Housing Construction - Housing Strategy

Strengthening the Cooperative Housing

A further pillar for the provision of affordable housing are the more than 80 housing cooperatives. They have a strong tradition in Berlin: Currently there are about 186,000 cooperative apartments. That is more than 11 percent of all rental housing.

Long-term rental housing and stable neighborhoods are in the nature of the cooperative idea. The rents are oriented towards the needs of the members. Already today, many cooperatives invest considerable resources and energies into the adaptation of homes for seniors. They also have long experience in the public service work. Therefore, the Senate supports the cooperative housing organisations in their efforts to expand their holdings.

Initiative for New Residential Construction

In order to build new homes in Berlin as quick as possible, the Senate paved the way for private and public home-builders not only by establishing the new Housing Construction Office of the Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing. The State of Berlin also uses its role as owner of state-owned housing cooperatives. By this way, the agreed increase of the housing stock shall be carried out until 2016 - partly by building new homes.

In a pilot project, the State of Berlin has provided building land on which the six housing cooperatives are bringing exemplary projects to realization. In addition, it was agreed that Berlin hands over state-owned land suitable for new residential building directly to the six state-owned housing cooperatives.

In a first cooperative building competition in 2012, the State of Berlin awarded nine exemplary projects. The award winners were given the opportunity to apply for funds from the Investment Bank. By this means, the State of Berlin supported the realization of these projects. At the same time the awarded projects are to be understood as an encouragement to other cooperatives to be more active and to provide ideas on how to create living space that is contemporary in design and affordable, as well.