A new ShiftUp tool from LIFE Renew-It maps what people can bring to a collective renovation.
Collective renovation works best when people can contribute in ways that fit their skills, their interests and their everyday lives. The Local Skills Diagnosis maps the skills present in a neighbourhood, helping project teams find out what residents can contribute, where they need support, and what they would like to learn along the way. Both the methodology and its implementation were developed by ShiftUp within LIFE Renew-It.
The tool records technical, social, organisational, financial and coaching skills, and sets them alongside motivation, availability, personal circumstances and the question of what someone is actually interested in. It also covers training needs and longer-term goals — whether taking part might be a first step towards working in renovation or construction, for instance. And it deliberately makes visible where people with little experience can still take part, provided they are given guidance.
Dividing up the work realistically
LIFE Renew-It explores how residents can take on selected renovation activities together with professionals and local organisations. What matters is a safe division of responsibility: residents take on suitable parts of the work — not an entire building.
Some already bring hands-on experience. Others would rather help with planning, communication or coordination — or simply want to learn something new. Mapping these strengths is the first step towards seeing not only what needs doing, but also who is able and willing to do it. This reflects the project’s overarching aim: making renovation more inclusive while building skills that remain useful far beyond it.
A guided conversation
Residents usually work through the questions together with a social professional, a facilitator or someone they trust. This makes the process more accessible and keeps the answers in context. It creates room for a conversation about what someone feels able to do and how they would like to be involved.
The tool does not determine who does what. It supports the exchange between residents, coordinators, social professionals and building experts from which those decisions emerge.
Set up for each project individually
The results help project teams match strengths and interests to suitable tasks — weighed against the actual requirements of each activity, the condition of the building, the time and support available, and the work that has to remain in the hands of qualified professionals.
The tool is designed to work together with the other LIFE Renew-It methods used to assess activities and project scenarios. Together they show where residents can contribute, where training or supervision is what makes that possible, and where professional expertise is indispensable.
The tool is available as a multilingual Excel file and can equally be used online via the ShiftUp platform — in English, German, French, Spanish and Catalan. Each online version is set up for a specific neighbourhood or project and so remains tailored to the people involved.
More people can take part than you might think
The tool makes one thing tangible: far more people can contribute to a renovation than just those with building experience — and there are many different ways of doing so. Looking at skills, interests, goals and personal circumstances together allows roles to be shared out more fairly, and shows more clearly where additional guidance or professional support belongs.