The Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning

Research Project: Common good orientation 3.0

Modules and fields of action for a housing policy in tune with the common good debate and for strengthening cooperative housing

Project briefing

Background

The orientation towards the common good plays a central role in current debates about housing policy and urban development. These debates are focused on strategies, instruments and actors that contribute to the creation and preservation of affordable housing in tight housing markets and foster social cohesion in neighbourhoods. Against this background, attempts to introduce a ‘new limited-profit housing system’ have been discussed controversially since 2015. It is intended to support the establishment of a separate market segment for social housing by actors oriented towards the common good.

Housing cooperatives are often referred to as actors oriented towards the common good. However, there are different opinions regarding their classification. In recent years, a few new housing cooperatives and ‘umbrella’ cooperatives have been founded and new cooperations among housing cooperatives and between cooperatives and other providers have been established. However, an overview of the fields of action of these ‘young’ cooperatives and the possible needs for their support is still lacking.

Objective

The research project pursued the overall objective of providing modules for the further development and application of housing and urban development policy programmes and instruments for the creation and preservation of affordable housing following a housing policy oriented towards the common good.

Specifically, the goals of the research were related to two points:

  • The aim of examining the debate about the principle of the common good in housing policies was to provide a sound, critical overview of the discussion. This provided starting points for continuing the dialogue with the partners in the housing strategy of the federal government and other actors.
  • With regard to strengthening housing cooperatives, the research project aimed to research, analyse and systematise the characteristics, potentials, fields of action, challenges and support-needs of housing cooperatives, particularly concerning their contribution to the common good. The purpose was also to derive recommendations for the support of housing cooperatives and modules for a further dialogue.

The contractor for the research project was the IfS – Institut für Stadtforschung und Strukturpolitik in cooperation with Dr. Jochen Hucke, Berlin.

Contact us

  • Mathias Metzmacher
    Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development
    Division WB 8 "Housing and Society"
    Phone: +49 228 99401-1422
    Email: mathias.metzmacher@bbr.bund.de

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