Scotland’s tenements are an enduring legacy of Victorian and Edwardian urban expansion, providing a unique urban form and character to Scottish cities. In Glasgow, while many were swept away by 20^th century comprehensive redevelopment, the remaining stock was systematically improved through innovative citizen-led housing associations in the 1970s, or were of high enough existing quality in middle class areas. Today, tenements are a popular housing choice, combining space, heritage, compact development and cosmopolitan urban living.

Despite these benefits, many tenements in Glasgow are unprepared for the multiple challenges of climate change and energy insecurity. Many tenements have low energy efficiency, while the cost of heating homes continues to rise. Taking a ‘just transition’ standpoint, such challenges are compounded by those tenements occupied by housing association tenants, who receive a variety of housing or welfare subsidy. In addition, such tenants are pre-disposed to pre-existing vulnerabilities such as poor physical or mental health.

In 2019, the Southside Housing Association, The Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and others, led a multi-stakeholder pilot initiative at Niddrie Road in Glasgow’s Southside, to retrofit an entire tenement building to the maximum energy efficiency standards possible. Following this, the research team from Centre for Housing Evidence (Cache) undertook qualitative post-occupancy evaluation interviews to ascertain the lived experience of living in these deep retrofitted tenements. In this paper we outline the perspectives of tenants living in these flats and what lessons we might learn for retrofitting housing for a just transition.

References

Gibb. K et al. (2023) ‘Niddrie Road, Glasgow: Tenement Retrofit Evaluation’. UK Collaborative Centre for Housing Evidence.