The Meaning of Rehabilitation of Multi-Storey Housing for the Residents

Abstract

The rehabilitation of blocks of flats can be planned and executed in very different ways. This article describes two case studies of rehabilitation processes, focusing on what can be learned from the organizational processes and the meaning of the rehabilitation for the residents. Residents, initiators, architects and contractors have all been interviewed. One of the case studies involved two blocks of flats with municipal apartments for substance abusers ,where the residents participated in the planning of the housing rehabilitation. The other case study reviewed a housing cooperative where the residents, through an elected board and chairman, took on an initiative to undertake a complete rehabilitation. In both case studies most residents were very pleased with the results, and had a feeling of ownership towards the project and their houses. The rehabilitation process and architectural changes positively affected their social status and personal pride. The common criteria for success seems not necessarily to be the degree of involvement in the decision-making process, but rather the leaders’ respect for their needs, the level of information provided and the follow-up. The leaders of both projects were enthusiastic, and were in close contact with the residents while guiding the rehabilitation process.

Keywords:

• Housing rehabilitation
• Resident participation
• Home
• Identity

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank two anonymous referees for valuable comments.

Notes

1. SINTEF and NTNU Social Research AS in Norway received founding from the Norwegian State Housing bank to carry out a five-year research project (2008–2012), ReBo, on sustainable rehabilitation of blocks of flats from the post-war period. The project has three main focus areas: (1) municipal management and decision-making processes; (2) universal design; and (3) energy. This article is written with the main focus on the first theme.