUsePolicy29(4),771-780.Sellers,G.(2004).Urbanizationandthesocialoriginsofnationalpoliciestowardssprawl.UrbansprawlinWesternEuropeandtheUnitedStates(eds:Richardson,H.W.,Bae,C-H.C.)195-275,Ashgate.Steemers,K.(2003).Energyandthecity:density,buildingsandtransport.EnergyandBuildings35(1),3-14.UTF.(1999).TowardsanUrbanRenaissance.London:Routledge,Queen’sPrinterandControl-lerofHMSO.Whitehand,J.W.R.andLarkham,P.J. (1991).Housebuilding in thebackgarden: reshapingsuburbantownscapesintheMidlandsandSouthEastEngland,Area8,57-65.


A “triple bind ”: local attitudes to the energy crisis. A theoretical discussion on the situation of low-incomehouseholds in French periurban neighbourhoods

Yves Jouffe, Université Paris-Est andLeslieBelton-ChevallierDEST,IFSTTAR,ChampssurMarne

1 The energy “crisis”: between “systemic crisis” and personally experienced crises1

Amongotherenvironmentalthreats,theloomingexhaustionoffossilfuelsandtheclima-te-related necessity to shift away from them are ringing the alarm bells, warning of the upcomingenergycrisis.Thecharacterisationoftheterm“crisis”isopentoopposition,asitfocusesthepoliticaldebateonthenecessityandwaystoresolvethecrisis.Identifyingthefaultlinesunderliningthenon-sustainabilityofthecurrentsystemisallaboutdefiningthescopeofthenegotiationsonthechangesneeded.Butfirstwemustlookcloserattheterm“crisis”,lookingathowitisusedindifferentcontexts.Initsmedicalcontext,acrisisrefers to a phase of severe suffering, symptomatic of a major dysfunction of the body, attheendofwhichthebodywilleitherrecoverorstopworking.Initspoliticalcontext,a crisis refers to a crucial moment where radical decisions have to be taken - decisions thathavethepotentialtosplitsociety.Appliedtotheenergycrisis,immediatedecisionsareneededtoavoidafuturelikelysymptomaticcrisis.Thoughanumberofpeoplearealready facing energy problems, such energy-related sufferings are merely precursors of afarmoreextensivesystemiccrisisofamuchgreaterdimension.Thoughrisingenergycostsarestartingtoputpressureonthebudgetsoflow-incomehouseholds,thesizeofthiscohort-the“fuelpoor”-remainsrelativelysmall.Thesymptomaticcrisisofanener-gyshortagethreateningthewholeofsocietyremainsjustonthehorizon.Thoughallofthese fuel poor, workers losing out in the global competition for energy as well as other climate refugees, are already experiencing a crisis, without any revolt on their part or the emergence of other symptoms, there is little chance of their local crises turning into a majorsystemiccrisis.

Asaconsequence,theuseoftheterm“crisis”suffersfromatwofolddiscrepancy.Onthe one hand we have the solutions coming from the so-called experts2.Thesesolutionstend to be far-sweeping and step-by-step, and have little impact on the demands of the fuelpooralreadyfacinga(specificandurgent)crisis.Ontheotherhand,theimminentcrisisforecastbytheexpertsdoesnottieinwiththeexperienceofthe“fuelrich”.Ourpaperfocusesonthisseconddiscrepancy,i.e.betweenthosepredictingthecrisisandthose not experiencing it, and the need to provide information on its nature and how it will

1Anintensificationofthe“doublebind”conceptfoundinpsychology.Adoublebindisanemotionallydist-ressingdilemmaincommunicationinwhichanindividual(orgroup)receivestwoormoreconflictingmes-sages,inwhichonemessagenegatestheother.Thiscreatesasituationinwhichasuccessfulresponsetoone message results in a failed response to the other (and vice versa), so that the person will automatically bewrongregardlessofresponse.Thedoublebindoccurswhenthepersoncannotconfronttheinherentdilemma,andthereforecanneitherresolveitnoroptoutofthesituation.

2Theterm“expert”isusedheretodesignateprofessionalswithspecificprovenknowledgeandpersonalexperience:scientists,engineers,technocrats,urbanplanners,localofficials,journalists,etc.Thoughthenotionofexpertcanextendtoprofaneexpertise,wewillsticktoitsclassicaluse(seeCastra2010).


affecthouseholds.Wewillbefocusingonlow-incomehouseholdslivingintheoutersub-urbs, termed “periurban” areas in France, as this is where the pressure is already being felt.Indeed,manyoftheseneighbourhoodshavealreadybeendesignatedasvulnerablein the face of the energy threat, and a number of their low-income inhabitants are expe-riencingindividualeconomicdifficulties,evenresultinginthemmovingaway.Thesedif-ficultiesaregreatlyimpairingtheirlong-termlifestrategiesandhavinganegativeeffectonthewholeneighbourhoodeconomy.Buttheseconstraintsarenotexperiencedasanenergycrisis,i.e.acrisiswhosemaingroundsareperceivedtobeenergeticprocesses.

2 Resolving the energy “crisis” in neighbourhoods hit by population shrinkage: local and non-local attitudes

Discourseonenergy-relatedissuesdiffersfromoneneighbourhoodtothenext.Housingestatesmadeupofdetachedhousesareaprimaryconcernforexperts.Suchhouses,builtbeforetheadoptionofthefirstthermalregulations(1974inFrance)arecharacte-risedbytheirparticularlylowenergyefficiencyandhighcardependency.Theplanningof energy-efficient neighbourhoods foresees large-scale energy-related refurbishmentmeasuresandmajorinnovationinthefieldsoftransportationandenergyproduction,butalso major constraints on future construction in these allegedly unsustainable neighbour-hoods.

Two further trends hindering the execution of such programmes can be identified incertain neighbourhoods: the economic recession and demographic change in terms of ageingandpopulationshrinkage.Thesetwodevelopments, independentofthefutureenergy crisis, are already evident on both a local and regional scale, and their combina-tion is fuelling various forms of urban decline, though not as much in France as in other European countries, with the exception of the former mining and industrial regions and insmalltowns(Wolffandal.2013).Inattemptingtosolvetheenergyequationintheseshrinking areas, energy experts lack the leverage of a dynamic economy and have to adapttoatypicaldemographicstructures.

Considering the economic and demographic crises as parameters of the energy issue ischaracteristicofasectorialapproachthatabstractsfromaspecificneighbourhood‘smosttangibleandpressingneeds.Givingprioritytotheupcomingenergycrisisanditsnational and global repercussions is characteristic of the high-handed attitude of experts modelling a neighbourhood without actually living there, and thus ignoring the individual needs of residents, people with deep-going spatial roots resulting from years of resi-dence.Suchanattitudecontrastswith theprioritiesof local residentsor theirelectedrepresentatives.

Theseareexperiencingtheeconomicanddemographiccrisesatfirsthand,withoutanypossibilityofsubstitutingtheirplaceofresidenceforabstractspaces.Wewouldliketojuxtapose these two attitudes, showing how they lead to different representation and ac-tionframeworks,i.e.thethree-pillarschemeofsustainabledevelopmentupheldbythenon-localenergyexperts,andwhatweterma“triplebind”forlocalresidents.Indeed,thediscrepancybetweenthesetwoattitudesitselfconstitutesoneelementofthistriplebind.


Ouranalysisisbasedondeskandliteratureresearchandaninterview-basedsurvey.Thedeskandliteratureresearchisusedtosummarizethemultiplediscoursesonperi-urbanneighbourhoods,allowingustocharacterizethenon-localattitudeoftheexperts,the media and urban elites on the concept of sustainable development and its applicati-ontoenergyissuesinaperiurbancontext(firstpart).Ourdeskresearchalsorevealsacounter-expert discourse strengthening the attitude of local residents with regard to the desirabilityandlegitimacyofaperiurban/semi-ruralwayoflife.Thisdiscourseresultsinourdefininga“triplebind”experiencedbylocalhouseholds(secondpart).Basedonthesecondary exploitation of a survey on the daily life and the long-term prospects of peri-urbanneighbourhoods(Motte-Baumvolandal.2012),thesehouseholdsarelookedatingreaterdetail.Usingasemi-structuredquestionnaire,weinterviewed28low-incomehouseholds in periurban neighbourhoods in the east of Paris and in the east of Dijon in Burgundy.Inthispaper,wewillbesummarisingthelocalcontextoftheconstraintsfacedby such households - termed the “triple bind” - in the form of extracts from interviews uponwhichthesefirstfindingsarebased.

3 “Sustainable development” versus the periurban energy threat

Despite a lot of criticism and the existence of alternative paradigms, the three-pillar con-cept of sustainable development, pushed by international environmental organisations, hasestablisheditselfasthemainwayofanalysingtheenergycrisis.The2008peakinfuel prices and the 2013 national debate on the energy transition saw energy regaining itsplaceasasignificantcrisisfactor,intheambiguoussenseofforecastdysfunctionscallingforimmediatedecisions.Theoverallrestructuringofwaysofgenerating,distribu-ting and using energy impacts the whole of any industrialised society on account of the massiveinvestmentvolumesneedingtobefinanced.However,thedebategoesbeyondtechnicalandeconomicconsiderations.Largenumbersarebeingencouragedtoinvestin energy-related refurbishment and to adapt to new technologies, from “eco-gestures” to acceptanceofthenuclearrisk,viathetransformationofthelandscape.Inaddition,en-ergy increasing use boosts GHG emissions, the ecological threat with the widest media coverage.Socialandenvironmentalissuesthusentertheeconomicdebate.Thethreepillars of sustainable development then provide the energy crisis with an allegedly ade-quateontology-i.e.certainactorsandsubjectsasnon-negotiableentities(Wallenborn2008).Aswith theglobal negotiationsonmitigatingandadapting to climate change,the public debate on energy is structured around the three pillars of sustainable deve-lopment: competitiveness, i.e. the economic growth of political regions and industrialsectors;well-being,i.e.socialacceptancebyeachsocialgroupandtheconservationofnaturalresourcesandconditionsoflifeforfuturegenerations,i.e.environmentalprotec-tionasdefinedbyitseco-spokespeople(includingcurrentandfutureclimaterefugees).Morespecifically,theenergydebate3focusesonthreeissues:energyefficiencyinvest-mentsasstimuluspolicy,decarbonisingagainstclimatechangeand thefightagainstfuelpoverty.

Theresultisthat,inthecurrentnegotiationsontheenergycrisis,alargenumberofplay-

3 See:Conseilnationaldudébat(2013),Synthèsedestravauxdudébatnationalsurlatransitionéner-gétiquedelaFrance,présentéeparleConseilnationaldudébat,18juillet2013,32p.URL:http://www.transition-energetique.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/synthese_dnte_18_juillet_2013.pdf


ers, including the expert elites based in city centres and with little empathy for periurban life, are showing media concern for periurban households, stamping them as major en-ergyconsumersthatareunfitforenergyefficiency,GHGemittersandpotentialfuelpoor.

Riddenwithconflict,thisconcernclearlyputstheblamefornationalorglobalvulnera-bility on the periurban population - a cohort emitting twice as much CO2 for commuting astheirurbancounterparts(LevyandLeJeannic2011).Thisfindinghasmuchmoresymbolic power than any other moderating measures, such as taking all forms of travel (including long distance travel) into account or differentiating more between the types of spaces considered4.Insistingsolelyoncommutertravelwouldbejustifiedbyitslocallyrestricted nature5.Sparselypopulatedregionswillfinditverydifficulttoadapttoenergyscarcity,andwillinthelongrunbecomeunsustainable.Thisdamningconclusionhowe-ver takes neither possible radical changes in the business landscape nor the deployment ofnew“energygeographies”(Bridgeandal.2013)intoaccount.Thelatterrefertospar-selypopulatedareaswiththepotentialtoachieveacertainenergyefficiency(autonomy)andotheradvantagesoutofthereachofurbanagglomerations(Ménard2011).

Analysesofperiurbanenergyperformancedonotallfocusonthethreattheyconstitute.Looked at from a more benevolent perspective, other experts point to the vulnerability of periurbanhouseholds,focusingontheirfinancialexpenditureandlookingattheshareof their budgets earmarked for energy and their exposure to any rise in energy prices (Motte-Baumvolandal.2012;Desjardins2013).Translatedintotheuseoflocalsubsi-dies to each needy household and not into a condemnation of their choice of residence (Rosales-Montano 2010), such an approach extends the concept of energy precarious-nesstothewholerangeofenergyconsumption,whetherusedathome(Devalière2009)orincommuting.However,travelintensitydoesnotnecessarilyconstituteasocio-eco-nomicproblem.Themoretenuousrelationshipbetweenmobilityindicatorsandasitua-tion of energy poverty leads us to attach more weight to energy vulnerability factors in-steadoftonon-existingpersonalindicatorsofenergypoverty(JouffeandMassot2013).Whilethefightagainstenergypovertyinthefieldofhousinglendsitselftoindividualisedsubsidies,thescaleofenergyvulnerabilityiscalculatedataterritoriallevel.However,flexibilisationofthelabourmarketandthetrendtowardsnewfamilyconstellationscon-stitute non-territorial factors of much greater weight than a household‘s expenditure on fuel for commuting. Forward-looking energy scenarioswould similarly identify furtherdestabilising interdependencies outside the scope of a given territory (Barthe and Milian 2012;ChancelandSaujot2013;TheysandVidalenc2013).Insteadoftheseanalyticap-proaches,thebenevolentapproachtofightingenergyvulnerabilityplaysamajorroleincondemningcertainterritories-i.e.periurbanandruralareas-,givingprioritytoenergytransition investments targeting densely populated areas such as suburban neighbour-hoodsmoreeasytoreachbypublictransport.

4 For instance, a resident of a non-Paris suburb or even of a small town will emit practically the same amountofCO2(1.4-1.5t)forlocaltravelasaresidentofsuchperiurbanorruralareas(1.5-1.8t),withtheexceptionofthoselivingontheoutskirtsofmajormetropolitanregions(withmorethan0.5millionin-habitants)(2t).Inthesamevein,anyonenotlivinginParisitself(1.3t),inthecentreofalargemetropolis(1.5t)orontheoutskirtsthereof(2.8t)willnormallyemit1.7-2.2tonnesofCO2equivalentsforlocalandlong-distancetravel(Longuarandal.2010).Sparselypopulatedareasremaintheoneswiththehighestenergyconsumption,inarelationof1to1.3.

5Forsome50%ofperiurbanorruralhouseholdsthereisnoalternativetousingacartogettowork,asopposedto30%ofhouseholdsinprovincialsuburbs,20%ofcitycentrehouseholdsand10%intheParismetropolis(Bleuzeandal.2009).


Thewayoflifepracticedbyperiurbaniteswouldthusseemtoconstituteathreat,bothforothersandfortheresidentsthemselves.Thesewarningsinthefieldofenergyarepartofadiscoursecriticisingsuchareasmoregenerally.Theacademicandexpertdebatecomes up with a modulated condemnation of urban sprawl, ranging from the unchallen-geable hegemony of density (Lévy 2012) to the innovative capacity of “inter-territorial spaces”(Vanier2012)inthe“emergingcity”(CharmesandLéger2009).Thoughperi-urban areas show great (Cailly and Dodier 2007) and often virtuous diversity (Hilal and al.2012)andyetarenotthatdifferentfromurbanones(Charmes2007),negativeatti-tudes would seem to dominate among planning specialists who seem united in praising thevirtuesofurbandensity.Thisdiscourseanditsvariousregulatoryfacetscentreoncondemning cars as the root evil of periurban and urban spatial management in terms of sealingthesoil,congestion,thelackofroadsafety,noiseandairpollution(FNAUandGART2002).Theelitesinthemajorcitiespromotelarge-scaleplanningwiththemselvesatthecentre.Thisautomaticallyleadsthemtorejectthelessdenseformsofperiurbansettlementplannedatalocalscale(Charmes2009).

Both elites and planners level criticism at periurban forms of living, upholding the three pillars of sustainable development. In terms of financial and environmental cost, ob-jectiveweaknessesand risks (e.g. the lower thermalefficiencyofadetachedhouse,the costs of urban networks, the level of soil sealing due to houses and roads) provide sufficientammunitionto thetechnocrats(Calvet2010).Complementingall this,socialcriticism of periurban life focuses on the highly publicised though contested extreme right-wingpolitical leaningsofperiurbanites(RipollandRivière2007),aswellasonaclusteringofthewealthy(Charmes2009),segregationofthepoor(Cartierandal.2009)andtheconfinement/isolationofvulnerablehouseholds(Rougé2007).Finally,acertaintraditionalism in the photos taken of such neighbourhoods helps spread such criticism of theperiurbanwayoflife.Apartfromaerialphotosshowingthelackoflandplanning,thephotos tend to highlight a priori negative aspects: rows and rows of houses all looking thesame,soullessareasandnosignsoflife(BardotandDevisme2013).Relatedtoen-ergy in a broad sense, the widespread criticism of the periurban way of life upholds the three dimensions of sustainable development as three constraints putting a damper on the periurban lifestyle and its use of energy: ecological limits (sealing of the soil, energy wastage, car-related pollution), economic constraints (car dependency costs, congested centres, residential captivity), and social fragmentation (social grouping, the lack of soli-darity,andsegregationorevenconfinement).

4 From the expert counter-discourse on “near-the-city rural life”

Atthesametime,severalstakeholders-expertsbutalsoperiurbanites-arepromotingapro-ruraldiscourselegitimisingaperiurbanterritoryinitsspatialformsandlifestyles.Thestigmatisationofperiurbanlifestylesbyexpertsisbeingcontradictedbyasimilarlyexpertdiscourse focusedon itssocial legitimacy.Thiscounter-discourse isbasedonlocalsubjectivityandalternativecontextsobjectivisingsustainability.Residentsnaturallyside with this counter-discourse with a view to consolidating local attitudes in the face of the“triplebind”constraints.

Thisalternativeviewisupheldbystakeholderssimilartothosecondemningtheprevalent


viewandbyeveryoneplanning,designingorusingsuchneighbourhoods.Thealternati-ve discourse centres on house ownership as a normal and legitimate aspiration, even if itmeansusingacartoaccesshighdensityareas(Bossé,DevismeandDumont2007).Household rationality is put forward to underline the individual and collective virtues of these spaces (including such often unrecognised aspects as the urbanity and social life inshoppingmalls).Moreover,suchrationalityisupheldbysociallogicinitselfgroundedin material infrastructures and which continue to fostering the joint development of peri-urbanlifestylesandforms.Thelegitimationofperiurbanitedecisionscanthusbeseenasareminderofthepowerorinevitabilityofthisformofspatialdevelopment.Thecon-clusion of this discourse is that it is impossible to return to city-dwelling, an impossibility compensatedbyspecificinnovationinperiurbanspaces(CharmesandLéger2009).

Legitimation of a periurban lifestyle as a major trend in the transformation of our cities (Donzelot2004) isbasedonthespatialanddemographicquantificationofneighbour-hoodsdesignatedasperiurban(Charmes2009).Butitisalsosupportedbythespreadofitslifestyleandvaluesbeyondthebordersofsuchneighbourhoods.Forinstance,themajorityofFrenchhouseholdsareowner-occupiers(58.6%in2012accordingtoaNa-tional Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies / INSEE survey) and two-thirds live in privateaccommodation(INSEE,2013).Indeed,tothisdaypeoplesettinguphomeinaperiurbansingle-familyhouseenjoyasocialstatusbasedonaptitudesacquiredinsimi-lar residential situations and in line with a widespread model of upward socio-residential mobility(Debroux2013).Althoughhighpriority isattachedtoowner-occupancy,othercriteriaalsoexist(Bonnet2013).Aboveall,home-ownershipisfavouredonaccountoftheindependenceitprovidesinthefaceofsocialchange(Raymondandal.2002[1966]).Looked at from the perspective of residents, the normative value of this type of housing seemstobeassociatedwiththeequilibriumitconfers,offeringspatialprivacyandthebenefit of easy accessibility to both the city and the surrounding countryside (Cailly2007).Thevalueofsucharesidentialsituationisseenindependentlyofanyecologicalcriteria (ibidem), as is the case of the home‘s day-to-day energy consumption (Flamand andRoudil2013). Inaddition, thecostofperiurbanmobility isnot taken intoaccountwhen considering residential strategies and does not seem to be an item of discussion onceahouseholdhasmovedin.Indeed,theenvironmentaleffectofsuchmobilityhaslittleimpactonthevalueassociatedwiththedwelling(Baudelleandal.2004).

Facedwithanenergycrisisdefinedunderthepremisesofsustainabledevelopment,thediscourse in favour of a periurban lifestyle puts forward innovative technological measu-resandmarginalmodificationstoperiurbanspatialformsassolutions.Theeffortnee-ded to counteract the negative aspects of periurban life can thus contribute to giving some legitimacy back to such neighbourhoods6.Theresidentsofsuchneighbourhoodshavedifficulty regarding themselvesasperiurbanites,preferring toqualify themselvesashavingaruralidentityandwayoflife(Charmes2009).Theauthorsofthiscounter-discourse on periurban spaces use the term “rurban” (or even “peri-rural”) to describe

6AswitnessedbythecallforresearchproposalslaunchedbythePlanUrbanismeConstructionAr-chitecturein2011underthetitle“Dupériurbainàl’urbain”(Fromtheperiurbantotheurban)(URL:http://rp.urbanisme.equipement.gouv.fr/puca/consultations/AO_Periurbain_2011.pdf)orthesecondmeetingsoftheForumdesViesMobiles(2013)underthetitle“Réhabiliterlepériurbain.Commentvivreetbougerdurablement dans ces territoires?” (Revitalising periurban neighbourhoods: Sustainable forms of living and mobility)(URL:http://fr.forumviesmobiles.org/meeting/2013/07/04/sous-stereotypes-et-representations-quelle-realite-parle-t-1001)


them, in an attempt to conceptually disassociate them from urbanites in line with such objective characteristics as the fact that one-third of periurbanites do not actually work in thecitystatisticallydefiningtheirperiurbanstatus(ibidem).Inadditiontothisattempttoreclassify periurban life, the technical effort of relative conformation claims to stand up for a lifestyle demonstrating a capacity to improve and innovate, thus somewhat dam-peningtheassessmentsofexperts.Butthemainforceofthiscounter-discourseliesinthecombinationof twopowerful socio-historical processes.On theonehand,home-ownership offers households a form of security, while on the other hand it well suits anaffluentsocietydependentonthedevelopmentofresource-consumingactivities.Aperiurban way of life - or rather a rural life close to the city - is thus seen in a perspective diametrically opposite to the expert discourse: far from being vulnerable, such a lifestyle guaranteessecurity;suchneighbourhoodsarenotunsustainablefringesbutcentresofanunsustainableeconomy.

5 To the “triple bind” experienced by households

The expert discourse on the unsustainability of periurban lifestyles and the counter-discourse put forward by other experts and the periurbanites themselves symbolically definetwoopposingandcontradictoryforcesweighingdownoneachandeveryperiur-banhousehold.Fromtheperspectiveofcash-strappedhouseholds living inperiurbanneighbourhoods, these forces add to economic constraints to constitute a local “triple bind”,reflectingthethreepressuresputforwardbynon-localexpertsintheirdefinitionofsustainabledevelopment.Theinterviewsweconductedwithresidentsconfirmtheperti-nenceofthis“triplebind”asaverymuchlocalattitude.

These pressures have no effect whatsoever on the “financial constraints” facinghouseholds, especially those having to make do on low incomes: the high cost of energy and resources in general, coupled with a possible loss of neighbourhood attractiveness as shops and services move away, and declining property values leading to residential captivity.Tosatisfy theirhealthandsocialneeds,periurbanhouseholdshave todealwithvariousmaterial,financialandphysiologicalconstraints.Inparticular,elderlypeopleonlowpensionsarethreatenedphysically,financiallyandsocially,becomingincreasin-glyisolated.Thesumtotalofthesematerialconstraints(old-agedependency,financialprecariousness,socialisolation,etc.)acquiresanaddeddimensionwhenlivinginalow-density, car-dependent, periurban neighbourhood. Periurban low-income householdstend to give this material viability and its translation in budgetary terms priority, far more sothananyecologicalconsiderations,asreflectedintheinterviewswithresidents:

“It‘s quite political [car sharing], I don‘t think it‘s that common these days. Not at all. I don‘t think people think: Well, Let’s take just one car instead of two, we won‘t be causing so much pollution. What I think they‘ll be saying is: With fuel prices this high, it‘s an intere-sting option. I think that‘s how people think.“ Vincent,58yearsold,married,foreman,haslivedontheoutskirtsofDijonsince1983.

Theprimacyofeconomicconstraintstendstokeeptheexpertdiscourseinperspectiveandtodisqualifyanymanagementoftheenergycrisisnottakingaccountofthem.


6 Social experience and ethics of dwelling

Besides the undeniable material constraint, symbolic forces in the two opposing dis-courses on periurban life totally replace the two other pressures, i.e. ecological andsocialones.The“ecologicallimits”upheldbysustainabledevelopmentdonotappearassuchtothehouseholdsinquestion,beingseeninsteadasintangibleandfundamentallyabstract,astheyareassociatedwithaglobalenvironmentdefinedbyexperts.Theeco-logicallimitsarenotseeninthemselvesbutviaadiscourseonecologicalrequirementscoming from experts - as illustrated by the following extracts from our interviews:

“We never got used to it... apart from using the school bus when we were younger ... [my husband] had a motor bike... Personally I took the bus until I was 20 to get to school... But after that, ... never again! That‘s not right, I suppose.“

Butwhyisn‘titright?„I‘m not green, but... It‘s not green. They keep on telling us: Take the bus, use public transport.“ Céline, 34 years old, married, 3 children, child-minder, has lived on the outs-kirtsofDijonsinceshewasachild.

Theexpertsandotherparticipantsinthisecologicaldiscourseusuallyliveinthesameurban areas as those where the technocratic institutions, government agencies, political decision-makingcentres,universitiesandmassmediaaretobefound.Theseareareaswhere not many members of the lower-income socio-professional categories live, in con-trasttotheperiurbanareaswheretheyareover-represented(Mischi2013).Moreover,the in-migration of skilled members of the middle classes into periurban neighbourhoods maypossiblyseesuchpeopletakinguppositionsofpowerinlocalpolitics.Bydoingso,they will be usurping the power of the local working classes, a number of whom were entitledtoparticipateinlocalpoliticsonaccountoftheirlocalroots(ibidem).Localresi-dents’ spatial distance to the urban experts, and in many cases their social distance to local experts, comes on top of their cultural distance to every kind of technocratic exper-tise.Theecologists‘callforanabstractenvironmentthathasnothingatallincommonwith the actual experience of low-income periurbanites is not even mediated by their socialexperience.

Similarly, the counter-discourse focusing on the desirability of living in a periurban / se-mi-rural area acts as a substitute for the spectre of “social disintegration” threatening urbanityanddemocracy.Periurbanitesvaluetheirhousingsituation inthat itprovidesa framework for positive experiences, not solely corresponding to a model of upward socio-residentialmobility (Debroux2013). Incontrast to thesupposedconfinement inspaces without any urbanity, such a housing situation can be seen as supporting a truly social experience at a local level, as explained by one resident:

“We know all our neighbours here. It‘s a village. OK, once you‘ve got to know them, you get on well with them or you don‘t get on well with them. But that‘s a different matter. The main thing is that one knows one’s neighbours, that one knows three-quarters of the village‘s inhabitants. Perhaps you might not have noticed it because you‘re only passing through, but this is a village where even people who don‘t know each other greet you in the street. You can walk down the street, you meet people, you pass the time of day,


even if you don‘t know each other, even if they don‘t know you whether you live here or elsewhere ... This is especially the case when the sun is shining. But it‘s something that really struck us when we first moved here, even coming from Maisons-Alfort. People there were like robots, walking with their eyes glued to their feet, whereas people here, they stop and say ‘hello’. […] What we also liked here was the fact that we were seen as individuals, not just one more resident in an apartment block, one more inhabitant of the city. Here, each one feels that one fully is a person.” Anna,41yearsold,married,2children,housewife,haslivedintheperiurbanSeine-et-Marneareasince1998.

Similarly,participationinlocalcommunityandpoliticallifeallowsspecificrecognitionto-tallydistinctfrombusinessandurbanlife(Debroux2013).Thispositiveexperiencealsohas a social dimension when the periurban housing situation becomes a way of adjusting social interaction to different spatial scales, ranging from privacy to accessibility (Cailly 2007).Thedownsideofthisdiscourseinfavourofperiurban/semi-rurallifeisthere-quirementtofitinwiththenormscommontosuchneighbourhoodsandshapedbylocalandsocialexperience.

The twodiscoursesaffecthouseholds in tworelatedsymbolicdimensions: thenormsdictated by social experience are boosted by the discourse in favour of periurban life, while the ecological demands come up against an ethical dimension basically built on socialexperienceinthefaceofmaterialneeds.Thisethicaldimensionisthusinfluencedbytheimmediateenvironmentwithitssocio-historicalramifications,actingbothasthesettingforaresident‘ssociallifeandasaneconomicresource,asaforestmaybe.Farfromtheabstractenvironmentthatexistsbehindanelectricitysocketorafillingstation,the environmental ethics involved in living in a periurban and/or rural setting often reveal asensitiveandcommon-senserelationshiptonature(CharmesandLéger2009;Blanc2010), as illustrated by the following extracts from our interviews:

“In addition, there‘s the nature surrounding us. With woods right next to us, we can take the dog out for a walk, or go for a cycle ride without any ado. And then there‘s the aspect that the kids don‘t grow up surrounded by concrete and can cycle to school without a pro-blem”.Anthony,40yearsold,married,3children,policeman,haslivedintheperiurbanregioneastofParissince1998.

“No one will ever go back. People don‘t want to go back because you can really get ahead here. Because they‘ve been raised in an atmosphere of getting on in life, with all facilities available. And there are so many people who can‘t have their wood cabin with a garden. Just imagine what would happen if each of the 8 million Parisians had his own wood cabin and a garden. We would need acres and acres of land. 8 million gardens .... it‘s just not possible. In the US you‘ve got cities with 16 - 18 million inhabitants - you just can‘t let everyone have their own wood cabin in a garden. It‘s impossible. OK, we‘ve got our own garden. But we are fortunate. […] Myself, I‘m a great fan of ecology, I love living out in the country. But you wouldn‘t find me living like an Amish ... I like to be able to watch TV ... surf the Web […] You know, so much is spoken about ecology, but at some stage you come to a point of no return.” Vincent,58yearsold,married,aforeman,haslivedontheoutskirtsofDijonsince1983.


Thethreemainlymaterialconstraintsofsustainabledevelopmentthusleaveroomforanother kind of “triple bind” from a household perspective:

• inthefieldofmaterialneeds:risingenergypricesthreateningthewholeeconomy, or even the survival, of a neighbourhood,

• inthefieldofsocialexperience:thesocialneedtoadheretoperiurban/semi-rural norms, and

• in thefieldofethicsofdwelling:ecological requirementsonbehalfofanabstract environment.

Attheendoftheday,therealityofthis“triplebind”resultsintensionsbetweenurbanitesand periurbanites, between experts and laypersons, between inhabitants with local atti-tudesandtheothers.Thesetensionsbetweensubjectivitiesrequiretolooksubjectivelyat the energy crisis, on top of looking at it from the normative and objective perspective of sustainabledevelopment.Inattemptingtoimposenon-negotiableexpertise,sustainabledevelopment loses the legitimacy it has gained through inter-institutional negotiation.Generallyspeaking,itwouldseemdifficultforanyhouseholdtoseeanysenseinparti-cipating - in a role upholding for instance the social dimension - in a form of sustainable developmenttotallyoutsideitsexperience.Seeninamorepragmaticlight,ahouseholdwill as far as possible shape the material, social and ethical dimensions of the energy crisisanditsassociatedconstraintstoitsownneedsandexperience.

7Reflectingonlocalattitudestothis“triplebind”asatriggertoini- tiate local action

The “triplebind”weighingdownon the low-income residentsofperiurbanneighbour-hoods similarly constrains households living in declining neighbourhoods and more par-ticularlythoseconcurrentlyconfrontedwithlowenergyefficiency,recession,populationageingandshrinkage.Suchconstraints-notjustfinancialbutalsodemographic-corre-spond to the severest material pressures experienced by periurban households, and can leadtohouseholdsconsideringmovingawayfromtheneighbourhoodasafinalsolutionsymbolising failure.Out-migrationandpopulationshrinkageconstitute the twosides-one individual, the other collective - of the same coin, an extreme situation that residents willdoeverythingtoavoid.Andwhentheyareforcedtomoveaway,theyavoidmovingto densely populated areas, preferring instead to move to close-by secondary centres, allowingthemtomaintaintheirproximitytosupportnetworks(Motte-Baumvol2007).Aperiurbanlifestyle,definedbymaterialneedsandsocialexperience,takeslittleaccountofecologicalrequirements(Moussaoui2007),apartfromrareactivistpositions(FlamandandRoudil2013),forthemostpartadoptedwhensurvivalisatstake.Thisfindingrela-tedtoindividuals(Bartiauxandal.2006)seemsalsocollectivelyapplicabletoshrinkingcities(Gamberini2011).

Without excluding the possibility of a common appropriation of economic, social and ecological stakes by residents and actors7 , the “triple bind” seems to be a more relevant

7SeeIssueNo.75(2013/3)ofMouvements,Latransition,uneutopieconcrète?.URL:http://www.cairn.info/revue-mouvements-2013-3.htm.Consultedon16January2014.


framework than sustainable development for understanding the priorities attached to the measurestakenbyresidents,localauthoritiesandtheirofficials,whetherelectedornot.Theadoptionofsuchanattitudeisagreathelpintakingseriouslythelegitimacyofthesubjective discourses of local residents, valuing their knowledge of the neighbourhood and their ways of doing things (Flamand and Roudil 2013) and freeing up their innova-tivenessinthefaceoftheuncertaintiesvoicedbytheexperts.Lookingatthingsfroma local perspective is a way to prevent the experts neutralising the logic - and thus the action-oflocalresidents.Inthefaceofthewidegapbetweenexpertsandlocalresi-dents, the institutional transformation of the technical infrastructures of everyday life puts greater priority on achieving the passive support of users, something which is proving to beaproblem(Briceandal.2012).Neverthelesstheiractiveparticipationisa sine qua nonforanyeco-mutationoftheirlifestyles.

Themultiplicationofsubjectivestatementsontheenergycrisisanditsconcreteconstel-lations is helping promote environmental justice, acknowledging the diversity of lifestyles and fostering theautonomyof localneighbourhoods. Inparticular, it canhelpprotectthe“fuel-poor”fromasymbolic,orevenmaterial,vulnerabilityvis-à-vistechnocraticin-stitutions(Laurent2011;WalkerandDay2012).Electedlocalgovernmentofficialsarewell-placed to defend recognition of such neighbourhood diversity, though local public measurestendtostiflelocalcreativitythroughanoverdoseoftechnical,sectorialandnormativemanagement (Angot2013).Reconciling thevoicesheardandchartingdif-ferent paths to achieve certain ecological goals are a further possibility open to local communities(Bourezandal.2013),themainpartnersforsatisfyingthematerialneedsoflocalresidents,buildingupsocialexperienceandconsolidatingethicsofdwelling.

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Build In My Back Yard experiments (BIMBY) – from noticing the be-nefits for everyone to a negotiated urban planning. Redensification of detached housing areas in the Eure Department (UpperNormandie), a negotiated utopia?

MichelRousset,CAUEdel‘Eure,Evreux

„La réduction de l‘habitat à un produit financier est le couronnement d‘un saccage,voire d‘un anéantissement dans les esprits de ce qu‘est véritablement l‘habiterdans la plénitu-de de ses dimensions ontologique et anthropologique.“

(„The reduction of housing environment to a financial product is the crowning of a de-vastation, even a destruction in the spirits of what it is really living in the plenitude of its entire ontological and anthropological dimensions.“)

Jean Paul LOBES, Treaty of wild architecture, Manifest for a situated architecture, EditionsduSextant,October2010.

1PresentationofCAUE27

TheCAUE27(Councilofarchitecture,urbanplanningandenvironmentoftheEurede-partment) is a French association which gives advices, raises awareness, supplies infor-mation and leads trainings about architecture, urban planning and landscape to regional authorities,publicadministration,clients,professionalsandprivateindividuals.Itactsonthescaleofadepartment.Itsmissionalsoincludesthedevelopmentoftheparticipationofthepublic.Asstructureofpublicinterest,itismainlyfundedbyataxonbuildingper-missions.

2TheBIMBYactionsconductedbyCAUE27

The“BuildInMyBackyard”(BIMBY)researchprogramconcernedthepotentialofdensi-ficationandregenerationofsuburbanareaswiththeprospectlimitingtheurbansprawl.Itaimedinparticularatdefiningtheconditionsofdevelopmentofanewofferofresidenceswithin districts of habitat mainly made up of houses, without to modify the nature of these neighbourhoods.

MainlyfinancedbytheNationalAgencyofResearch(ANR),theprogramwascontrolledbytheNormandyCenterofTechnicalStudiesoftheEquipment(CETE). It joinedto-gethertheIle-de-FranceCETE,researchlaboratories(LATTSandRIVES),schoolsofarchitecture (ENSA3MarseillesandParisBelleville), theRouen-Elbeuf-Austrebertheurbancommunity(CREA),theSaint-Quentin-in-Yvelinescommunity(CASQY)andtheCAUE27.


Inthisprogram,themissionassignedtoCAUE27includedtwotasks.Thesetaskswillbepresentedinthefollowingtwochapters(chapter2.1,2.2).TheCAUE27completeditsactionwithanexhibition(chapter2.3).

2.1 Managing a future scenario with tools of urban planningThefirst taskof themissionentrusted to theCAUE27consisted in thestudyof legaltools and favourable governance procedures to the detached housing areas regenerati-on.Forthismission,CAUE27engagedtheconsultingsocietyLogiville(ThierryVilmin),whichisspecialisedinsocio-economicaspectsofurbandevelopment.Thestudyofthelegislative texts, the observation of the current practices and the conversations with the localactorsallowedtodefinerecommendationsonsubjectssovariedastheregulationoftownplanning,theplotsdivisionsorconsolidations,orthehousingestates.

2.2 Managing local experimentsThesecondtaskwastheimplementationofinsituexperiments.Theexperimentshadthree objectives:

• create a common project capable of combining the general interest and particular projects

• definetheconditionsfortherealizationofanadaptedurbanprojectofdensification,in particular the necessary professional evolutions

• draw up methods to create a favourable common culture for the development of such a project

Figure1:Idealizedvisionoftheoperationsofthickening


Toworkontheseobjectives,threeengineeringconsultingfirmswereengaged:Métropo-le-Architecture-Paysage,Boidot-Robin-ArchitectesandLesateliersd’AvreetIton.FromMay to November 2012, the projects were carried out in four municipalities in the Eure department, with kind cooperation of the following municipalities: Heudebouville, Les Andelys,Pont-AudemerandSaint-Aquilin-de-Pacy.

2.3 Exploitation of experiments After thiswork, theCAUE27realisedof itsowninitiativeanexposurenamed:“Whichdevelopmentfordetachedhousingestates?”ItpresentedtheCAUE27’spointofviewondensificationofdetachedhousingareas.Thisexhibitionhadthreeaims:• attracttheattentionofthevisitoronquestionswhichseemedunavoidableforusin

theprecedentreflection• implementanykindofpublicpolicythat isaimedonthedensificationofdetached

housing estates• tryouttheinnovationsproposedbyCAUE27hadtobeproven,regardingtolawsand

rulesaswellasonaspectsofgovernance.

TheexposurepresentsthecrucialfactorsofthefourexperimentsundertakenintheEuredepartment.

TheCAUE27encouragesonanationallevelthenetworkofCAUEsthatareinterestedindensificationofdetachedhousingareasandintheinhabitantsparticipation.ThecompleteactionplanisavailableonthehomepageofCAUE27(www.caue27.fr).

3PositionofCAUE27withregardtoaBIMBY“shortpath”

BIMBY, “I build in my back yard” is not a isola-tedproject.It isconnectedto“youcontributetothe arrival of new inhabitants“, to “he helps us to build in our backyards” and to “together, we createtheneighbourhoodoftomorrow”.

We are far from promoting a short path in our approach!Werecommendalwaysapatientcon-struction and a permanent renovation of the links between owners in an area, politicians and pro-fessionalurbanplanners.

Figure2:PosteroftheexposuremadebytheCAUE27


Theexperiments ledduring the researchand,now, the accompanimentof the localapproachs make it possible to our team to unceasingly renew our advices and our pro-posals for a method :

• How are detached housing areas developing under the pressure of the real estate market?

• Which mutation should be the objective for detached housing areas?• Which role is assigned to the local community to support the initiatives of the inhabitants?

Figure3:Notcontrolledoperationsofthickening,IlIustrationoftheriskoflowurbanqualitythatnotcont-rolled operations of thickening can generate

ThefollowingchaptersdealwithcautionsandlimitationsoftheBIMBYapproach(chapter3.1-3.3)andproposefurtheractionplansforamoresuccessfulimplementation(chapter3.4-3.6).


3.1 Limitations of a parcel approach supported by bimby.frCut up a plot in sections may disrupt the urban structure and lead to the formation of a lowurbanqualityneighbourhood.Thisprecautionis,fromourpointofview,notsuffici-entlydevelopedintheBimbyapproach.

3.2 Short cut of a statistical and economic approach supported by bimby.frThecalculationoftheBIMBYmanagerssuggeststhatifeveryyear,onanationalsca-le, one percent of the detached houses terrains is divided for the construction of a new residentialbuilding, itwouldbeequal to theannualconstructionofdetachedhouses,withoutanyurbanexpansion.Butdoesthisassumption,sotemptingisit,guaranteeasustainable development for our territories ?

Theeconomicalmotivationofanownerinvitedtoselltwogoodsseparately(hishouseandapartofhislandproperty)doesnotleadtoaprojectsharedbyhisneighbourhood.Thisiswhyasustainabledevelopmentneedssharedprojectsandcommonculture.

Figure6:AxeSeineandGrandParis,designedbyAntoineGrumbach.ThefourfoursitesselectedfortheexperimentationsintegrateintheterritorieswithspecificchallengesputforwardbyGrumbachstudy

3.3 Limitations of a selective approach on a harmonisation of interestsThemanagersofBIMBYrepresentharmonisationof the interestsof thestakeholdersofdensificationasthefruitoftheintersectionoftheinterestsofeverystakeholder.TheCAUE27isconvincedthattheconnectionlinksbetweentheindividualsinterestsandthegeneralinterestarenotcreatedbyfortune.Theyrathercanbefavouredbynegotiationsand by the search of a common interest which is carried by the new inhabitants of an area.

Figure 4 and 5: Scheme of the harmonisation of the interests of the stakeholders


3.4 Interest of a localised urban observationInafirststep,CAUE27 identified in theEuredepartment15detachedhousingareaswhosedensificationmayberelevant,withregardtothecharacteristicsoftheproximityoftheinfrastructureandtheservices.Ananalysisofthelocalrealestatemarketandthework performed by the Marseille school of architecture has permitted us to distinguish the areas which are worth a profound reconversion to change the environment from tho-se which can be made denser without changing the environment (10 to 25 houses per hectareareacceptable).ThenCAUE27favouredtheexperimentswhichweretakenonthesitesimpactedbythedepartmentprojectsofAxeSeineandGrandParis,designedbyAntoineGrumbach.

3.5 Management of real estate action plans is a fundamental aspect of the process ofthedensificationofdetachedhousingestatesTheexamplesofpunctualdensificationthatshowthatcuttingmicro-plotsisneededtoconstructwithinseparatelimitsarenumerous.

Figure 7: Illustration of possible evolutions, evolutions for the heart of not built neighbour-hood (1). By juxtaposition of individual opera-tions (2) or in a global operation realizedwithinthe framework of an AFU (3). Model produced bytheCAUE27

2

3

1


Thedivisionsofplotsonlyjustifiedbythefinancialchallengesoftheownersshowedupitslimits many times : multiplication of the access on the streets, destruction of the environment andthebiotopeswithinthearea,parcelscutoutinthinstraps.Cutplotsdonothaveanythingincommonwithurbanprojectthatcarriesanidentityandacertainqualityofusage.

3.6TowardsaBoro-bimby:frompromotingthebenefitsofeveryonetowardscoor-dinating construction of urban planning for a neighbourhoodTheexperimentsinthedepartmentofEureshowedupaninteresttostitchtheoriginalparcels,morethantodividethemintopieces.

TheJapanesefarmesusedtorepairtheirkimonobyaddingapieceofanotherkimono.Thistraditionaltechniqueshowsalocalculturethattreatsitsresourceswithrespectandhonoursobjectsofdailylife.“Boro”isthegivennamefor”materialoflife”.

Densification of detached housing areas gives the opportunity to stitch parcels intheBoro-way.The role of the urban planner is essential in this process. That iswhytheCAUE27proposes inparticular to change the functionof theFrenchAssociation FoncièreUrbaine(AFU),anassociationjoiningtogetherofthepropertyownersinordertoreorganizetheplotsandtofinancetheequipments,sothatitbecomesmoreefficientinthisgoal.(TheAFUhasfallenoutofuseforthelast20yearsinFrance.)

Figure 8: Stitching parcels in the Boro-way, Multiple layers of extensively repaired and patched fabrics held together by thousands of stitches transformed into something precious and valuable


4TheBoro-Bimbyexperiments:principlesofnegotiateddensification

Thefollowingpartdealswithacombinationofdifferentinterests(chapter4.1)andde-finesthreeresearchquestionstosucceedinthe“Boro-Bimby”approach(chapter4.2).

4.1Passingfromthehazardousconnectionoftwointerests(privateandgeneral)toacombinationofthreeinterests(private,generalandcollective)TheCAUE27isconvincedthatthelinksbetweenindividualandgeneralinterestsarenottheresultoffortune.Theycanbefavouredthroughcooperationandthroughsearchingacollectiveinterestoftheinhabitantsofthearea.WiththeimageoftheJapaneseBoro,theCAUE27hastriedtorevealthecollectiveinterestoftheinhabitantstorecycletheirquarter.

Theexperimentationshadtheobjectives:

• todefineacollectiveregenerationprojectofthedetachedhousesareasbasedon somethingelsethanparcelcut;

• to secure the control of the urban, social and architectural work adapted to this process

Thespecific“Boro”approachoftheCAUE27istoconstructandconnectthreetypesofinterests: the general interest of the communal authority, the collective interest of the inhabitantsoftheareaandtheindividualinterestsoftheowners.

4.2 Focusing the research on three questionsToadvanceonthewaytowardsanegotiateddensificationwithlocalactors(politiciansandinhabitants),whoarenotexpertsofurbanplanning,theCAUE27askedthreeque-stionstotheurbanplanners.

• Which common culture for common action ? Or : what is negotiated ?• Which base of references for the common action ? Or : What to negotiate?• Which technical and political governance ? Or : How to negotiate?

Thesethreequestionsaimtodefinenewprofessionalpracticeswhichareadaptedtotheprefiguration,theimplementationandthemanagementoftheinitiatednegotiationswithacollectiveofinhabitantsandalocalcollective.

Tobepossible,thisnegotiationwiththecapacitytoactforeveryonemustbetranspa-rent.Tobeaccepted,ithastobebasedonasharedproject.Finallyitmustbeaccompa-niedandsupportedtobeoperational.Thesethreeconditionsarenotpresentinthistypeofurbanspace.Meetthesefavorableconditionsforcestodevelopaspecialattention.


5.2 Les Andelys LesAndelysisamunicipalitywith10,000inhabitants.Themunicipalitylookedforapos-sibilitytoconnectacouncilhouseareawithitscentre.Thesinglefamilyhouseareaissituatedbetweenthem.

5 The four experimental sites

In the following, the four municipalities which were chosen as experimental sites will bepresented(chapter5.1-5.4).

5.1 St-Aquilin-de-PacySt-Aquilin-de-Pacy isamunicipalitywith less than1,000 inhabitants.Themunicipalitygaveuptheurbanizationofanagriculturalfieldandsearchedthebestwaytosatisfytheexpectationsofinter-municipallevelaboutnewbuildingareas.

Figure9:TheexperimentalsiteofSt-Aquilin-de-Pacy

Figure10:TheexperimentalsiteofLesAndelys


5.3 Pont-Audemer Pont-Audemerisamunicipalitywithlessthan10,000inhabitants.Themunicipalityhasdeliveredconstructionpermitstobuildsomehousesinaquarterveryneartoitscentre.Itiswonderingtheconsequencessuchevolutionsmighthave.

5.4 Heudebouville Heudebouvilleisamunicipalitywithlessthan1,000inhabitants.Themunicipalityraisesthedensificationquestionrelatedtotheextensionofanoldfarmhouse.Inthiscontextthemunicipalityhasacceptedtothinkaboutdensificationofitssinglefamilyhouseareas.

Figure11:TheexperimentalsiteofPont-Audemer

Figure12:TheexperimentalsiteofHeudebouville


Figure13:MaprepresentingtheplacesappreciatedbytheinhabitantsofSaint-Aquilin

6 Orientations resulting from the experiments

The followingchapterdealswith thecultureofnegotiation (chapter6.1), inparticularthe manner to identify a common base which is needed to negotiate about the future of housingareas(chapter6.2).

6.1Fromwhichkindofsharedcultureshouldnegotiationsstart?Which culture may the inhabitants of a neighborhood, the local community and the re-cipientsshare?Itisamatteroftrust.Negotiateddensificationwillbeestablishedper-manently.Itwillreplace,throughitsprogressivedynamicstopatchupandtoassociateindividualinitiatives,thereassuringregulations.

Which knowledge should be shared ? On which subjects should exchanges and debates befocused?TheteamsselectedtoleadthefourexperimentsinEurefoundthreetypesofanswers.

Thefirstanswerisofthelandscapeandhowtopreserveit.Thevalorisationofthelands-capeanditsdailymanagementappearasakeyforacommonculture.Urbanexcursionsand exercises have built up a common culture that permits to draw up an action plan for themunicipalityandtostudythefeasibilityofafewinhabitantsprojects.

Thesecondpossibleanswerconsistsingatheringallstakeholdersinameeting.Thus,opinions about the value of spaces in a neighbourhood and its environment can be ex-changed.Thestakeholderscandiscussaboutthetransformationoftheareabalancingthe gap between today’s regulations and the opportunities that inheritors or successors coulddesire.Inameeting,every-dayneedsarerevealed:howtosolvetheproblemof


the poverty of an homeowner? What type of initiative is feasible for everyone? Social dynamics are turning in a guiding principle : everyone considers himself as part of a communitywhenhecanaskquestions.

At last, thestrategytobuildacommoncultureconsists in identifyingthearchitecturalcharacteristicsoftheneighbourhood:post-warhousesbuiltbythreeschemesdifferents.Theselectedteamcompleteditsworkbysupplyingareferencecatalogfullofmovies,books,paintingsandphotosoftheneighbourhooddedicatedtotheinhabitants.Theex-hibition of that brochure in a media library leads to exchanges between inhabitants and urbanplanners.

Figure14:Oneofthedrawingsmadebytheselectedteam.Itshowstheinteriorofoneofthehouseswithintheestateinquestion


Figure 15: Illustration of the compendium of works featuring housing estates


AdviceofCAUE27

Toelaborateacommoncultureisprobablyaneducativestepthathastobeconstructedon timetoadapt theculturalcontributionson the localstakes.The implementationofsuchadynamicisdifficultifitisnotsupportedbylocalstakeholders.TheCAUEsnet-workmayactasreferentsforthistypeofactionandfacilitateitsimplementation.

6.2Whichcommonbaseforthenegotiation?Thenegotiationsaboutthetransformationoftheareahavetofindasharedbase.Thisbase is necessarily to create orientations shared by the local collectivity and the inhabi-tantsoftheneighborhood.Whatgoods,whatproducts,whatservicescanbeexchangedor negotiated ? Negotiation about urban rules is not part of French tradition, but it is possibletoestablishamarketplaceforservicesandgoodsforarchitecture(e.g.thermalinsulation,housesextension)andurbanplanning(e.g.buildingland).

Collectiveinterestpermitstomobilizemanyinitiatives.Acooperativeunifiestheinitia-tivesandenablestheexchangeofgoodsandservices.Thisisthe“marketplace”thatenablestheengagementofeverystakeholder.

Figure16:Residentstakingpartinaworkshop,theyarediscussingthefuturedevelopmentottheirneigh-bourhood

Threeobjectivesofactionscanbedefined:Afirstaxiscommontomuchof townplanners is the interest for landscapepreserva-tion and hence the usage that is induced: watercourse, gentle circulation, excursions, services,etcetera.Thisattachmentleadscommon,inhabitantsandownerstodefinedtogethertheacceptableconditionsforthedensificationoftheirneighborhood.

AsecondmoreinnovativebaselaysintheCo-operativeCompanyofCollectiveInterest(French:SCIC).Itisanonprofitcommunityinwhichcraftsmen,ownersandfuturein-habitantscanexchangegoodsandservices.Forinstance,tore-arrangepublicspaces,improvetheenergyconsumptionofadetachedhouseorfinanceitsownworksthroughthesellingofthepartoftheplotbecomepossible.


Athirdaxis:Thesocialfactclarifiedforall,bytherevelationofthediversityofthewaysofliving;toliveinadistrict.Thenthequestionoftheglobalmannerstoactonthespaceoneandthesocialoneofthedistrictisasked.

AdviceofCAUE27Asonecouldexpect,thebaseoftheunitedactionsisnotbasedontheconjunctionofpri-vateinterests(todevelopitsgood)withthegeneralinterestofsustainabledevelopment.Theactionplanscanconducttoaninternaldynamicofinhabitants,proposedbylocalauthoritiesandaccompaniedbyadaptedmeasures.Inthiscase,theformoforganizati-onandthewayofprojectmanagementareimportant.Negotiationsrequireacompleteapproach:• Proceed thedefinitionoffinalobjectivesof thecommonprojectbyrequesting the

stakeholders• Identify action scenarios and usable tools• Appealtothemanagementoftheprojectsandtotheorganizationoftheactorsnet-

work (shared governance)

7 Conclusion

Whichconcreteactionplanscanbeproposedtoofficialstakeholderstoactinfavourofanegotiated urban planning in detached housing areas ?

TheSchémasdeCohérenceterritoriale(asknownasSCoT),adocumentofplanningona supra communal scale, gives an orientation for selected detached housing areas with regardtotheirgeographicsituationandservicefacilitiesforinhabitants.

Initiation of a sense of togetherness of the inhabitants and offering adaptable engineering (cultural,architectural,social,urban,financial,technical).

Implementationofapermanenthearingtocatchup“smallurbaninitiatives”.Enabletheexchangeandprogressiveconstructionofprojectsinanarea.

Exchangingservices, realestates,…in thespiritof recycling theJapanese“materialoflife”.ImplementationoftheadministrationofthisBoro-bimbyinaCo-operativeCompanyof Collective Interest (SCIC), a market place for goods and services between stakeholders oftheproject,toconstructthenecessaryurbanpatchwork.

Identificationoflegalrequirements,oftherealestateandfundraisingtoolsthataread-aptedtothelocalsituation(PLU,AFU,etc.,..)atthesametimeasusabletoolsforden-sificationandadaptedtoolsforthecommonelaborationoftheshareddensificationinahousingarea.

Contribution of a local authority (in a larger scale than the city/village) which supplies a part of the fundraising for the participative processes, the initial study and the support of collec-tiveprojectsoftheinhabitants,particularlyinthefirstmomentsofnegotiation.


Outlook

ThepresentedcontributionsprovideanoverviewofcurrentresearchintodetachedhousingaswellasvariousdevelopmentsandapproachesindifferentEuropeancountries.Thework-shop can be seen as a kick-off event for further cooperation between the participating resear-chersinthefieldofmaturehousingestates.

Afollow-upeventtookplaceinNovember2013atSaxionUniversityofAppliedSciencesinDeventer (the Netherlands), bringing together the researchers from the initial workshop and anumberofnewparticipants.Duringtheevent,researchersdiscussedwaysofapplyingforagrantforaEuropeanresearchproject(fundedbye.g.INTERREGNWE,Horizon2020orsimilarprogrammes).

ThenextmeetinginJanuary2014atLaDefenseinParis(France)dealtwithdevelopingasetofindicatorsenablingcomparisonsbetweenthedifferentcountries.Thefollowingwork-shop,scheduledtotakeplaceattheUniversityofLiège(Belgium)inApril2014,iscurrentlyunderpreparation.

Further participants, whether just interested in the topic or willing to cooperate in the project, arewarmlywelcome.

Formoreinformation,pleasecontactAndreaBerndgen-Kaiseratandrea.berndgen-kaiser@ils-forschung.de

Resp.Tel.+49(0)241409945-17


Index of authors and co-authors

• Prof.Dr.Ing.UteBaldermannCornec, Professor of Landscape Sciences andGeomatic,UniversityofAppliedSciencesNeubrandenburg,Germany

• Dr.LeslieBelton-Chevallier,ResearcheratDEST,EconomicandSocial DynamicsinTransportation,IFSTTAR,FrenchInstituteofScienceandTechno-logyforTransport,DevelopmentandNetworks,ChampssurMarne,France

• Dipl.-Ing.ArchitectAndreaBerndgen-Kaiser, Senior Researcher at ILS – Research InstituteforRegionalandUrbanDevelopment,Dortmund,OfficeAachen,Germany

• Drs. Huibert A. Haccoû, Professor of Urban and Regional Planning, SaxionUniversityofAppliedSciences,Deventer,TheNetherlands

• Prof. Dr. Jean-Marie Halleux, Professor of Economic Geography, University of Liège,Belgium

• Dr. Yves Jouffe,ResearcheratLVMT,LaboratoryonCity,MobilityandTransport, Université Paris-Est, France

• Dr. Anne-Francoise Marique,ResearcheratLEMALocalEnvironment Management&AnalysisInstitute,UniversityofLiège,Belgium

• M. Eng. Stefan Netsch,ResearcheratKIT,KarlsruheInstituteofTechnology,Germany

• ArchitectUrbanistedeL’étatMichelRousset,DirectorofCAUE27,Councilof Architecture,UrbanPlanningandEnvironment,Evreux,France


Single Family Housing Estates of the Post-War Era – a Comparison

of Opportunities and Risks

Editing: AndreaBerndgen-Kaiser

Publisher: ILS – Research Institute for Regional andUrbanDevelopmentgGmbH

Dortmund / Aachen 2014

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