D1.4 Engagement for Social Housing refurbishment – Part 2

This deliverable is the final output of Task 1.4, where the SUPERSHINE project implemented its engagement strategies for community-led co-creation, co-design and co-decision processes, developed by ICONS in D1.2. Implemented across the three SUPERSHINE Lighthouses in Riga, Herning, and Trieste, the project aligned with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) principle of “Together,” focusing on inclusive district renovations, with each site at different stages of completion by the end of the project. The SUPERSHINE engagement process aims at empowering communities to co-create sustainable and aesthetically appealing neighbourhoods, while preserving cultural heritage as well. Supported by APRE, lighthouse managers exchanged innovative solutions, blending environmental, economic, and cultural considerations to meet NEB principles of sustainability and beauty. SUPERSHINE also participated actively in the NEB Community and NEB Lab to advance human-centred business models and a sustainable built environment. Baseline and endline data comparison for Social Acceptance KPIs evaluated the impact of interventions on residents' awareness, ownership, and satisfaction, while engagement indicators measured the strategy's effectiveness. Activities included inclusive initiatives targeting diverse groups, from younger generation to marginalised communities, supported by facilitators and digital platforms to ensure widespread participation. Localised meetings and accessible materials bridged language and mobility barriers, fostering content ownership. SUPERSHINE emphasised the importance of holistic approaches in social housing refurbishment, combining technical, social, and cultural strategies: key takeaways highlight the transformative power of resident participation, unleashed by SUPERSHINE through reinforcing the role of existing social structure (e.g., the Danish “tenant democracy”) and of digital tools to overcome physical barriers (e.g., Riga’s Tandeems platform), as well as by integrating cultural heritage, social cohesion, and stakeholder collaboration across the energy-efficient renovation value chain, like in the Trieste case. Lessons from the project offer a scalable framework for similar European neighbourhoods, districts, and cities (starting from the SUPERSHINE fellow cities of Belgrade, Zaragoza, Setúbal, and Istanbul), ensuring impactful and co-created community-centred solutions.