Manifesto for a Just and Resilient Built Environment
Bauhaus Earth is proud to be one of the signatories of the newly launched “Manifesto for a Just and Resilient Built Environment”! This document has been developed together with 17 European organizations – a strong coalition of civil society, NGOs, trade unions, local governments, and business representatives. One of our key proposals was supporting the appointment of a Commissioner for Housing and the Built Environment.
Newly appointed European Commissioner for Energy and Housing
We are therefore incredibly excited that Ursula von der Leyen has just announced the Commission’s first dedicated Housing Commissioner. The European Union’s newly announced Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen will for the first time have the task of leading an EU housing division.
Buildings are at the heart of Europe’s biggest challenges, including rising energy bills, climate change, affordable housing, and homelessness. Yet, the built environment is often overlooked as a key lever for tackling these crises. On a policy level, responsibility for the built environment is fragmented across several EU institutions and Commissioners’ portfolios, including Internal Market, Cohesion and Reform, Jobs and Social Rights, Economy, Energy, European Green Deal, and Equality.
Practical policy recommendations across four areas
This is why we believe that the EU’s appointment of a Commissioner for Energy and Housing is an excellent start to developing a coherent vision for a just and sustainable built environment in Europe. We have been working with great partners to review existing policies and develop practical policy recommendations across four areas to make this new role a success: renovation and regeneration; affordable housing; skills, jobs, and development; and quality materials, reduced carbon, and a circular economy.
European institutions must match the scale of ambition needed to deliver real positive change for people in this legislative cycle. We cannot afford to let this opportunity go to waste. We hope that the new Commissioner for Energy and Housing will be given the power to address the root cause of many of Europe’s crises through the practical steps proposed in the Manifesto.