• The second meeting with the group, consisting of 11 entities representing the entire value chain of urban regeneration, was held on the 24th of May.

The Opengela model is moving forward with innovative solutions related to urban regeneration which are being implemented through the European BIRTUOSS project, financed by the European Commission‘s LIFE programme. In addition to the 14 partners of the consortium in this project, an advisory board made up of experts representing the entire value chain of urban regeneration has been set up.

On 24 May, this advisory board, composed of 11 entities that contribute their knowledge to contrast and enrich the results of the project, met for the second time. Their representatives helped to focus on some key issues in urban regeneration. They also expressed their satisfaction with the progress made and their perception of Opengela as ‘a very well-received project’ in the various European bodies, which are committed to reproducing the Opengela model throughout the EU.

Entities from both the Basque Country and European organisations are represented on the advisory board. It includes the group of architecture professionals, through the Official Association of Basque-Navarrese Architects (COAVN), the Official Association of Quantity Surveyors and Technical Architects of Biscay (COAATBI) and the employers’ associations of construction and development companies such as ASCOBI (Biscay), ASCONGI (Gipuzkoa) and SEA Uneca (Alava). They provide technical knowledge and advice in their respective areas.

The Association of Basque Municipalities (Eudel) is also a member of the advisory board, providing its knowledge and vision of public administration and helping to accelerate the market implementation of the solutions developed at Opengela. The State Administration is represented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (MIVAU).

The European perspective

The presence of international organisations on the advisory board is noteworthy. One example is Renovate Europe, an initiative of Efficient Buildings Europe focused on reducing the energy demand of the building stock by 80% by 2050.

And another is Housing Europe, the European Federation of Public, Cooperative and Social Housing, which manages around 25 million homes, around 11% of the existing dwellings in Europe. It brings the social dimension and was already involved in the Opengela consortium during the previous European project (HIROSS4all) developed between 2019 and 2023 with funding from the Horizon 2020 programme. Housing Europe helps to keep the focus of this people-centred project on accessibility and sustainability.

In addition, the European and climate change-related perspective is provided by Climate-KIC, one of the communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) that coordinates the European platform of the Cities Mission and leads, together with the UPM University, the citiES 2030 initiative in Spain.

The point of view of homeowners is guaranteed by the presence of the International Union of Property Owners (UIPI), an association that includes 31 organisations from 28 countries and with representation in the Basque Country.

This panel of experts advises the BIRTUOSS consortium in the development and improvement of the Opengela project by contributing with the point of view of other relevant agents within the value chain in the field of urban regeneration. Its participation is expected throughout the duration of the European project. It is a contribution that BIRTUOSS considers essential to achieve the development of a quality management model with an integrated perspective based on urban regeneration at neighbourhood scale.