Applying sufficiency strategies in the housing sector in the Parisian Region

Abstract: In France, the Parisian Region gathers more than 12 million residents, unevenly distributed. The Parisian urban area is the more densely populated territory of the country. Projects of residential and tertiary constructions around Paris remain numerous, especially in the context of the Grand Paris Project. This represents a consequent source for potential greenhouse gases emissions. The reduction of the environmental impact of human activities can be done in several ways. While energy efficiency reduces the energy needed to satisfy demands, and the use of renewables tackles the carbon emissions from producing a given quantity of energy, sufficiency means reducing the needs themselves. The application of sufficiency principles to the housing sector in Paris can be done through several strategies, and synergies were found between these measures. First, the reduction of construction rates appears to be an important lever to reduce the impact of the sector, and it implies the definition of a strategy at a national scale. A change in the types and sizes of dwellings built would not necessarily have a great impact in Île-de-France, as there are mostly apartments of reasonable sizes. The development of cohousing could have a great impact, both for the environment and on social terms, especially considering more vulnerable households when it comes to dwellings in the Region, such as elderly, single-parents, or students. Cohousing appears to be otherwise more difficult to accept by the population outside of special situations such as student life or retirement. Rehabilitating unused square meters as housing could contribute to a reduction of construction rates in the Region. In fact, vacant offices represent a consequent dormant supply, whose architectural constraints make good candidates for cohousing developments. Secondary residences also appear to be very prominent in the Region, and it could be interesting to switch their function to primary residences. Lastly, change of habits in households, and particularly a change in the use of domestic appliances and electronics, could contribute to significant emission reductions.