| Collective District Renovation Aalst | |
| Brief Description | The aim of this policy (initiated by vzw Bea) is to provide inhabitants, especially those with low SES, that live in the city of Aalst and nine surrounding municipalities with the opportunity to receive support for the renovation of their house. Regularly, initiatives for group purchases (i.e., roof insulation, electric bicycles, solar water heater) are offered to the inhabitants of Aalst and the surrounding municipalities to make renovation of the own house less expensive. In addition, the inhabitants, especially the disadvantaged, receive extensive support during the complete renovation phase (i.e., help with the application for energy bonuses for their house, guidance during the renovation process – attention for avoiding lock-in effects) in order to make the renovations as manageable as possible.
Many municipalities and cities in Flanders are initiating collective district renovation and group purchases to create an energy efficient house at a lower price. However, few of them are evaluated. The example in Aalst was chosen as vzw BEA paid particular attention to help disadvantaged people through their cooperation with the Public Centers for Social Welfare (OCMW). Currently, no evaluation is conducted for this practice. However, given the promising character, it would be very interesting to conduct a thorough evaluation of this practice in order to help it become an evidence-based part of a policy kit. |
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| European Country(s) | Belgium |
| Field | Energy efficient housing: Energy efficiency of buildings, Energy efficient housing: Energy saving behaviors |
| Type | Policy |
| Impact | Health, Equity, Environmental sustainability |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Target Group | General population, Low socio-economic status |
| Evaluation | No |
| Level | Regional |
| INHERIT Perspective | The ‘collective district renovation’ project in Aalst provides inhabitants with group purchase opportunities, extensive guidance and support for the renovation of their house. Although this project did not include an evaluation yet, it has a high potential to create a more energy efficient and healthier home. Given that it focuses on disadvantaged residents, it also contributes to reducing inequality. This project mainly focuses on providing OPPORTUNITIES for the inhabitants to change their PHYSICAL HOME ENVIRONMENT and influence their individual EXPOSURE & EXPERIENCE to (un)healthy living conditions. |
| Detailed description PDF filename | Download file |
| Relevant links | http://www.vzwbea.be/ |
| Contact | Olivier David, vzw Bea, Olivier.David@Aalst.be |
