Construction Minister advocates for streamlined and less bureaucratic construction practices
In a forward-thinking move, Germany's Federal Minister of Housing, Verena Hubertz (SPD), is elbow-deep in a mission to quickly produce affordable housing nationwide, snubbing the snail-paced progress of the past. With a no-nonsense attitude, she's declared that there's an overwhelming dearth of apartments flooding the market, plain as day for everyone to see. In blazing ballsy fashion, Hubertz spilled the beans to ntv ahead of the recent black-red federal government powwow.
In her vision, the cumbersome permitting process, currently taking over five years in city hotspots à la Berlin, will be turbocharged with the advent of "Bau-Turbo." Instead of wallowing in bureaucratic crud for months on end, permit procedures will shimmy down to a neat two-month shake-and-bake. Setting her sights high, Hubertz has christened "Speed, Technology, and Tolerance" the battle cry for the upcoming years.
The federal cabinet has been holding fruitful discussions on drafting a government bill intended to give German residential construction a much-needed shot in the arm. Municipalities will be offered the opportunity to make the permit process more agile by detouring from construction plans. Furthermore, rented apartment stock will be shielded from demolition creep by extending conversion protection.
Driving towards her goal—affordable and expedient home-building—Hubertz advocates for reducing construction expenses, which have been on a wild ride in the residential sector. To tackle these costs, she champions the use of technology. In her book, that means promoting serial construction, where economies of scale can be squeezed out thanks to standardization.
Keeping things simple and straightforward, Hubertz asserts that they won't be slashing costs at the expense of people or the environment. Instead, the focus will be on identifying wise compromises where savings can be made, such as minimizing parking spaces, narrowing down wall widths, and growing verticality through building extensions and densification. Additionally, she's been tinkering with an hereditary lease system where city dwellers won't have to drop a pretty penny on buying building land, but rather lease it from the city or church instead.
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It's worth noting that, despite the surge in building permits, Hubertz is eager to see not just the vibes, but actual construction work happening on the ground. A roof over one's head is a fundamental right Hubertz advocates for, and she backs extending the rent brake as one of the ways to ensure this goal is met. However, there's a hiccup in the works: the SPD and the Union have opposing views on how long the rent brake should extend, while the SPD is all for an extension, the Union is currently standing in the way.
Overall, the German government's attempt to ramp up housing production and make the permitting process less of a headache is a strategic move to address the pressing housing shortage and skyrocketing prices in metropolitan areas. By streamlining bureaucratic red tape, investing in technology, and encouraging affordable housing projects, more living units can be brought to market, and hopefully, the incessant climb in rents and home prices will be curbed or at least slowed. Although the demand in major cities is incredibly strong, experts assert these combined measures might help alleviate the burden even if temporary relief is all we can expect initially.
1) The federal government's policy-and-legislation focus on streamlining bureaucracy in housing construction and investing in technology falls under the broader category of politics.
2) The current discussions around drafting a government bill aiming to boost residential construction in Germany is a significant topic in the general-news, particularly regarding the housing shortage and skyrocketing prices in metropolitan areas.
