ULI Europe rolls out new C Change for Housing programme

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) has launched a Europe-wide initiative aimed at tackling the interconnected challenges of climate change and housing affordability. 

Berlin - ULI Europe

The housing sector faces immense environmental and social pressures. Buildings contribute 37% of global carbon emissions, while nearly 15 million Europeans struggle with housing affordability, with almost a million facing homelessness. 
Current decarbonisation efforts often prioritize expensive properties in desirable locations, potentially worsening existing inequalities. Furthermore, systemic obstacles prevent the effective utilization of existing underused housing stock to achieve equitable and sustainable housing solutions. Addressing these intertwined crises separately is no longer feasible.
Recognizing that current decarbonisation efforts often overlook affordability and equity, C Change for Housing seeks to develop scalable and inclusive solutions. It will identify systemic barriers, create practical solutions focused on investors and developers, educate the industry, and showcase best practices. 
Additionally, it will build on the success of ULI's C Change programme, which was launched in 2021 to encourage decarbonization in real estate.
C Change for Housing will leverage both top-down and bottom-up approaches, involving public and private sector stakeholders, and provide advisory services. 
ULI is actively seeking input from experts across various fields and will host a dedicated forum at the ULI Europe Conference in London on 16 June 2025. 
Supported by the Laudes Foundation, the programme's initial phase, including a landscape review led by Arup and Dark Matter Labs, is already underway.
Lisette van Doorn, CEO, ULI Europe commented: “As commented on many times before, the climate crisis is not only an environmental crisis, but risks becoming a social crisis, disproportionately affecting vulnerable people in society and their health and wellbeing. Tackling the decarbonisation of social and affordable housing should be a number one priority but the difficulty in building the business case with rent and value uplifts being limited often stalls any action. We can only solve these two interlinked crises by working together, with effective and increased collaboration between the public and private sectors to efficiently decarbonise existing social and affordable housing and provide new housing within planetary boundaries.”