Fair, affordable and climate-resilient housing: bridging energy and social policies

June 30, 11-12.30 CET

Organisers: IEECP, ESCI, ICONS, Housing Europe, CPMR, ICLEI Europe, for the EU-funded projects HouseInc, Prolight, PREFIGURE, ReHousin, PowGen, EqualHouse.

How can citizen-informed policies deliver affordable & energy-efficient housing, protecting vulnerable groups? Panelists from various sectors react to testimonials from people impacted by housing inequalities.

Local and regional authorities across Europe, covering cities, towns and rural areas are increasingly on the front line of climate adaptation, facing rising temperatures, extreme cold spells, and deepening housing affordability challenges. Vulnerable households and marginalised communities, such as low-income tenants, migrants, elderly residents and single-parent families, are disproportionately exposed to these risks – at home or working, yet policy responses often remain siloed within the energy, housing or social domains.

The session is framed within the objectives of the European Affordable Housing Plan, which recognises affordability, energy efficiency and social inclusion as interconnected challenges. Building on this framework, the discussion shifts from strategy to implementation, examining how local and regional authorities can operationalise EU ambitions through locally-grounded, participatory policy design. This session will explore how they can design integrated, socially-just housing policies that address energy poverty while strengthening climate resilience (including labor inclusion). Drawing on evidence from various European initiatives, including citizen-led research and experiences from the PREFIGURE, HouseInc, EqualHouse, POWGEN, ReHousIn and ProLight projects, the session will highlight governance gaps and the conditions that enable affordable, energy-efficient housing and empower communities.

A central feature of the session is an interactive policy exercise inspired by participatory foresight methods. Participants will engage with real citizens’ visions for affordable and climate-resilient housing and, alongside speakers from various sectors, assess their feasibility, the associated trade-offs, and the resulting policy implications. This mirrors the second stage of citizen–expert co-creation processes tested at a local level. The session will demonstrate how participatory approaches can strengthen the legitimacy, effectiveness and social acceptance of climate adaptation and housing policies across Europe.

Agenda

Moderation: Kalina Tcolova, Center for the Study of Democracy.

Introduction (10 min) – Setting the policy challenge: cities and regions, affordable housing and resilient buildings. Opening by Matthew Zerafa, Housing Authority. Government of Malta and Housing Advisory Board.

Scene-setting interventions (10 min) (videos) – Citizens’ perspectives on housing inequalities and vulnerabilities.

Interactive segment (15 min) – Experts and policymakers (panel speakers) assess citizens’ visions for climate-resilient housing.

Panel discussion (40 min) – Governance gaps and policy enablers at various governance level / Experts and policymakers assess (vulnerable) citizens’ visions for climate-resilient, affordable housing.

Matthew Zerafa, Housing Authority. Government of Malta and Housing Advisory Board.
Zsuzsa Koritár, Habitat for Humanity Hungary.
Anila Noor, New women connectors.
Manon Burbridge, PhD Researcher at The University of Manchester | Energy Vulnerability, Migration, Housing.
Mr Vassil Terziev, Mayor of Sofia (tbc).

Key takeaways (15 min) (by moderator) – Actionable messages for EU and local policymakers.