A potential shift is underway in the provision of social housing in Germany, according to Federal Minister for Housing, Urban Development and Building Verena Hubertz. Speaking in an interview with ARD, Hubertz attributed the current positive momentum to a collapse in the conventional housing market, which has, conversely, spurred private investors to undertake larger-scale social housing projects.
The federal government is committing a record €21.65 billion to support social housing initiatives in the states through 2028, a sum matched by the individual states. Hubertz stated that these programs are being utilized and contributing to the evolving trend.
However, the German Tenants’ Association expresses concerns that further action is necessary. Pointing to a near halving of social housing units since 2006, they highlight that while around 1.1 million units currently exist, over 11 million households are eligible for social housing provisions.
Minister Hubertz has defended her plans to streamline the planning process for certain construction projects, alleviating municipalities from needing to create new zoning plans. While criticized by Katalin Gennburg of the Left party, who voiced concerns over reduced participation for local residents, Hubertz insists these measures enhance democratic involvement by allowing municipalities to choose whether or not to incorporate citizen participation. She emphasized that the accelerated building process will not be implemented carelessly and environmental impact assessments will remain rigorous, safeguarding urban green spaces.
Hubertz also offered a frank assessment of the initial performance of the new government coalition. While acknowledging “some things that haven’t run optimally”, including failures in the selection of constitutional judges and diverging opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Minister attributes these challenges to issues within the parliamentary factions, rather than the cabinet itself.
Despite these initial difficulties, Hubertz characterized the government’s overall performance as positive, noting the progress made on over 60 initiatives within the first 70 days in office, exceeding achievements during the previous government’s tenure. She specifically cited Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil’s “construction turbo” initiative, a legislative framework expected to be finalized in the autumn, designed to accelerate building project approvals.