dodomu

 

Cities are always a place where conflicts take place. Conflicts between different usage claims or social groups, conflicts about apartments or jobs, conflicts about influence and power. In Germany, conflicts are often contained due to strong planning laws and rigid rent regulation. In view of the ongoing housing shortage and rent increases, however, there are increasing conflicts about housing policy, including public protests and squatting.

The extreme form of conflict resolution is war, with destruction of the building fabric and displacement of the population. In the post-war period, the urgent task arises of rebuilding destroyed buildings and erecting new ones very quickly. Ambitious housing programs were pursued in Germany after 1945. But natural disasters like the one in the Ahr valley also make it necessary to think about innovative reconstruction strategies.

The reconstruction and creation of affordable housing takes on a new urgency considering Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. Millions of people from Ukraine, mostly mothers with children, have fled to Europe for whom shelter is to be provided. At the same time, there are millions of internally displaced persons who are affected by severe housing shortages within Ukraine. When the refugees return to Ukraine, the housing shortage will worsen if no adequate measures are taken to create affordable housing.

In view of this initial situation, we want to deal with different strategies and case studies on reconstruction and affordable housing under the main topic “Cities in Conflict". The question arises as to which established strategies can be optimized and how innovative and short-term measures can cover the acute need for housing - for Germany, but also as transfer points for the war-torn Ukraine.