The Association of Housing and Real Estate Industry Lower Saxony Bremen (vdw) is hosting its annual Association Day on 1 and 2 September in Braunschweig. More than 250 representatives from politics, business, and administration are expected to attend. The presence of figures such as Braunschweig’s Lord Mayor Dr. Thorsten Kornblum, Bremen’s Senator for Building Özlem Ünsal, Lower Saxony’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Construction Grant Hendrik Tonne, and GdW President Axel Gedaschko underscores the relevance of the meeting. vdw Association Director Dr. Susanne Schmitt commented on the commitments received, anticipating an intensively political Association Day.
The current situation in housing construction is cited as one of the main reasons for this political focus, as housing construction remains weak. At the same time, climate goals in the building sector represent a significant burden for housing companies and tenants. Uncertainty regarding the funding landscape, particularly at federal level, further adds to the complexity. Dr. Schmitt intends to urge the attending representatives of federal, state, and municipal politics to give priority to affordable housing construction to prevent the emergence of social tensions in communities. The vdw's member companies have acted for decades as reliable partners in urban development, as major clients for regional trades, and as responsible landlords in many neighbourhoods.
Demands for Reliability and a New Approach
Dr. Schmitt emphasised the proven cooperation of the socially oriented housing industry with the state governments in Hannover and Bremen. Initiatives such as the “Lower Saxony Way”, the “Bremen Way” and the current housing promotion programmes have jointly achieved positive results. There is confidence that these measures can help reduce construction costs and thus enable viable new-build rents once again. Nevertheless, the industry is concerned that the framework conditions for climate-friendly existing building renovation are, in the vdw’s assessment, still aligned with inefficient targets and instruments.
The Association Director formulated a clear maxim for the vdw’s activities, which combines the aspects of affordability, climate justice, and social compatibility. For the implementation of these principles, stable state support is required, instead of unforeseen changes of direction, as recently observed with the BEG funding. Furthermore, the vdw advocates for the implementation of the “CO2 Reduction Practical Path” as the basis for climate policy in the building sector.
- —Focus on the affordable transition to an emission-free heat supply.
- —Promote measured renovations.
- —Strengthen the circular economy.
The overarching goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2045 without jeopardising the affordability of housing.
