If we want to heat homes in a sustainable way, we need to renovate them in terms of energy and disconnect them from fossil energy. What if entire neighbourhoods or districts join forces to achieve that? In Ter Elst - a garden district with particular heritage value - the city will actively work with residents towards this goal.
Who are all the partners in the trajectory?
In the Ter Elst neighbourhood, located between Sint-Jansbergsesteenweg and Keibergstraat, the City of Leuven is exploring a collective renovation approach for around 200 homes. The goal is to try and combine a collective energy renovation approach with measures that improve quality of life in the neighbourhood.
Residents receive tailored support from the Klimaathuis, including guidance on how to make their homes more energy-efficient and how to join collective purchasing schemes. At the same time, the city is working with residents to see whether certain actions—like installing heat pumps or improving rainwater infiltration—can be combined with ecological garden management and making public spaces greener and more biodiverse.
A collective approach can also help tackle administrative and financial hurdles, such as fragmented property ownership. In the future, a neighbourhood cooperative could develop a shared renovation plan, set up joint purchases of insulation, solar panels or rainwater tanks, or facilitate car sharing. A dedicated neighbourhood architect could also be appointed. Possible roles and responsibilities were explored together with the community. The most effective solutions could then be scaled to similar neighbourhoods.
This breakthrough project is backed by a team of experts appointed through the Stedenbeleid Vlaanderen concept grant, including Endeavour, Studio Thomas Willemse, Orientes, Trividend, Domus Mundi, Minderismeer and Dialoog vzw. The result? A neighbourhood association to bring people together, a renovation guide and brochure, a feasibility study for a micro heat network, first steps towards biodiversity and water resilience, and a group purchase for asbestos removal in pipe insulation. These are building blocks for further action.
The City of Leuven is also developing policy frameworks for renovation in garden neighbourhoods. More info on Ter Elst: https://leuven.be/tuinwijk
Heating with 100% renewable energy is only possible if our buildings are ready for it. Energy renovations at mass scale are essential to bring our homes in line with our goals. To meet those targets, Leuven needs to renovate over 1,500 residential and 500 non-residential buildings every year. To speed things up, we need to work collectively: on the scale of entire buildings, streets or even full neighbourhoods. That also calls for new, innovative forms of financing.
Leuven faces some unique challenges. The high share of heritage buildings in the inner city makes renovations complex, while the large number of student houses requires targeted solutions. Scaling up renovations isn’t easy—but it does bring opportunities. Collective renovations can go hand in hand with greener neighbourhoods and better space for sustainable mobility. And all those projects create new, sustainable jobs. In this way, we can boost both climate resilience and quality of life.
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