Old Buildings, New Standards: How Cities can Upgrade Existing Housing

The majority of the homes that will exist in most cities in 2050 have already been built. Rehabilitating them —improving energy performance, accessibility, structural safety, and housing quality— is one of the most pressing and complex challenges of urban housing policy. At the same time, ageing housing stock is both a social challenge and a climate opportunity, especially when inefficient or inaccessible buildings are occupied by lower-income or elderly households with limited capacity to invest in improvements. The session will address how cities can scale renovation and retrofit through coordinated action between governments, building owners, residents, finance institutions, and the construction sector, ensuring that upgrades improve affordability, quality of life, and neighbourhood resilience.