European cities seek ways of boosting affordable housing

In the European Union's most populous city, pressure on the housing market is so great that many of its residents are willing to undertake a historic experiment: Five years ago, Berliners voted in a referendum to instruct the Senate of the German capital to draft a law that would put an end to the power of large real estate companies. Those that owned more than 3,000 units should be expropriated, they said. The Senate did not act on the results of the referendum, which was non-binding. Meanwhile, the average cost of new leases has since risen by about half.

But in the Berlin elections on September 20, the socialist Left Party , which in its campaign had promised to act on the referendum, won the largest share of the vote. Whether it will be able to make good on its promises now depends on how negotiations to form a coalition shape up. But whatever happens, the election has drawn attention once again to the severity of the housing crisis in many cities across Europe.

Left Party candidate Elif Eralp has promised to be a mayor for all Berliners. Her campaign was largely about providing affordable housing. Image: Britta Pedersen/dpa/picture alliance

The Vienna model is a flagship solution to soaring rent prices in Europe. The ambitious social housing program as introduced after World War I when the Austrian capital experienced a severe housing crisis. Beds were so scarce that some workers had to sleep in shifts. Diseases such as tuberculosis spread in the cramped living conditions.

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