Strategies for Large Housing Estates
On the 6th and 7th of July 2023, the Competence Center for Large Housing Estates invited experts from six countries to an international workshop in Berlin. Over the course of two days, discussions revolved around the current state of large housing estates in Western European countries and the concepts designed for their development in the future.

Experts from Sweden (Stockholm), the Netherlands (Amsterdam), Denmark (Copenhagen), Switzerland (Zurich), France (Strasbourg), and Germany exchanged ideas on community care strategies and housing distribution policies that have proven effective in fostering neighborhood cohesion and preventing parallel societies. They discussed successful urban planning measures and architectural initiatives that have contributed to social diversity within large housing estates.

The workshop has revealed the similarities and differences in the strategies of countries and their non-profit housing companies regarding large housing estates, for example, in:
• quotas in housing distribution policies,
• distribution between self-financed and subsidized housing based on neighborhood types and local circumstances,
• the relationship between object-based and subject-based funding.

Several concepts have been agreed upon, including:
• a broader perspective on social housing supply (“living for all” rather than “social housing”),
• the significance of creating social mix and fighting “parallel societies”,
• the need for increased urban responsibility in meeting housing supply quotas beyond large housing estates,
• recognizing the role of large housing estates in facilitating integration, and the necessity of providing specific support for this function.
• the need to establish frameworks that allow municipal housing companies to operate as economically independent entities while remaining financially viable in their actions.

Integration and Social Mixing: A Long Challenging Road Ahead

All country reports underscore the efforts made through various means to support integration and neighborhood cohesion within large housing estates. However, the successes achieved fall short of expectations. What are the reasons?

Firstly, there's immense pressure on municipalities, particularly to cater to the most needy households, and the affordable and manageable housing suitable for them is disproportionately situated within these large housing estates. Secondly, immigration is pushing the integration capacity of local communities to the limits of their endurance. Integration requires time and resources, both of which are lacking. Concerns and unrest among the local population about the risk of overburdening neighborhoods and social systems are growing.
Nevertheless, what would the situation be like without the proactive counteractions of municipalities and socially oriented housing companies? The alternative would be cities that fall apart into established enclaves and marginalized neighborhoods, each with its own cultures and resentments – the antithesis of an integrated urban society.

The workshop program, information about the speakers, a summary of the results, and the presentations delivered by the speakers are available for download here.

Einladung zum Internationalen Workshop des Kompetenzzentrums Großsiedlungen

Strategien für die Weiterentwicklung von Großsiedlungen

Auf einem Internationalen Workshop möchten wir mit Kollegen aus Schweden, Dänemark, den Niederlanden, Frankreich und der Schweiz über Strategien für die Weiterentwicklung von Großsiedlungen diskutieren.

Worum geht es?

In den Ländern West-, Mittel- und Nordeuropas wird die Zukunft der Großsiedlungen vor allem unter zwei Gesichtspunkten diskutiert:
Welche Konzepte der Belegungspolitik und der Gemeinwesenbetreuung sind geeignet, um den Zusammenhalt der Nachbarschaften zu fördern und Parallelgesellschaften zu vermeiden?
Welche städtebaulichen Maßnahmen und hochbaulichen Angebote können zur sozialen Mischung der Nachbarschaften beitragen?
Diese Fragen wollen wir gemeinsam mit Partnern aus Schweden, Dänemark, Frankreich, der Schweiz und den Niederlanden diskutieren. Die Vorbereitung ist gut vorangeschritten. Die eingeladenen Gäste aus Schweden, Dänemark, Frankreich, der Schweiz und den Niederlanden haben ihre Teilnahme mit Vorträgen zugesagt – siehe das beiliegende Programm.

In der Hoffnung auf einen interessanten Austausch

Dr. Bernd Hunger und Ralf Protz
Kompetenzzentrum Großsiedlungen e.V.

Bitte beachten Sie:

Der Workshop soll Arbeitscharakter haben, weshalb der Teilnehmerkreis begrenzt ist und nur persönliche Einladungen erfolgen können. Zudem bitten wir Sie um Ihre Teilnahme während des gesamten Verlaufs der Tagung, damit der informelle Austausch gegeben ist und Kontakte geknüpft werden.

Tagungsunterlagen

• Das Programm
  Download [pdf | 920 KB]