TRUEHOME

Across Europe, new build and renovation often miss evolving needs, especially for vulnerable households. Interventions stop at the building line and can trigger displacement, energy poverty, poor indoor comfort, and loss of identity. Affordability is read narrowly as rent and capital cost. TRUEHOME reframes it as true affordability: the lifetime cost and externalities of housing (energy, water, mobility, health, emissions) at dwelling and neighbourhood scales. The aim is to reduce the true cost of housing while raising quality, sustainability, inclusion and beauty. Therefore, TRUEHOME develops two replicable innovation packages (one for new build, one for renovation) that steer projects from brief to operation, combining: (i) arts-led, middle-out co-creation to assemble comprehensive packages for new build and deep renovation with residents and local actors; (ii) participatory governance embedded in procurement, contracting and financing; (iii) a Sustainability & Affordability Impact Framework with KPIs that iteratively informs design choices and tendering; and (iv) an industry-informed value supply chain leveraging DfMA and off-site fabrication, circular and bio-based components, and standardised interfaces. Together they create a coherent intervention logic and urban development process that prioritises local voices and accelerates performance on affordability, sustainability, inclusiveness and community strength. The innovative packages are demonstrated in complementary cases in Spain, Belgium, and Slovenia. Expected outcomes include lower total cost of living, reduced energy demand and embodied/operational carbon, improved indoor environmental quality and accessibility, shorter delivery times with safer sites, and stronger social cohesion. All tools, templates and governance models are designed for replication by municipalities, housing providers and industry, enabling just, beautiful and sustainable neighbourhood renewal across Europe.