No abstract

Keywords: building stock, environmental policy, housing associations, management, social housing, sustainable built environment, the Netherlands Bien qu'il existe des directives gouvernementales progressives et que l'on soit conscient des questions de durabilité, le progrès en matière de gestion durable au sein du secteur du logement social a été assez lent. Une analyse et une étude de marché portant sur la gestion du logement durable menées par des associations hollandaises pour le logement indiquent les domaines et les organisations où les principes, les instructions et les pratiques sont limités ou absents. Des tendances longitudinales se dégagent sur la base d'autres études menées en 1993, 1998 et 2000 et qui comparent les stratégies nationales de cinq pays de l'Union Européenne (Pays-Bas, Allemagne, Royaume-Uni, France et Finlande). Les résultats montrent que les efforts en matière de gestion durable sont mal orientés, l'accent étant mis sur la fourniture de bâtiments nouveaux et non sur leur exploitation et leur maintenance. L'article recense plusieurs obstacles aux niveaux politique et stratégique, notamment en ce qui concerne les coûts perçus de la mise en oeuvre d'une gestion de l'environnement, le manque de demande du marché et la capture médiocre des bénéfices. Des recommandations particulières à l'attention du gouvernement, des associations pour le logement, des occupants reposent sur ces conclusions-; il faudrait notamment élargir le coeur des problèmes à la durabilité, mettre l'accent sur le parc immobilier existant, avoir recours davantage à des accords volontaires, reconnaître les différentes capacités parmi les associations pour le logement et susciter la demande du marché.Mots clés : parc immobilier, politique environnementale, associations pour le logement, gestion, logement social, cadre bâti durable, Pays-Bas

Although progressive government guidelines and knowledge about sustainable housing exist, progress in implementing them in practice has been slow. The perceived costs and the lack of market demand have been identified as the main barriers. A choice of fiscal instruments is essential in sustainable housing policies. This article presents an analysis of economic measures currently used to support sustainable housing in the EU and the accession countries, indicating the areas where policy instruments are either focused or lacking. Based on the country progress reports of the Third European Ministers Conference on Sustainable Housing in Belgium in 2002, the results indicate that environmental taxes and subsidies are used in the EU and the accession countries, but that they have had a low impact on the housing sector. An examination of the developments since 1996 shows that apart from energy initiatives resulting from the Kyoto Protocol, the lack of a strong driving force has kept progress slow. Conclusions are based on the analysis findings – the low impact of taxation on housing, the lack of environmental criteria in the reduced VAT rate and the narrow focus of subsidies. This article argues that enlargement of the EU presents opportunities for sustainable housing in Europe, if the fiscal instruments are enforced by legal means. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

In 2003 the European Commission introduced the EC Directive on the energy performance of buildings in recognition of the importance of energy savings in the urban housing stock. The Directive gives the member states freedom to design the different elements in practice. The energy certificate for existing buildings demanded by the EC Directive can be used as a communicative instrument, or combined with economic or regulatory principles. The authors discuss the anticipated efficiency and effectiveness of different policy approaches in the application of the EC energy certificate for the urban housing stock. They argue that, although energy certificates as a communication instrument for household appliances have appeared to be relatively successful, the different nature of the building sector may mean that their effectiveness here will be rather limited. The combination of energy certificates with tax schemes seems promising, but will have to be coupled with general income taxes or in housing-related taxes in order to prevent regressive social effects. Combination of the energy certificate with subsidies should be limited, because of the ‘free-rider effect’, and subsidies should only cover innovative products at the beginning of their ‘learning curve’. Effective results can probably be expected from the introduction of regulations combined with energy-certificate standards, but this requires a rather drastic approach and needs time to receive sufficient commitment, as has been the case for new buildings where there has been a gradual development of energy regulations over the last thirty years. However, an introduction of energy standards for the existing urban housing stock through the EC energy certificate offers great potential in the realisation of CO2 reductions. The introduction of an energy standard, by means of the energy certificate in combination with progressive taxes or other economic measures to reward better and punish worse energy-performance levels, seems an interesting approach that needs further research.

Buildings belong to the most cost-effective sectors where carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) reductions can be achieved, and urban regeneration offers a good intervention point for switching to sustainable fuel sources, as changes in energy infrastructure can be coupled with other construction, thus decreasing the cost. However, the potential energy savings that are feasible do not match the more ambitious policy targets. Based on case studies in the Netherlands, obstacles are identified in the context of urban renewal that need to be overcome if energy efficiency measures are to be implemented and space heating replaced with low-carbon technologies. The current free-market public policy instruments have not managed to address the obstacles identified in the case studies due to poor market signals, costs and payback periods, risks, and a lack of leadership on environmental targets and policies on sustainable urban renewal. The potential for stronger government intervention is examined for the effectiveness in reducing both energy consumption and CO 2 generation. Legislation could produce a certain policy outcome in terms of CO 2 reduction in urban renewal in the Netherlands if compliance and legitimacy are ensured, but policy consideration is also required to account for the dilemma of lowincome households and the rebound effects associated with occupant behaviours.Keywords: building stock, carbon reduction, energy efficiency, housing, public policy, renovation, urban renewal, the Netherlands Les bâ timents appartiennent à l'un des secteurs les plus rentables où il est possible de réaliser des réductions de CO 2 et où la rénovation urbaine permet de passer à des sources de combustibles durables, les modifications apportées aux infrastructures énergétiques pouvant être couplées avec d'autres constructions, ce qui en diminue le coû t. Toutefois, les économies qu'il est possible de réaliser au niveau de l'énergie ne correspondent pas aux objectifs politiques plus ambitieux. Des études de cas menées aux Pays-Bas ont permis d'identifier, dans le contexte du renouveau urbain, des obstacles qu'il faut surmonter si l'on veut mettre en oeuvre des mesures d'efficacité énergétique et si l'on veut remplacer le mode actuel de chauffage des locaux par des technologies à faible dégagement de CO 2 . Jusqu'à présent, les instruments de la politique publique libérale n'ont pas permis de renverser ces obstacles pour les raisons suivantes: faibles signaux du marché, coû ts et périodes de récupération, risques et manque de leadership en matière d'objectifs environnementaux et de politique concernant la rénovation urbaine durable. Cet article examine les possibilités d'un interventionnisme plus fort de la part des autorités pour améliorer la réduction à la fois de la consommation d'énergie et de la production de CO 2 . La législation pourrait produire quelques résultats en termes de réduction du CO 2 dans la rénovation urbaine aux Pays-Bas si l'on garantit la compatibilité et la légitimité; mais il faut également prendre en considération les que...