Approaches to reuse vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• An increased number of local authorities systematically identify and quantify vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces for reuse in neighbourhoods^[1] in a context-sensitive way to address local community^[1] challenges and needs.
• Increase in renovated, renatured, or converted spaces that address local community challenges and needs.

Scope:

Europe’s housing needs, inefficient use of the existing building stock, environmental commitments, and the EU’s goal of “no net land take” by 2050 make a compelling case for reusing the significant number of existing spaces, including buildings and infrastructure, that are vacant, obsolete or underutilised. In Europe, there are, for instance, an estimated 19,000 km² of underutilised brownfield land and 300 km² of vacant or underutilised office space^[3].

The reuse of vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces, following circularity^[1] and sufficiency principles, can help address community challenges and needs thanks to their typical proximity and connection to essential infrastructure and services.

While vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces are already being renovated, renatured or converted, this happens typically at individual scale or for temporary reuse. A systematic and context-sensitive approach is required that maps vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces with potential for reuse and involves local stakeholders in the reuse process to address local community challenges and needs in the long term.

It is also important to understand common reasons for the vacancy, obsolescence or underutilisation of spaces and challenges to their reuse, and to recognise that not all types of spaces are suitable for reuse. Factors can include, for example, building or infrastructure condition, location, and spatial or structural limitations; zoning regulations; legal barriers; lack of data; or lack of resources, funds, or incentives for property owners and public authorities to renovate spaces. In addition, certain vacant spaces might already fulfil important ecological or social functions by providing refuge to natural species as well as non-typical community lifestyles.

Proposals are expected to address all of the following:

• Develop a systematic and context-sensitive approach for vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces, including buildings or infrastructures. The approach must cover at least the following:
  • Analysis of common drivers of the vacancy, obsolescence or underutilisation of spaces.
  • Identification and prioritisation of vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces in the targeted neighbourhoods.
  • Assessment of local community challenges and needs, of the identified spaces being reused to address those challenges and needs, and of potential side-effects or challenges of their reuse (such as overcrowding in the neighbourhood, loss or degradation of green areas, displacement of inhabitants, affordability, potential impacts on gentrification, or regulatory, legal, or funding challenges).
  • In cases where the spaces already fulfil important ecological or social functions: Identification of measures to strengthen the spaces’ governance and oversight together with the community, while strengthening local regulatory frameworks, where relevant.
  • Use of co-creation^[1] methods to engage community stakeholders in the process.
  • Identification of funding and financing mechanisms to support the reuse of the spaces.
• Validate the approach in at least three neighbourhoods in urban, peri-urban and rural areas located in different Member States and/or Associated Countries.
• Assess the social (e.g. accessibility, inclusion, social cohesion), cultural (e.g. aesthetics^[6]), environmental (e.g. more sufficient resource use, waste reduction, biodiversity, climate resilience), and economic (e.g. economies of scale, efficiency) value of the approach.
• Provide recommendations to inform the adaptation of the approach in different neighbourhood contexts.

Proposals are expected to follow a participatory^[1] and transdisciplinary^[1] approach through the integration of different actors and disciplines.

This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH)^[1] disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions, as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

Proposals are expected to allocate at least 0.8% of their budget for engaging with the Horizon Europe-funded 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' to share their intermediate and final results, findings and learnings, as well as to contribute to impact assessment.

[1] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.

[2] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.

[3] Edmond de Rothschild, ’THE €4 TRILLION OPPORTUNITY: REPURPOSING EUROPE’S BROWNFIELD SITES AND OFFICES’, 2025, https://www.edmond-de-rothschild.com/media/vj4lhpez/250211-pr-urban-regeneration-ginkgo-en.pdf

[4] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.

[5] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.

[6] See definition of ”beautiful” in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.

[7] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.

[8] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.

[9] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.