Popular initiative for affordable housing in Schleswig-Holstein
Published
The state chairperson of the Sozialverband Deutschland (SoVD), Jutta Kühl, and her deputy, Sven Picker, together with the state chairperson of the Deutscher Mieterbund (DMB), Jochen Kiersch, and the managing director, Carsten Wendt, gave the starting signal for a popular initiative for affordable housing in Schleswig-Holstein at a press conference in the state house on Friday, 16 February. The aim is to anchor the right to affordable and adequate housing in the state constitution. From now on, both associations have one year to collect 20,000 signatures from citizens of Schleswig-Holstein and then hand them over to the president of the state parliament. Once the quorum has been met, the state parliament must address the concerns of the popular initiative.
Specifically, SoVD and DMB request that an article 13a be included in the state constitution. Wording:
Adequate housing
1) Everyone has the right to adequate housing. The Land shall promote the creation and maintenance of affordable housing, in particular through social housing measures, tenant protection and rent subsidies.
2) The eviction of a dwelling may only be enforced if substitute living space is available. When weighing up the interests, the importance of the dwelling for leading a dignified life shall be given special consideration."
The background to the popular initiative is the dramatic situation on the housing market in Schleswig-Holstein. The current stock of affordable housing is far too low. Of the former 220,000 publicly subsidised flats in Schleswig-Holstein, only about 47,000 remained in 2017. Homelessness is rising continuously. Currently, about 10,000 people in our federal state live without shelter - and the trend is rising rapidly.
SoVD and DMB support the inclusion of the state goal of affordable and adequate housing in the state constitution with concrete demands to improve the housing situation in Schleswig-Holstein:
- Additional construction of 8,000 affordable, subsidised flats per year.
- More barrier-free flats for senior citizens and people with disabilities
- Improvements to the so far largely ineffective rent brake
- No vacancy of residential and commercial premises by enacting a regulation on the misappropriation of property
- Promotion of new foundations of municipal housing associations with
Land funds.
Jutta Kühl said at the press conference: "As associations we cannot make laws, let alone enforce them. What we can do, however, is build political pressure. And here a popular initiative is the strongest instrument we have at our disposal. We hope that many people will support us with their signatures. The more signatures we collect, the greater the pressure on those politically responsible to finally act to alleviate the now untenable situation on the housing market."
Sven Picker focused specifically on the housing situation of people with disabilities: "The word inclusion is on everyone's lips at the moment. But when it comes to concrete steps in implementation, there are still great difficulties. This applies both to the labour market and increasingly to the housing market. Wheelchair users in particular have problems finding housing that is tailored to their needs and also affordable for smaller wallets. This urgently needs to be remedied." Jochen Kiersch said, "The problems on the housing market in Schleswig-Holstein are largely homemade. They are the direct result of the sale of municipal housing associations to yield-oriented financial investors, the deliberate reduction of the social housing stock and the far too low level of new construction. There was an obvious lack of foresight on the part of the housing politicians, because the consequences were foreseeable. With the inclusion of the right to adequate housing in the state constitution, housing policy gains a higher priority and this is urgently needed - also as an urgent reminder for more sustainability."
Carsten Wendt emphasised: "In view of the current development on the housing market, it is essential to give the good of adequate and affordable housing constitutional status. The number of affordable flats is rapidly decreasing, whereas the demand for such flats is constantly increasing, not least because of the ever-widening income gap. It is important to make clear how fundamental the need for adequate housing is for every individual".
How can Bonn become climate neutral by 2035? This is the question that the participatory project "Bonn4Future - We for the Climate!" would like to discuss together with Bonn citizens over the next two years. Since mid-2019, the climate emergency has been in effect in Bonn; in November 2019, the Council decided that Bonn should become climate neutral by 2035. The city and the non-profit association Bonn im Wandel have now signed a cooperation agreement and thus launched "Bonn4Future".
Very important in "Bonn4Future" is a new culture of mutual listening and good cooperation. All those involved are looking for solutions on how climate neutrality can succeed for our city. Everyone takes responsibility and makes their contribution.
"In order to achieve climate neutrality in Bonn by 2035, it is not only a question of setting the right course at international and national level, but also of all of us here on site," says Mayor Katia Dörner. "On politics, administration, companies and the people of Bonn with their ideas and decisions. We want to enter into dialogue with them in the participatory process 'Bonn4Future', because only in this way can this great transformation process for Bonn succeed. I am very much looking forward to working with Bonn in transition and our committed urban society!"
Project modules: Developing and implementing measures
At Climate Day - which will be scheduled and planned depending on the pandemic situation - citizens are invited to develop a joint climate vision and action plan for a climate-neutral Bonn. The ideas and findings from this Climate Day will flow into a total of four planned Climate Forums - The first is to take place in the first half of 2021. There, 100 randomly selected citizens will work together with experts from business, science, associations, culture, administration and politics to develop strategies and concrete proposals for the path to climate neutrality in 2035.
Results and ideas from the forums are reflected in the administration and in politics. They serve as orientation and support for the further development of the already existing catalogues of climate protection measures.
An Project Advisory Board and an accompanying scientific evaluation ensure a high quality of the participation process.
"Climate change is on people's minds in Bonn, we notice that every day in our work," says Dr. Gesa Maschkowski, board member of the Bonn in Transition association. "Many people want to do something and want effective measures. Now we bring them together. The citizens, people from business, science, culture and the social sector as well as politicians from all parties. Because we have to plan and act now if Bonn is to be climate neutral by 2035 at the latest."
The broadest possible participation should produce constructive ideas and results over the next two years. To kick off the process, citizens can already express their views today at the urban portalwww.bonn-macht-mit.de inform about the process and contribute their ideas on how to make the process work well.
Reaching the goal together
"Bonn4Future - Wir fürs Klima!" already received a lot of support from more than 50 Bonn initiatives before the official start of the project. However, it is important to the creators to bring people from all areas of the citizenry on board. The process is to be supported by all social groups.
An accompanying Communication and education concept is dedicated to building up a communication network. In this way, multipliers are won over and care is taken to ensure that "Bonn4Future" remains a topic of conversation and that many people are motivated to participate.
An important communication tool is also the city-wide, interactive Sustainability platform. It will make visible initiatives, activities and dates on the topic of climate-neutral city, commitment to sustainability and citizen participation in the context of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Background
The cooperation agreement that has now been concluded was preceded by a citizens' application for participation in achieving the goal of climate neutrality. Bonn in Transition and the Climate Watch Bonn introduced this at the beginning of the year. In the meantime, the participation concept is supported by about 50 initiatives, companies and organisations. The citizens' committee agreed to it. Bonn im Wandel then developed a concept for the multi-stage procedure with the support of experts for citizen participation and further developed it in cooperation with the city administration.
With a resolution in September 2020, the Council of the City of Bonn finally commissioned the administration to conclude a cooperation agreement with Bonn im Wandel for the coordination and implementation of the two-year process. Funds of up to 719,000 euros will be made available for this until the end of 2022. The project will be implemented in the "Bonn4Future" project office. Here, four experienced experts for communication and participation work on 2.4 positions, supported by the Bonn in Change core team. On the part of the city administration the project is coordinated and accompanied by a half position. There is also a close connection to the citizen participation portal "Bonn macht mit". The participation portal bundles all information on participation offerings of the city of Bonn and provides opportunities for direct participation.
Bonn im Wandel sees itself as an ideas and project laboratory for a sustainable city. The association brings a large network as well as nine years of experience in the initiation and organization of civil society projects and change processes into the process.
Colourful, lively, largely car-free - the people of Tübingen also jokingly call the French Quarter the "green hell". The residents, however, appreciate the "ideal world" feeling.
Climate protection targets can only be achieved by investing in green technologies of the future and sustainable investment strategies / Energy Agency to support municipalities with divestment strategies in future.
"To be climate neutral by 2050, we not only need to make additional investments in green and innovative technologies of the future. Above all, we also need a shift from existing investments in 'brown' raw materials such as coal, oil and gas to 'green' climate-friendly technologies. The phase-out of fossil fuels must be global and rapid, in line with the goals of the World Climate Conference. Only in this way can we realistically achieve the climate protection goals. Churches, municipalities and also companies are setting new standards here and demonstrating the feasibility of the changeover in both ecological and economic terms," said Environment Minister Ulrike Höfken today at the event "Divestment and Sustainable Finance", which took place during the Climate Protection Weeks in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Höfken discussed new sustainable financing approaches together with Saori Dubourg, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE and member of the Council for Sustainable Development, Oberkirchenrat Heinz Thomas Striegler, Head of Church Administration of the Protestant Church in Hesse and Nassau and Chairman of the Working Group of Church Investors of the Protestant Church in Germany, as well as Christoph Bals, Political Director at Germanwatch e.V. and member of the Sustainable Finance Advisory Council of the German Federal Government.
According to the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the financial sector in particular has one of the greatest levers of influence in the short term to encourage other sectors of the economy to do more to protect the climate. The central tool here is divestment, a withdrawal of capital from markets and products that violate sustainability criteria, such as fossil-intensive industries, Höfken continued. "Rhineland-Palatinate is one of seven German states that has already passed a divestment resolution: The special assets of the state and the funds of state foundations are invested according to sustainable criteria," the minister explained. The Energy Agency Rhineland-Palatinate will support municipalities in the state in establishing divestment approaches in the future, Höfken announced. Here, the discussion is still in its infancy and further development in terms of content is necessary.
Whether municipalities, churches or companies: All players are called upon to examine their investment strategies and invest in a sustainable future. The City of Bonn is one of the pioneer cities with its path to sustainable financial investment. Carsten Buschmann, Head of Department at the City of Bonn, said: "The City of Bonn is pursuing a holistic approach that will be further expanded. Our experience in Bonn has shown that sustainable investing and returns are not mutually exclusive."
Climate Protection Weeks Rhineland-Palatinate:
During the Climate Protection Weeks Rhineland-Palatinate from 12 November to 11 December 2020, experts will discuss concrete instruments and measures against the climate crisis. From climate-efficient construction to climate funds and sustainable management, the events will highlight numerous approaches to achieving climate protection goals. In addition to top-class experts such as Prof. Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Prof. Claudia Kemfert or Christoph Bals, renowned companies and organisations such as BASF, Boehringer Ingelheim and the European Investment Bank, numerous national and international politicians from Germany, Luxembourg, Rwanda, Canada and the EU will be represented.
Detailed information on the climate protection weeks can be found at here
From building to neighbourhood: The current issue of the specialist journal "Information on Spatial Development" (IzR), published by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), shows how entire urban districts can be developed in a climate-friendly and energy-efficient way.
Based on the KfW programme "Energetic Urban Redevelopment", scientists, urban planners and architects report in this issue on approaches for neighbourhoods that they have tested over six years in initiatives and projects such as TransStadt, Sandy or EnEff:Stadt. The projects focus on integrated concepts, innovative technologies and instruments for energy-efficient refurbishment and owner participation.
The authors show how local governments, redevelopment agencies, municipal housing companies, and individual homeowners in urban districts can save energy and expand renewable energies across buildings, linking topics such as urban development, housing construction, and historic preservation. They look at the relationships between the local players and evaluate the economic viability and acceptance of projects. The focus is also on personnel, money, know-how and the question of how much of this the municipalities need for implementation.
"The articles in this issue illustrate how busy municipalities are working on the energy refurbishment of their neighbourhoods," says BBSR expert Wolfgang Neußer, who provides scientific support for KfW's Programme 432 "Energy-related urban refurbishment". "In order for the energy transition to succeed on the ground, we need to constantly include energy issues in integrated neighbourhood approaches to urban development."
But do the projects actually achieve the intended goals? How can listed buildings be renovated to be energy-efficient? And how can municipalities achieve the heat turnaround? The authors address these and many other questions in analyses, commentaries and interviews.
The booklet can be ordered for 19 Euro plus shipping costs:
service@steiner-verlag.de.
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