Climate change is a critical issue affecting all our work. It is urging action in every sector of society; the public and social housing sector is no exception. Housing providers face an urgent need to future-proof properties, protect tenants, and build resilient, sustainable neighbourhoods.

Inclusive, liveable, sustainable neighbourhoods

Therefore, at this year’s Conference and General Assembly, Eurhonet members from across Europe will come together to share insights and discuss challenges. How can the built environment transform from a driver of climate crisis into a force for systemic regeneration? We will hear the expert view on inclusive, liveable, and regenerative neighbourhoods from Franziska Schreiber, Bauhaus Earth.

Public and social housing providers face an urgent need to future-proof properties in the face of climate change.

Transforming waste into energy

Alongside the keynote speech and table discussions, we will carry out a study visit to Brescia’s award-winning waste-to-energy plant. The plant recovers electrical and thermal energy from waste that cannot otherwise be recycled. Thus, it avoids the disposal of the waste in landfills. Annually, the plant produces over 70% of the energy distributed by the district heating network and electricity for the needs of 200,000 families.

It will be interesting to reflect on how such initiatives can be adapted to our own organisational contexts. In addition, we will share insights on how we tackled similar challenges in our own regions.

The Brescia waste-to-energy plant has made it possible to avoid more than 15 landfills containing 1 million tons of waste.

_{Image credit: Korina T., 2014 via Wikimedia Commons}

Better understanding our tenants

While climate change will be the key focus of the annual Conference, we will also use the opportunity of the General Assembly to catch-up on the activities of our Topic Groups and Staff Development programmes. By gaining important feedback from members, we can shape our upcoming programme of activities directly to their needs.

In addition, we will hold an insightful session on how we can better understand the distinct needs of our tenants. Furthermore, we will look into how these insights can help us to communicate more effectively. This will give us plenty of inspiration to bring back to our daily work!

The Eurhonet Conference and GA is a great opportunity to connect and share best practice on key topics in our sector.

Join us in Brescia

The Conference and GA is the ideal time to exchange with your counterparts on how climate change is affecting our work and what measures we can take to build resilient homes and sustainable neighbourhoods.

So, if you are a member of Eurhonet, find the full programme and details of how to sign up in the Members Only Zone. If you are not yet a member, find out how to join us.