Minister of construction Geywitz Suggestion: Escape from cities as a solution?
Minister of construction Geywitz Suggestion: Escape from cities as a solution?
does it move to the country? This appeal is a cheek!
Berlin. SPD construction minister Klara Geywitz recently asked people to leave the big cities and settle in rural areas or smaller communities. This proposal has triggered violent criticism and is rated as the admission of political failure.
At first glance, it seems logical: the big cities burst at the seams, while in rural areas many houses are empty. But a closer look shows that this is not a real solution. Many people have a deeply rooted wish to live in the city, be it because of the urban attitude to life or concrete professional ties. The cities also need their residents, such as firefighters, educators and nurses who are essential for the functioning of urban life.Klara Geywitz emphasized the advantages of home office and mobile work in an interview. In their view, people could therefore easily move to small and medium -sized cities, since there are also daycare centers, schools and doctors. But mobile work is not universally applicable and many professionals have to be physically present at their workplace. This applies in particular to system -relevant professions that are indispensable in the cities.
The criticism of Geywitz ’proposal is not limited to professional aspects. Students, for example, who already have difficulty finding affordable dormitory or shared apartments in university cities, are also left alone with this appeal. Because rents for student living are so high in many places that they clearly exceed the amounts provided for in the BAföG. After years of Corona and online apprenticeship, it would also be unfair to expect young people to stay at home with their parents and to enroll at distant universities.
The persistent rental price explosion in metropolitan areas is one of the most pressing social problems in Germany. Instead of taking effective measures, such as the reduction in the capping limit agreed in the coalition agreement or the compliance with the new construction goals of 400,000 new apartments per year, many political initiatives remain dental. The rental price brake is extended, but its effect is limited. It is in particular people who are looking for an apartment in attractive cities or their surrounding areas that suffer from this political failure.
Many city dwellers have justified claims: they want to use the cultural offers and the urban infrastructure and at the same time live near their social environment. You need short commuting and a lively city life. The proposal to draw on the country ignores these needs and forces people to choose between affordable living space and their desire for urban life.
What could the politicians have done?
A sustainable solution for the housing problem in the cities could have included proactive measures. The construction of affordable apartments must be prioritized and pushed forward quickly. State -funded housing projects could play a crucial role here. A really effective rental price brake, coupled with a reduction in the capping limit, would be essential to get the rental price under control.
In addition, the federal government could create better incentives for the use of empty living spaces in the cities and ensure that the urban infrastructure is being further developed in order to make life in the city attractive and affordable. Ultimately, it must be recognized that both cities and rural areas need support and that extensive political strategies are required that take both habitats into account.
- Nag
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