Established in 2018 in the canton of Fribourg, Enoki helps the players in the housing industry make the neighbourhoods and buildings they construct and renovate more sustainable. This young company’s objective is to facilitate sustainable lifestyles by encouraging new practices in urban neighbourhoods that enable everyone to get around and consume sustainably and locally.
Currently, five people work for Enoki, out on the road and at the company’s Fribourg offices. All of them have the same mission: to facilitate a sustainable way of life for everyone. In practice, what Enoki does is foster a neighbourhood activation process through what is known as the NeighborHub method, which employs tools to assess residents’ requirements and measure the local area’s sustainability performance. Using cleantech solutions indirectly, the aim is to have a positive impact on the climate, the local economy and quality of life in the neighbourhood.
“We offer this solution to real estate developers building new urban residential areas and to councils, homeowners and property management organisations to improve the sustainability of existing neighbourhoods. This is both a big challenge and the key to creating pleasant, sustainable towns and cities where people want to live,” says co-founder Axelle Marchon. Enoki’s neighbourhood activation process consists of three distinct stages.
Making neighbourhoods function more sustainable
To get the ball rolling, Enoki’s interdisciplinary team sit down and look at ways of making the local area more sustainable. In this phase, they assess the potential and feasibility of possible projects and select the initiatives that will work on the ground. They do this by first assessing the residents’ requirements and deciding which community roles and facilities to introduce. This first step results in a draft action plan.
Establishing new practices
The next phase involves introducing new practices and facilities and establishing a new community dynamic. Here, Enoki uses a variety of approaches such as organising hands-on workshops, creating local partnerships, introducing local services, organising public awareness initiatives and creating new facilities (a neighbourhood social centre and outdoor amenities). Working with local partners and service providers, the company provides a mix of bespoke activities and services to foster community life, encourage energy saving, adopt the principles of the circular economy, improve residents’ health and encourage soft mobility and sustainable eating habits.
An integral part of Enoki’s neighbourhood activation process is giving residents the tools they need to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. The company works with various partners to hold educational workshops on different topics such as how a solar panel works and how to save energy, planting fruit trees, or a visit to a local market gardening business. . In this way, Enoki creates lots of opportunities for locals to get to know each other while each time learning a little more about practical subjects that encourage sustainable development.
“To keep the momentum going in the longer term and enable residents to actively make a difference locally, we help them set up and launch neighbourhood associations and support them in drawing up their articles of association and in running them. We also help them organise neighbourhood activities and events like street parties and games nights.” In addition, Enoki supports the locals in setting up neighbourhood services such as a walking bus or a delivery scheme for locally grown vegetables.
Helping residents adopt more sustainable lifestyles
The last stage of the neighbourhood activation process involves helping residents feel comfortable in their revamped community. This means supporting residents in running their community spaces and organising activities and new services. Enoki is also responsible for measuring the neighbourhood’s sustainability performance, drawing on local certification schemes, the ESG criteria and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During this third stage, Enoki starts to take a back seat, passing the baton to the neighbourhood association that will take over the reins of their new-style community.
The first activation schemes are proving a hit with the locals
This activation process has met with success in the Sébeillon district of Lausanne. A survey conducted among local tenants led to several initiatives being supported or introduced: new community vegetable gardens, measures to encourage bicycle use and the creation of a neighbourhood association. Initial feedback is very positive. Another activation project is currently being established in the new Gruvatiez residential development in Orbe, north of Lausanne. Opened at the end of 2020, this district provides 220 new homes. Enoki organised participatory workshops for residents to encourage them to come up with ways of making local housing more sustainable.
The neighbourhood now hosts a weekly local mini-market and has a new community centre where residents can meet and socialise. A guide to sustainable living was also produced for residents. “At the moment, we are still working on the activation of the Gruvatiez district, which includes setting up a neighbourhood association. In Sébeillon, we’re now going to be holding energy awareness workshops. The community association, established less than a year ago, is in the process of setting up a street library and continues to operate its successful community vegetable gardens,” says Axelle Marchon.
Several projects in the pipeline
Enoki is currently kicking off new projects around Western Switzerland, mostly in existing urban districts. “We have several activation projects at the conception stage all over Western Switzerland. Various sustainable strategy consultancy projects are also under way,” adds Axelle Marchon. According to the latest IPCC report we have three years left to act to ensure a liveable future. The housing sector can play its part by providing sustainable alternatives for the communities in our towns and cities.
