Construction Minister Klara Geywitz wants to encourage people to move from the big city to the surrounding area or to smaller towns due to the housing shortage. “The potential is particularly great in small and medium-sized towns because there are also daycare centers, schools, shops and doctors there,” the SPD politician told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”.

“Almost two million apartments in Germany are empty. But there is a huge demand in our big cities and metropolitan regions. We will therefore present a strategy to combat vacancies at the end of the year,” said Geywitz. “We should be ready by November.”

Home office as a new opportunity for rural areas

In the past, many people have left their homeland to look for a job. “However, home offices and digitalization now offer completely new opportunities for living and working in rural areas. And we want to strengthen these,” Geywitz told the newspaper.

In Germany, more new apartments are needed than are being built. When the federal government started building three years ago, it set a target of 400,000 apartments per year. Last year, however, only 295,000 apartments were completed nationwide.

Municipalities view proposal positively – Union critical

The Association of Towns and Municipalities welcomed the initiative. With around 1.3 million marketable apartments, rural regions offer a great opportunity to relieve the housing markets in metropolitan areas and at the same time strengthen small and medium-sized towns and municipalities, said managing director Andre Berghegger to the newspapers of the Funke Media Group. But he also called for the necessary funds to be made available for infrastructure, fast internet, leisure activities, schools and public transport in order to encourage people to move to the countryside.

The deputy chairman of the Union parliamentary group for construction and housing, Ulrich Lange (CSU), said that moving to the countryside and combating vacant properties could be a small part of the solution. “But that can only dampen demand for housing in the cities to a small extent,” he added. What is needed is a master plan for affordable construction and housing that massively increases supply in areas with tight housing markets. “If the market can’t manage it, the state may have to get in the driver’s seat.”