26.06.2026
Invisible Buildings: First Slovenian policy lab on activating vacant housing
On 18 June 2026, IRI UL within the framework of the EUKI Invisible Buildings project, organised the first Slovenian stakeholder meeting dedicated to developing a common understanding of vacant and underutilised housing and identifying solutions for its activation. The event brought together representatives of national institutions, the City of Ljubljana, research organisations, professional institutes and organisations active in housing policy, spatial planning, geoinformatics and real estate management.
The discussions confirmed that Slovenia’s main challenge is not the lack of housing-related data, but rather the fragmentation of data across institutions and the limited possibilities for integrating and using it to support evidence-based policymaking. Participants highlighted the need for a systemic approach that would connect existing datasets, establish appropriate institutional mechanisms and enable the development of data-driven measures for activating vacant housing.
A keynote presentation by the Geodetic Institute of Slovenia (GIS) introduced methodological approaches for identifying potentially vacant dwellings by combining cadastral data, population registers and energy and water consumption data. The discussion emphasised that identifying vacant dwellings is only the starting point. The ultimate objective is to develop practical measures, including technical assistance for owners, renovation incentives, integration into public rental schemes and local support mechanisms.
The Invisible Buildings project aims to develop a methodology enabling municipalities and national authorities to identify vacant or underutilised dwellings, assess their activation potential and prepare evidence-based policy measures for their reuse. One of the project’s long-term ambitions is to establish a pathway through which identified buildings can move from identification to renovation advice, renovation preparation and reactivation for affordable housing, including through future One-Stop-Shop (OSS) support services.
The meeting demonstrated strong interest from the Slovenian expert community in continuing collaboration. In the coming months, IRI UL and its partners will further develop the methodology for the Slovenian pilot and organise additional stakeholder dialogues to support the development of systemic solutions for making better use of the existing housing stock.
