UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Unequal spatial distribution of retrofits in Bucharest's apartment buildings

Turcu, C; (2017) Unequal spatial distribution of retrofits in Bucharest's apartment buildings. Building Research & Information , 45 (8) pp. 892-909. 10.1080/09613218.2016.1229894. Green open access

[thumbnail of Turcu_Unequal_spatial_distribution.pdf]
Preview
Text
Turcu_Unequal_spatial_distribution.pdf - Published Version

Download (2MB) | Preview

Abstract

his paper argues that the current spatial patterns of energy retrofits in post-socialist apartment buildings are unequally distributed across municipalities in Bucharest, Romania. In addition to the dominant techno-economic and social framing of this type of retrofit action, an institutional and political perspective can provide useful insights into why this occurs. By drawing on secondary analysis of statistical data, grey literature and 20 semi-structured interviews in Bucharest, three important findings emerge. First, the institutional complexity of energy retrofit of apartment buildings in Romania is underestimated and the interaction between various institutions is poor, explained by lack of trust and collective action. Second, the spatial distribution of the retrofit of apartment buildings is unequally distributed across Bucharest’s six municipalities. Third, current action for retrofit does not reach municipalities with the greatest need and potential. A more bottom-up and decentralized institutional landscape exists than is currently acknowledged in public policy and the research literature. Findings show an unequal and unfair spread of retrofit action within and between cities – raising wider implications for the potential shortcomings of European Union retrofit programmes in Central and Eastern Europe.

Type: Article
Title: Unequal spatial distribution of retrofits in Bucharest's apartment buildings
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1080/09613218.2016.1229894
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2016.1229894
Language: English
Additional information: Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way.
Keywords: Apartment buildings, energy efficiency, governance, inequality, institutions, multi-family housing, public policy, retrofit, Romania,
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > The Bartlett School of Planning
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1518697
Downloads since deposit
114Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item