Involving residents in renovation projects: easy?
Urban renewal is not just a matter for building professionals. This is the message that the Local Energy and Climate Agency of Grenoble (ALEC) wishes to convey by trying to involve residents in long-term renovation projects. To do this, the agency proposed a workshop based on a participatory facilitation method.
ALEC is an association whose mission is to contribute locally to the energy transition by offering advice and support to all stakeholders in the Grenoble metropolitan area. It is a first-class partner for local authorities, building professionals and private individuals.
As occupants and users, residents deserve to be involved in renovation actions that directly affect their living space. But how do we do that? Geneviève Goubel, ALEC’s partnership project manager, proposed to the workshop participants to answer this question using a participatory facilitation method. The latter pointed out the many obstacles, most of which are cognitive or economic.
If the involvement of the inhabitants in such projects does not seem to be easy, ALEC nevertheless helps to make the task easier. She shared her experiences concerning two City-zen projects: one on the mobilization of co-owners in the Mur/Mur project and the other in social housing, as part of a renovation of Grenoble Habitat. Participants were then able to make comments or suggest ideas to improve the agency’s actions.
Whether it is to inform tenants about work undertaken by co-owners or to assist owners in renovating their homes, ALEC contributes by its action to making the energy transition a reality.
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This project has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 608702