As part of London Climate Action Week 2024, Home Energy Action Lab and Dark Matter Labs hosted a film screening of Retrofit Reimagined and workshop in the event space at the offices of Morris & Co in Hackney. The National Retrofit Hub (NRH) jointly facilitated the event to build the evidence base for an emerging workstream around supporting community and civic-led retrofit initiatives. Approximately 50 people from across community energy and retrofit groups, civic organisations, local authorities, and design professionals attended.
THE BIG QUESTION
“What if the climate transition and the retrofit of our homes and streets were designed, owned, and governed by the people who live there?” This thought-provoking question sparked a series of Retrofit Reimagined events across 2022 and 2023, hosted by Birmingham’s Civic Square and supported by a variety of organisations. It also set the tone for our workshop after the screening, challenging us to rethink how we deliver retrofit and regeneration in our communities.
FILM HIGHLIGHTS
The 18-minute film brilliantly captured the essence of the Retrofit Reimagined events held in Birmingham, Bristol, Machynlleth (Wales), Glasgow, and London. The facilitated workshops that followed the film screening asked two further questions. “How does retrofit show up in your community, what does it mean to people?” and “what forms of support do you need, and would you like to have access to in order to best support your communities?”
COMMUNITY INSIGHTS
We discovered that “retrofit” means different things to different people. For some, it signifies warm, comfortable homes that are efficient to run; for others, it means safety from mould and creating healthy living spaces. However, it can also evoke feelings of mistrust and confusion.
Participants emphasised the need for trusted sources of information tailored to various audiences. They also stressed the importance of opportunities to collaborate and learn from each other, which can help alleviate the feeling of facing challenges alone. Additionally, they highlighted the need for case studies, home visits, guidance on accessing funding, and practical advice.
One thing was clear from the passion of the audience, who braved a hot and sweltering London evening to participate: supportive, collective action is in high demand. There is a coalition of willing people and organisations ready to come together to sustain this effort.
MOVING FORWARDS
An early objective set by the National Retrofit Hub was that “pathways for replicable community driven retrofit initiatives are available and supported.” Through our engagement over the last year and more, this has proven to be a significant gap and one that we are committed to supporting through developing a community retrofit project.
This project will have three key components.
- Communities of Practice: Creating opportunities for groups to learn from each other.
- Centralised Library: Offering a collection of organisational, technical, and practical tools.
- Governance Structure: Ensuring a representative and accountable system so no one is left behind.
The National Retrofit Hub exists to enable the local delivery of retrofit at scale. It seeks to achieve this by fostering collaboration and bringing together people with the knowledge and skills necessary to co-create impactful outcomes.
Consistent and meaningful engagement with residents and communities of all shapes and sizes is crucial. This engagement needs to go beyond what is allowed for in statutory processes of engagement or what can be procured at personal cost, to achieve better outcomes and increased delivery.
Through continued community engagement, we aim to build a sustainable future where retrofit and regeneration are driven by the very people who will benefit from them.
WHERE TO WATCH?
The film is available to watch here: bit.ly/RetrofitReimaginedFilm
If you would like to put on your own screening of the film, you can find out more here.
