24 European cities join the drive to renovate buildings and deliver on climate objectives

A group of 24 European cities are the latest to test out how measuring the holistic benefits of renovation can help in their fight against climate change.

WorldGBC’s Europe Regional Network has announced that 24 cities across Europe, including the capital cities Madrid, Rome and Zagreb have joined the European Union (EU)-funded BUILD UPON2 project.

These cities will work with national Green Building Councils (GBCs) and project partners BPIE and Climate Alliance to develop and implement a framework that allows them to track and measure a wide range of benefits of building renovation, from energy efficiency to tackling energy poverty and creating jobs.

A tool to deliver the Renovation Wave
A total of 32 cities are now using or building capacity to implement the BUILD UPON2 Framework, which is a crucial tool to deliver the EU’s Renovation Wave, an ambitious plan to at least double the bloc’s renovation rate by 2030, on the local level. In this way, participant cities can play their part in achieving the EU Green Deal’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050.

By tracking the diverse environmental, social and economic benefits of renovation, this network of local governments can share renovation best-practice and feed into the national Long Term Renovation Strategies, which are a legal requirement for all EU member states.

The cities involved in BUILD UPON2 are the latest in a growing trend that sees local authorities taking a leadership role on climate change, often with greater ambition than their respective national governments. In the run-up to the COP26 UN Climate Change Summit in November 2021, where BUILD UPON2 will be showcased as part of the Cities and Built Environment Day co-convened by WorldGBC, this bold statement of intent from European local governments will help increase the pressure on world leaders to take decisive action.

Stephen Richardson, Director of Europe Regional Network, World Green Building Council said, “Getting all our buildings to net zero is crucial for the EU to reach its goal of climate neutrality by 2050. And there are lots of wider benefits to renovation, such as tackling energy poverty, stimulating local economies and creating jobs, which also make it a key part of the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The BUILD UPON2 project shows that by starting at the local level, cities can be accelerators of the Renovation Wave. The Framework that the GBCs, project partners and cities are developing is a tool that can help cities and local authorities track and optimise their renovation programmes and achieve climate targets. The data that cities are collecting with the BUILD UPON2 Framework can also strengthen the business case to unlock more finance for renovation. It’s very exciting that this month a further 24 cities across Europe are joining the BUILD UPON2 movement. Their involvement will contribute to making the Framework an invaluable resource to deliver the Renovation Wave and the EU Green Deal.”

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