A new European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI), under the slogan ‘Right to Housing! Now and Forever’, has officially begun collecting signatures across the European Union. Its aim is to place guaranteed access to affordable, sustainable and quality housing at the centre of the EU agenda.
The campaign promotes a paradigm shift that prioritises technical rehabilitation, the optimisation of existing built resources and the protection of urban land. For some time now, we at Construnews have noted that citizens and European institutions are aware of the global housing problem. It is obvious that something is moving from a public perspective, but now a global citizen response has arrived.
With the official launch of the transnational campaign ‘Right to Housing! Now and Forever’, signature collection begins at EU level to demand structural measures that link guaranteed access to decent housing with the sustainable transformation of the built environment.
The European proposal prioritises the conversion and rehabilitation of disused offices and properties over massive new-build development.
A paradox that challenges architects, engineers and planners
The initiative’s diagnosis stems from a paradox that directly affects architecture, building and urban planning professionals: while millions of European citizens struggle to access adequate housing, the European Union simultaneously harbours millions of empty homes and extensive areas of unoccupied tertiary and office space.
Added to this underutilisation of built space is a persistent technical deficiency: a substantial part of the continent’s building stock shows high energy consumption rates that fall short of current efficiency and decarbonisation standards.
Three pillars for a technical and political roadmap
In this context, the initiative structures its technical and political roadmap around three fundamental pillars:
- Efficient use of the existing stock: promote the conversion of unoccupied properties, the transformation of obsolete office space into residential solutions and the acceleration of deep energy renovation of the building stock.
- Purposeful investment: channel public and private financing towards social, affordable and energy-efficient housing, guaranteeing sustainability criteria in building models.
- Protection of access to housing: promote regulatory frameworks that prevent speculation on urban land and strengthen social coverage in the rental stock.
The transnational campaign needs to exceed one million signatures in the European Union to force a legislative initiative from the Commission.
The sector cannot rely on new build alone
For technical profiles across the construction value chain — architects, engineers, developers and construction companies — the initiative raises a key professional debate: the sector’s growth cannot depend exclusively on new construction.
Transforming the built environment through intervention in the consolidated city, the recovery of existing structures and regenerative architecture are becoming the main ways to respond to the housing emergency without compromising European climate goals.
The technical building sector must lead urban conversion, betting on the transformation and reuse of existing structures.
Support collected through right-to-housing.eu
Signatures will be collected through the official portal set up by the ECI promoters, right-to-housing.eu. This opens a mobilisation phase in which sector organisations and professional institutions will play a relevant role in disseminating the technical and informational requirements of the proposal.