China has recently shown great enthusiasm for developing neighborhood renewal, and good cooperation within resident groups is the key to successful implementation. Residents’ cooperative behavior is easily influenced by social relationships among residents, which are referred to as resident-level social capital. Further, resident-level social capital is influenced by the neighborhood effects, known as neighborhood-level social capital. However, few studies examined the impact of social capital on residents’ behavior from the perspective of both resident-level and neighborhood-level. This paper aims to examine the multilevel social capital that influence residents’ cooperative behavior in China. Using social capital theory and the theory of planned behavior, this study collects questionnaire survey data from 1039 residents in 98 neighborhood renewal projects in China. The results from multilevel structural equation modeling suggest that residents’ social capital can directly influence residents’ cooperative behavioral intention. The variability of neighborhood-level social capital and the impact of multidimensional social capital were examined. The findings of this study have strengthened the explanatory power of the theory of planned behavior and expanded the application scope of social capital theory. The results provide a more cultural and historical perspective, that is, resident relationships, for promoting cooperation among residents in neighborhood renewal.@en

The implementation of prefabricated housing (PH) has become prevalent in China recently due to its advantages in enhancing production and energy-saving efficiency within the construction system. However, stakeholders may not always fully realize the benefits of adopting PH due to the emergence of transaction costs (TCs) in the development process of such projects. This study investigated the strategies for developers to make rational choices for minimizing the TCs of the PH project considering their own attributes and external constraints. A Bayesian Belief Network model was applied as the analytical method, based on surveys conducted in China. A single sensitivity analysis indicated that developers influence the TCs of PH through the following three most impactful factors: prefabrication rate, PH experience, and contract payment method. Integrated strategies are recommended for developers in various situations based on a multiple sensitivity analysis. Developers facing challenges due to high prefabrication rates are advised to reduce the risks by procuring highly qualified general contractors and adopting unit-price contracts. For developers with limited PH experience, adopting the Engineering–Procurement–Construction procurement method is the most efficient way to reduce their TCs in the context of China’s PH market. This study contributes to the current body of knowledge concerning the effect of traders’ attributes and choices on TCs, expanding the application of TC theory and fulfilling the study on the determinants of TCs in construction management.@en

This study introduces a systematic framework to facilitate decision-making in selecting renovation options for preparing existing Dutch dwellings for utilising lower temperature heat (LTH) supplied by district heating (DH) systems. The framework was applied to an archetype terraced intermediate house built between 1945 and 1975 to identify the renovation options required for transitioning from existing High-Temperature (90/70℃) supply from gas-boilers to Medium Temperature (70/50℃) supply from DH systems. The framework's effectiveness was demonstrated by systematically assessing the readiness of the archetype dwelling for LTH use, reducing the number of viable renovation options, evaluating the financial feasibility using a life cycle costing approach and generating decision support insights through comparative analysis. The framework identified an optimised solution involving cavity wall insulation, exhaust ventilation and switching to low-temperature radiators. This solution incurs low initial investment and global costs while significantly reducing space heating and underheated hours. As a result, the framework provides tangible solutions for the specific use case and can serve as a valuable tool for dialogue among stakeholders during the decision-making process.@en

The Dutch government aims to eliminate natural gas for residential heating in 1.5 million homes by 2030. One strategy is connecting existing dwellings to lower-temperature district heating (DH) systems, although these dwellings might require energy renovations. The heterogeneous dwelling stock causes varying renovation needs that complicate the energy transition. The present study addresses this issue by assessing the building-level parameters affecting the readiness of the Dutch terraced-intermediate and apartment types for lower-temperature heating (LTH) supplied by DH systems. A sampling-based approach was employed to capture variability within these dwelling types, addressing the limitations of archetype-based methods. The findings suggest a sample size of 1300 to represent the variations in these dwelling types. Parametric simulations and machine learning methods were used to identify significant building-level parameters for medium-temperature (MT: 70/50 °C) and low-temperature (LT: 55/35 °C) supply levels. These include heating setpoints (desired indoor temperature) and ventilation-related parameters (ventilation system type and air infiltration rate), followed by fabric-related parameters (roof, glazing, wall, ground, and door insulation) and geometric properties (orientation, compactness ratio, and window-to-wall ratio). Additionally, radiator oversizing also impacts LTH readiness. These results broadly apply to the studied dwelling types, although feature importance varies by supply temperature and dwelling type. The findings can guide stakeholders in assessing current conditions and prioritising renovation measures, aiding the development of targeted renovation solutions. Encompassing the representative variations within studied dwelling types enhances the robustness of the results. However, incorporating more refined data could improve the accuracy of the findings, better supporting the energy transition of these dwellings.@en

High household end-user services demand of high-income families results in higher energy consumption compared with low-income families, indicating high-income families may save more energy from similar building energy retrofitting (BER) strategies. Therefore, current BER subsidy policies, which consider technique indicators and ignore families' income, will make high-income families' recovery costs faster, and can't maximize the incentive for residents’ BER awareness. To formulate a equitable and efficient subsidy policies considering families’ income, this study selected Chongqing as the study case and employed propensity scores matching method to evaluate BER's actual energy savings performance for families with different incomes. Meanwhile, the BER subsidies are reallocated based on the dynamic cost payback period. The results indicated that, following BER, the energy savings of high-income families (7.36 kWh/m²) were higher than the mid- (3.96 kWh/m²) and low-income (3.25 kWh/m²) families. Notably, under current subsidy policies, the cost payback period of low-income families is nearly 2.55 and 3.14 times of the mid-income (6.61 years) and high-income (5.37 years) groups, respectively. This study suggests a subsidy of 32.57 yuan/m², 20.27 yuan/m², and 15.38 yuan/m² for low-income, mid-income, and high-income families, respectively. These results provide novel insights into the actual energy-saving performance of residential buildings and help policymakers to formulate fair subsidy policies.

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Buildings in the EU consume around 40 % of energy and are responsible for 36 % of greenhouse gas emissions. This necessitates building energy renovations as a coping strategy for energy reduction. Residential buildings consume about 27 % of the energy use in Europe. Multifamily residential buildings, known as condominiums, feature individually owned apartments and are managed by Homeowners’ Associations (HOAs). HOAs constitute a considerable percentage of the owners of the residential sector in Europe. However, the deep energy renovation rate is still low due to the complex process and the barriers faced by HOAs. There is a lack of understanding of the main barriers to undertaking deep energy renovation projects by HOAs and their potential solutions. Therefore, this paper investigates barriers, incentives, and possible solutions that motivate HOAs to undertake deep energy renovation projects. This study employs a combination of qualitative methods, including archival research, the gathering of information through observations at meetings organized by the EU, four interviews, and a workshop with eleven experts. This exploration was conducted from the perspective of three actors: home renovation providers, public authorities, and policymakers in the Netherlands and Flanders. The barriers are grouped under four categories, namely: financial, legal, social, and technical. The findings indicate that communication, cost, and legal structure are the most significant barriers. The incentives play a vital role only in the early phases of the renovation. The findings can inform policymakers, energy practitioners, and researchers in developing targeted strategies for successfully implementing deep renovation projects for HOAs.@en

Urban sustainability is a pressing challenge that intertwines energy efficiency, social equity, technological innovation, and community involvement. With the growing global emphasis on reducing carbon footprints and addressing climate change, the need for sustainable urban housing and communities has become increasingly critical. This Research Topic, “Sustainable Transition for Urban Housing and Community,” brings together a Research Topic of research that examines the multifaceted issues surrounding sustainable development in urban contexts. By analyzing the interplay of energy consumption, governance, technological innovation, and digital transformation, the articles in this Research Topic present a holistic view of how urban sustainability can be achieved. [...]@en

The renovation of existing buildings is widely recognized as a powerful strategy for reducing emissions and land use. However, when it comes to residential buildings, the socio-technical challenges are particularly complex. The necessity and urgency of increasing energy efficiency often lead to retrofit processes that overlook residents’ needs and fail to consider the impact of renovation techniques on their lives. This study conducts a systematic and interdisciplinary literature review to explore how and to what extent social aspects, particularly residents and their needs, are considered in building renovations. An analysis of 40 studies from the Web of Science and Scopus databases is presented. The holistic overview focuses on two interrelated aspects: the orientation of decision-making processes towards residents and social components of multi-stakeholder involvement, and the relationship and interaction between design choices and residents. By doing so, the review enables a collection of meaningful and heterogeneous criteria for process management and retrofit solutions selection. Recognizing the existing gaps in the literature and clarifying relevant criteria, this review can help identify areas that require further research and intervention.@en

In the context of increasing focus on social sustainability, neighborhood rehabilitation has emerged as a crucial component of global urban renewal initiatives. Distinct from most renewal paradigms that are usually one-offs, neighborhood rehabilitation is a long-term endeavor that requires ongoing resident participation to effectively address diverse needs, investment shortages, and governance challenges. Extant research predominantly focuses on residents' initial engagement, leaving the dynamics of continued participation and its influencing factors largely unexamined. Employing the Expectation-Confirmation Model (ECM), this study explores how residents' initial participation experiences influence their intentions to continue participation. Analyzing questionnaire responses from 367 experienced residents in Wuhan, China, the study finds that a mere 38.2 % of residents exhibit re-engage intention. Path analysis shows that initial participation experience influences residents' re-engage intention indirectly through participation satisfaction and perceived usefulness. Residents' re-engage intention is most influenced by level of influence residents hold in decision-making, followed by type of activities they engage in, and stage of their initial involvement. As an exploratory study into the realm of continued participation, this research uncovers several potential pathways and policy recommendations, aiming to ease residents' transition from initial acceptance to sustained engagement in future neighborhood development efforts.@en

The 2050 decarbonization goals coupled with the growing housing shortage in Europe intensify the pressure on new-build dwellings to enhance their energy performance. Beyond a zero operational energy, the focus has shifted towards reducing embodied carbon (EC). Against this backdrop, this study investigates the simultaneous impact of downsizing and the use of timber in new-build dwellings, EC reduction strategies seldom explored concurrently. Through partial life cycle assessments, three scenarios are modelled: the Small, Medium, and Large House, with two construction variations for each, comparing a modular timber design to a conventional concrete alternative. Designs are based on dwellings built in Almere, the Netherlands. Data is extracted from the Swiss Ecoinvent database using the TOTEM tool and the static −1/+1 approach for biogenic carbon accounting is adopted. Results show a total EC ranging from 42,608 to 70,384 kgCO2eq for the timber designs versus 54,681 to 91,270 kgCO2eq for their concrete counterparts. Findings suggest that the relationship between house size and EC is sublinear whereby a house twice the size entails less than twice the EC emissions. Only the simultaneous implementation of downsizing and the use of timber achieved 53% carbon savings. The discussion explores implications of outcomes across academic, industry and policy perspectives, challenges in implementing smaller timber dwellings, and study limitations and future research. Beyond its empirical contribution, this paper offers a practical contribution with its hierarchical data analysis approach covering building, element and component. This approach can be implemented by researchers and practitioners alike to inform their design process.@en

Socially sustainable urban renewal hinges on active public participation, necessitating effective information sharing. Combining Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Ecological Network Analysis (ENA), this study longitudinally investigates how stakeholder information sharing evolves over the project lifecycle of neighborhood rehabilitation and its impacts on resident participation. A representative neighborhood rehabilitation project in Wuhan, China, serves as the study case, with data from 10 interviews, 35 questionnaires, and 3 focus groups. The study suggests that SNA and ENA are complementary and competent in identifying key stakeholders, as well as uncovering undesirable behaviors of manipulation and monopolization, and unhealthy relationships like exploitation and competition. Implementation unit and neighborhood committee emerged as principal information holders, while local media and tenant were least informed. SNA results underscore the central position of neighborhood committee in collecting and disseminating information, demonstrating significant autonomy and control throughout project lifecycle. Conversely, homeowner showed marked dependence and lacked control, particularly in the planning and design phase. ENA findings reveal neighborhood committee’s ongoing struggle with information exploitation, eroding its willingness and capacity to share information during the later phases of rehabilitation process. The information exploitation led to a fragile network that further marginalized local media, undermined by dwindling trust and autonomy. Notably, homeowners amplified their discourse power as project progressed, shifting from passive recipients to active decision-makers. Yet, well-informed homeowners monopolized information sharing, deliberately excluding others with conflicting interests, intensifying issues of inequity and opacity. Policy recommendations are provided to counter unhealthy stakeholder dynamics and promote equitable and inclusive public participation in urban renewal initiatives.@en

Highlights
• The aging systems, and the house's condition, are important factors that motivate occupants to consider energy retrofitting.
• Educating occupants on regular monitoring can enhance the durability and performance of energy-efficient technologies.
• Policymakers need to implement region-specific strategies, to promote energy retrofitting initiatives.@en

Resident participation is essential for neighborhood rehabilitation. It requires the active involvement of residents and efficient management by organizers. To improve the effectiveness of resident participation, it is necessary to understand the critical success factors (CSFs) underlying it. However, previous research has examined the critical factors from a single-stakeholder perspective, overlooking potential differences in perceptions among stakeholders with diverse roles and rehabilitation experiences. Based on 30 interviews and 255 questionnaires from six stakeholder groups in Wuhan, China, this study explores how the perception of critical factors for effective resident participation varies among local government, community-based organization, designer, contractor, consulting party, and resident. Thirty-seven factors were identified and compared among the stakeholders. Financial Incentive (for participation organizers) was identified as the most critical factor for effective resident participation, followed by Information Disclosure and Transparency, and Trust. Results from the analysis of variance (ANOVA) show that the six groups differed significantly in the importance of most factors (25/37), especially in Participant Education and Prejudice against the Working Group. Interview results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic and rehabilitation experience changed stakeholders’ perceived importance of some factors. Specifically, in future RP initiatives, extra emphasis could be placed on Trait and Capacity (of the working group) and Participation-assistance Technologies. Stakeholders regarded these two factors as more critical as their rehabilitation experience accumulated. By understanding stakeholders' conflicting and changing perceptions of effective resident participation, suggestions were proposed to each stakeholder group to fulfill their distinct participation objectives and improve the overall effectiveness of participation practices.@en

Across the European Union (EU), approximately 46% of the population resides in apartment buildings. A majority of these buildings are in need of energy renovation and are managed by Homeowner associations (HOAs). HOAs face distinct challenges in renovating their buildings. Integrated home renovation services (IHRS) have emerged as a potential solution to accelerate highly energy-efficient renovations for HOAs. The question arises: How do current integrated home renovation service providers facilitate energy renovations for homeowner associations, overcoming the prevailing barriers to uptake? This paper explores the current state of IHRS providers operating in four European regions with a focus on the Netherlands and Flanders. The study offers insights into the dynamics of their business models, strategies, and ways forward. The methods employed involve a combination of qualitative approaches. Fourteen business models of IHRS providers in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Austria were analysed, to define their strategies within the regional context. The results reveal that while public entities prioritize broad societal challenges, private models focus on operational efficiency and financial sustainability. Public-private partnerships offer a hybrid approach, blending strengths but requiring precise governance to align diverse interests and achieve comprehensive, sustainable outcomes. The findings can inform policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in developing effective and targeted IHRS initiatives in the EU.@en

Residential energy retrofitting projects in the hot summer and cold winter (HSCW) zone of China face various risks related to project activities, which incur transaction costs (TCs), such as search, negotiation, and monitoring costs. As the leader in project implementation, the Chinese government is responsible for project planning, organisation, and coordination. However, TCs impede the government’s ability to execute risk-related project activities effectively, subsequently increasing the probability of the occurrence of risk. Drawing on transaction cost economics (TCE), this study proposes a theoretical framework to understand the barriers—such as asset specificity, uncertainty, and frequency—that prevent the government from performing project activities and mitigating risks effectively. An artificial neural network (ANN) is applied to verify the hypotheses. The results underscore experience and operational maturity in project activities, cost and time constraints, and the immature retrofitting market as significant impediments to the government’s execution of risk-related activities. Considering the varying roles of the government in reducing different risks, this study concludes by offering policy recommendations to alleviate these activity barriers and mitigate risks. By employing a TCs perspective, this study not only identifies key barriers but also deepens our understanding of risk mitigation mechanisms, providing robust policy insights tailored to the specific regional context of China, thereby enhancing both the execution and the framework of government-led retrofitting projects.@en

Energy renovation processes in vulnerable neighbourhoods are complex decision-making endeavours. The JustPrepare project aims to develop inclusive strategies attuned to local needs to enhance energy renovation and transition effectiveness, considering economic, environmental, and social benefits.@en

The need for energy efficient buildings has become increasingly important in the context of climate change mitigation. Across the European Union (EU), 41,2% of the population resides in multiple ownership apartment buildings with figures rising in some countries as high as 65%. A majority of these buildings are in need of energy renovation. Integrated home renovation services (IHRS) have emerged as a potential solution to accelerate highly energy-efficient renovations for Home-Owner Associations (HOAs). The question arises: How do the business models of current integrated home renovation services address highly energy-efficient renovations by HOAs? This paper explores the current state of IHRS from the viewpoint of the Low Countries and France. The methods used are desk research and interviews. Four business models of service providers in the Netherlands, Flanders, and France were analyzed, to define their strategies within the regional context. The analysis categorizes and compares IHRS business model (BM) typologies to increase knowledge about IHRS functioning and capacity to bring innovation to home renovation processes. The results show that the BMs of these providers share some similarities and differ in other aspects. Regarding the similarities, all four providers share the value of offering customized energy renovation packages, also in terms of customer segments, by addressing the specific needs of HOAs. They slightly differ in terms of the channels used, customer relationships, key resources, key activities and key partners. They differ in revenue streams and cost structure, owing to context-specific aspects of the type of organization. The outcome of this study can help inform the development of effective and targeted IHRS initiatives in the EU.@en

This study presents an approach to determine the extent of renovation interventions required for existing Dutch dwellings aiming to transition to lower-temperature district heating (DH) systems. The proposed method is applied to a typical intermediate terraced house built before 1945 in the Netherlands, and it consists of two steps: first, assessing the potential of a dwelling to be heated with a lower temperature supply from DH systems and subsequently developing and evaluating alternative renovation solutions if necessary. This study defines a set of criteria for evaluating the readiness of a dwelling for lower-temperature heating (LTH), considering energy efficiency and thermal comfort as non-compensatory criteria. The application of the approach reveals that the case study dwelling is presently unsuitable for a medium-temperature (70/50 °C) and low-temperature (55/35 °C) supply compared to a high-temperature supply (90/70 °C), thus requiring energy renovations. Furthermore, this study indicates that moderate intervention levels are required for the dwelling to be lower-temperature-ready in both supply temperature goals. These interventions include strategies and measures that upgrade the building envelope to the minimum insulation levels stipulated by the Dutch Building Decree, improve airtightness, and replace existing radiators with low-temperature radiators. By systematically narrowing down renovation options, this approach aids in simplifying the decision-making process for selecting renovations for heating dwellings with LTH through DH systems, which could reduce stakeholders’ decision paralysis.@en

Lower temperature heating (LTH) involves using the lowest possible supply temperatures to meet residential heating demands, thus supporting the integration of sustainable heating sources and decarbonising the existing residential stock. However, choosing appropriate energy renovation options to prepare existing dwellings for LTH presents decision-making challenges due to the heterogenous dwelling stock with varying building characteristics, numerous renovation options, and various performance indicators for evaluating trade-offs. This study aims to review the scientific literature on integrating LTH into existing dwellings to identify the building characteristics for evaluating the potential of using LTH and the necessity for renovations, presents a systematic method for organising renovation options and summarises key performance indicators. The study employed the SALSA (search, appraisal, synthesis and analysis) framework for systematic review and identified 24 scientific publications. Findings show that dwelling characteristics such as compactness ratio, thermal insulation, thermal bridges, airtightness, ventilation systems, space heating system capacity and supply temperature level are essential for investigating LTH potential and the need for renovations. Most research lacks qualitative renovation criteria and product-level information for selecting renovation options. Key performance indicators related to energy efficiency, thermal comfort and quality-of-services can help indicate the possible solutions, while those related to environmental and economic performance indicate the feasibility of possible solutions. Nevertheless, there is a lack of standard set of criteria for indicating the dwelling's readiness for using LTH. These findings can help address the decision-making challenges of selecting appropriate renovation strategies to enable the use of LTH and contribute to decarbonising the built environment.@en

Neighborhood regeneration has become essential component of environmental improvement, and promoting resident participation is a key aspect of effective environmental management. However, in China, the legacy of the former housing allocation system and specific cultural contexts have led to residents' psychological inertia towards participating in neighborhood regeneration. Although there has been extensive research on encouraging resident participation, most studies fail to recognize that cultivating active participation behavior among residents usually requires overcoming their existing reluctance or psychological inertia first. Grounded on the innovative notion of psychological inertia, this paper puts forth the perspective that to foster resident participation, it is imperative to initially disrupt their current participation inertia and subsequently facilitate the reconfiguration of their participation behavior. Specifically, it addresses two key research questions: (i) which factors are conducive to stimulating residents to overcome inherent psychological inertia and stimulate their positive participation attitudes? (ii) How do these stimuli shape and reconstruct residents' participation behavior? Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory and structural equation modeling (SEM), this paper unveils the mask of intrinsic mechanism for overcoming psychological inertia and reshaping residents' participation behavior. The empirical results show that three stimulating factors (information acquisition, social norms, and perceived grassroots government support) directly impact residents' participating attitudes; these stimuli reconstruct participation behavior by triggering individual psychological changes and then inducing behavioral changes. With the new insight of “overcoming psychological inertia” and the incorporation of behavioral psychology in restructuring resident participation behavior, this paper presents implementation strategies for promoting resident participation in neighborhood regeneration.

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