Speaker
Description
The housing crisis in Germany, particularly the shortage of affordable housing in metropolitan areas, poses a significant challenge for middle- and low-income households. However, new buildings alone cannot resolve this issue, especially in the context of the climate crisis. Construction activities and the operation of buildings are among the largest contributors to CO2 emissions in Germany (BBSR, 2020). For socially and ecologically sustainable urban development, transformative approaches are needed. This calls for identifying essential housing needs that genuinely enhance quality of life (Abel, 2023) and integrating these insights into planning processes.
Within the group of middle- and low-income households, particularly children and adolescents have specific needs that are inconsistently considered in urban planning. Drawing on empirical research conducted in a large housing estate in Berlin, I aim to provide insights into the housing realities of young residents. The research area is distinguished by a significant prevalence of single-parent households, a substantial number of individuals reliant on state transfer payments, and an elevated rate of child poverty (Bezirksamt Lichtenberg von Berlin, 2021). With a specific focus on these households, I will address the following research question: Which housing needs are essential for children and adolescents, and how can these findings be translated into planning?
Young people are active agents, who “do not merely passively consume their spatially structured (everyday) surroundings. Instead, they are active and competent producers of their spatial worlds” (Castillo Ulloa et al., 2023: 38). These practices we can also see in the research area. Here, young residents are often unable to live in their parents’ homes according to their own preferences, either due to a lack of economic resources or because they must constantly accommodate the needs of other household members. In response, they externalize their activities, which can be interpreted as a production of home (Löw, 2001). Through these practices, they address both their material and immaterial housing needs: For instance, at the apartment scale, the size of the homes may not be as crucial as opportunities for the appropriation of places and the production of space (Lefebvre, 1974; Akyildiz, 2024: 68–70). These observations indicate that, in the face of limited resources, young people develop adaptive strategies that make resources inside and outside their parental homes increasingly relevant. Along with that, the findings highlight the importance of the neighborhood scale. The urban characteristics and social infrastructure in the research area enable the externalization of activities. It is the qualities of the large housing estate that allow young residents to produce their spaces.
In times marked by a lack of affordable housing, urban planning should not only focus on increasing housing supply but also on creating further places, that allow people to satisfy their housing needs – regardless of the floor plan. So, transformative approaches are needed, to confront the housing and climate crises and to ensure the quality of life independently from the household's income.
References
Abel, Alexandra (2023) Menschliche Bedürfnisse erkennen und nutzen. [Online] available at: https://www.architektur-online.com/kolumnen/menschliche-beduerfnisse-erkennen-und-nutzen
Akyildiz, A. (2024) Motive vernetzten Wohnens. Diskrepanzen zwischen Wohnrealitäten und Wohnvorstellungen als Ursache sozialräumlicher Wohnpraktiken. In Akyildiz, A., Fahl, K., Klotz, S., Stollmann, J. and Wellner, K. (eds.) Einrichten in der Normalität. Wie Kinder und Jugendliche in Großsiedlungen wohnen. Berlin: Berlin Universities Publishing.
Akyildiz, Aylin, Fahl, Karoline, Klotz, Steffen, Stollmann, Jörg and Wellner, Kristin (eds.) (2024) Einrichten in der Normalität. Wie Kinder und Jugendliche in Großsiedlungen wohnen. Berlin: Berlin Universities Publishing.
Bezirksamt Lichtenberg von Berlin (2021) Jedem Kind eine Perspektive. Die Lichtenberger Kinderarmutspräventionsstrategie. 1. Lichtenberger Kinderarmutsbericht 2021. Berlin: Bezirksamt Lichtenberg von Berlin, Bereich Bezirksbürgermeister.
Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR) im Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung (BBR) (eds.) (2020) Umweltfußabdruck von Gebäuden in Deutschland. Kurzstudie zu sektorübergreifenden Wirkungen des Handlungsfelds „Errichtung und Nutzung von Hochbauten“ auf Klima und Umwelt. BBSR-Online-Publikation 17/2020, Bonn.
Castillo Ulloa, I., Heinrich, A. J., Million, A., Schwerer, J. (2023) The Evolution of Young People’s Spatial Knowledge. London: Routledge.
Lefebvre, H. (1974) The Production of Space. Oxford/Cambridge: Blackwell.
Löw, M. (2001) Raumsoziologie. Berlin: Suhrkamp.
| Keywords | Housing; Youth; Children and Adolescents; Resources; Housing Needs; Space Production |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
