Upgrading social housing is a central part of EU projects to make city life healthier and happier.
By Gareth Willmer
In the northeastern Italian city of Trieste, a construction project intended as a model for Europe is getting underway. On the southeastern outskirts of the city, eight buildings with social housing dating from the early 1950s will be demolished and replaced by energy-efficient apartments.
What’s more, green spaces will be created and existing ones improved around the new homes to enhance the attractiveness of the area and foster outdoor activity and social interaction.
Community care
The buildings are currently empty after former inhabitants were moved into other social housing. Ideas for improvements will be gathered from surrounding-area residents to feed into the whole neighbourhood upgrade, which aims to ensure that low-income inhabitants have healthy housing and pleasant surroundings.
‘This is not the problem of a single person or a single family,’ said Cristina Davi, manager at Italian public-housing agency ATER Trieste. ‘It’s a problem of the community. It’s important for them to say something about the space in which they live and the services provided.’
Trieste, located on the Adriatic Sea, has a population of around 200 000 and is Italy’s largest seaport by freight. Also the most important seaport of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the 19th century and near Italy’s border with Slovenia, the city has long been ethnically and religiously diverse.
At present, roughly a tenth of Trieste’s population lives in social housing managed by ATER Trieste, according to Davi. Their average annual income is below €15 000, with many over 65 years of age or single parents.
‘As a social-housing agency, we have to help guide the energy choices of inhabitants,’ said Davi.
ATER Trieste is part of a Europe-wide research project that received EU funding to accelerate the renovation of homes of people who struggle to pay their energy bills.
Called SUPERSHINE, the project began in November 2022 and is due to run until the end of March 2026.
SUPERSHINE is inspired by the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative to make living in Europe more sustainable, healthy and inclusive. The EU is organising an NEB festival in the Belgian capital Brussels on 9-13 April.
Shining lights
Trieste is a microcosm of Europe with regard to “energy poverty”, which occurs when a household is forced to cut energy use to a degree that is detrimental to inhabitants’ health and wellbeing.
The triggers include low incomes, high fuel costs and poorly insulated buildings. In 2022, more than 9% of Europeans were unable to keep their homes adequately warm, according to the EU.
‘When we talk about energy poverty, we have to think not only about how you buy energy and its sources but also about how to use it efficiently,’ said Riccardo Coletta, a senior project manager at the Agency for the Promotion of European Research in the Italian capital Rome.