The annual conference for Bavarian housing and urban development promotion recently took place in Roth, bringing together municipalities, project sponsors, planning offices, and approval bodies. The central theme of the event was preparing Bavarian towns and cities for extreme weather events. The conference's motto was "Rain. Heat. Change. Impulses for livable places."
Bavaria's Minister of Construction, Christian Bernreiter, emphasised in his speech that many public spaces, existing buildings, and new constructions are inadequately prepared for extreme heat periods and heavy rainfall events. Developing resilient and livable communities in Bavaria is therefore of great importance, with urban development and housing promotion able to provide targeted support. The Kulturfabrik Roth, the conference venue and a successful urban development project, was cited as an example of these programmes' effectiveness. The 50th anniversary of urban development promotion in Roth was to be celebrated there the following day.
The specialist conference addressed the shaping of a livable future in the face of current challenges. Minister Bernreiter highlighted that while climate change challenges infrastructure, it also opens up new perspectives for climate-appropriate and future-proof places in Bavaria that can improve quality of life and health. He referred to the possibility of actively adapting city centres and town cores through more green and blue structures in urban and open space design, and described the funding programmes as a driver of innovation and an anchor of stability. The high number of participants underscored the interest in these topics.
The redesign of the Weinmarkt in Memmingen's Old Town was cited as a successful example, equipped with a water feature and climate-resilient trees, and presented as a best-practice example of urban development promotion. During the conference, experts presented and discussed practical examples and concepts for climate-resilient districts and energy-efficient building solutions. Prof. Dr. Florian Bieberbach, CEO of Stadtwerke München, presented initiatives for climate-appropriate energy supply and explained the challenges of climate change for water supply. Prof. Dr. Mazda Adli from Charité and Fliedner Klinik Berlin addressed in his keynote the connection between climate change, urban stress, and the resulting health consequences, particularly the psychological effects of heatwaves and climate stress.
Minister Bernreiter emphasised that urban development promotion is a learning system that is continuously adapted to current issues. Since 2024, strategies and measures for adapting to the consequences of climate change have been increasingly supported through the Bavarian funding initiative "Klima wandel(t) Innenstadt" (Climate Changes City Centres). Urban development promotion has been providing important impulses for 55 years and supplies the necessary funds to tackle urban development challenges. For the year 2026, EUR 349 million are earmarked for Bavaria, and for 2027, it will be EUR 353 million. The federal government is gradually doubling its funds for urban development promotion to EUR 1.58 billion by 2029, which means relief for municipalities and developers.
Bavarian housing promotion is also being made future-proof through targeted programmes. Climate adaptation measures such as shading concepts, façade or roof greening, and rainwater harvesting are taken into account in financing. The funding regulations have been optimised through fewer requirements and adapted technical specifications. Increased funds are available for subsidised housing construction: A total of EUR 3.6 billion in approval funds are estimated in the 2026/2027 double budget, of which EUR 1 billion comes from the special fund for infrastructure and climate neutrality. From 2027, an annual construction programme for housing promotion will be introduced for the first time for targeted use of funds and improved planning certainty.
Bernreiter thanked all conference participants for their commitment to networking and developing concrete measures for actively shaping change. He called for joint action and learning from one another to shape a livable future in Bavaria.
