ABSTRACT

This chapter argues that there is considerable potential to influence the continuous and ubiquitous process of housing renovation to make a greater contribution to improving the environmental performance of existing housing stock. It outlines potential gains to be made through a more strategic approach to housing renovation and proposes a framework for considering the key actor groups and stakeholders with interests in housing renovation. Since householders are central and have significant views about how their dwellings meet their needs and preferences about how they might change their dwellings in the future, it is essential that they, and their perceptions and experiences, are included in analyses of environmental sustainability and home improvements. It is important to think institutionally and for analyses to include investment processes, production and consumption issues, private and public sector organizations, households, and holistic thinking that relates sustainability to ecological, economic and cultural dimensions.