Upcycling Trust

The initiative

In 2024, the European project “Upcycling Trust” led by the city of Lille and the Métropole Européenne of Lille launched for a period of 5 years.

In the face of the unprecedented housing crisis, the construction of new government housing is a pressing need for many cities, especially in the Hauts de France region. However, new construction contradicts the ambitions to preserve undeveloped spaces and to reduce the use of resources. A way to overcome this difficulty is the strategy of renovating buildings in poor condition, with landlords who don’t have the resources to take on the renovations. The reuse of materials and the absence of new construction allows for the reduction of costs.

The model that promotes this strategy is called Community Land Trust and is similar to a joint land lease. It’s well-known but generally not applied to circular renovations. Pilot projects in Cork, Gand, Lille, Rennes and Brussels will test this new approach and its legal, operational, technical and financial strategies. The first upcycled residences affect 150 low-income families, and the hope is that the project will expand to cover more housing and residents. The involvement of local and regional authorities as well as university partners must allow for the development of new urban policies to respond to the housing crisis, strengthening the urban fabric and reducing environmental impacts. 

In the context of this European project, HABITER2030 will lead working group 1 and supervise the implementation of the 5 pilot projects. Besides facilitating communication among partners, HABITER2030 will support the joint, shared design of projects and will analyse the process’s conditions of reproducibility. The association will also identify the best adapted technical and architectural solutions for the 5 pilot projects. In line with its associative project and throughout its duration, HABITER2030 will involve students in the research and concrete achievements of the project.