The group’s contribution to the Centre of Excellence (CoE) focuses on understanding how housing inequalities are formed and how to implement the Renovation Wave in a socially and regionally inclusive way. It seeks to link housing renovation with issues such as affordability and access to other urban opportunities within market-driven housing systems. The research will engage with the discussions on the eco-social paradox, which posits that sustainability and equity goals are often in conflict with each other. For example, housing renovation can increase property values, making already expensive central city housing even less affordable for middle- and lower-income families, forcing them to seek affordable homes in the suburbs or beyond. This, in turn, increases commuting distances and the ecological footprint of daily mobility. Additionally, the digital transition and the rise of remote working are enabling wealthier families to diversify their housing choices, reshaping both housing demand and daily mobility patterns. Hence, changes in housing demand and changes in daily mobility need to be jointly considered.

The group will investigate longitudinal building-level changes in housing together with building-level changes in the population composition to assess the social and regional inclusiveness of the Renovation Wave. It will dig into questions such as whether living in sustainable, energy-efficient housing—such as renovated homes—correlates with individuals adopting more sustainable transportation choices, such as cycling, walking, or using public transport. To advance this research, the group provides the CoE with an advanced census and registry-based data infrastructure developed in collaboration with Statistics Estonia within the Infotechnological Mobility Observatory (imo.ut.ee).