Michael Ehret, a formative figure in German urban development, has launched a new company, EHRET+CIE. The company is dedicated to the development and repositioning of urban districts. The focus is on collaboration with property owners, investors and family offices, with EHRET+CIE assuming advisory, steering or entrepreneurial responsibilities depending on the mandate. This new establishment specifically addresses the challenges of project feasibility in the current real estate market.
The necessity for such specialisation is highlighted by the current situation in the housing market. According to the "Social Housing Monitor 2026" by the Pestel Institute, there is a shortage of approximately 1.4 million homes in Germany, while new construction is not meeting this demand. Mr Ehret states that although the market exists, there is a lack of ability to actually realise projects. He cites development and follow-up financing as significant hurdles. Particularly in affordable housing, traditional development and financing models are no longer sufficient, making new partnerships, usage models and financing structures increasingly important.
EHRET+CIE positions itself as an enabler where existing potentials have so far not been translated into viable and implementable projects. This includes identifying suitable uses, creating robust structures and bringing together relevant stakeholders. Michael Ehret emphasises that it is essential to unlock the value inherent in a plot of land, an existing property or a district, and to make projects investment-ready and realisable again. Furthermore, projects must be designed to adapt and evolve over a period of ten years or more.
The company rejects traditional "pigeonhole thinking", which strictly separates uses such as hotels, offices or residential. Instead, a more subtle approach with fluid usage concepts is pursued. Examples include age-appropriate living, multi-generational models, shared living arrangements and new forms of workplaces. Michael Ehret points out that successful real estate projects are no longer developed in isolation for the market, but in cooperation with market participants and users. The success of a project is not defined by its completion, but by its everyday use thereafter; it is successful if it proves its worth for the people who live, work or invest in it. This benchmark, referred to by Mr Ehret as "Human Proof", guides every development.
EHRET+CIE's service offering comprises three closely intertwined areas. As a project developer, the company assumes responsibility from the initial feasibility study, through the usage concept, economic structuring, planning and realisation, right up to the transition into ongoing operation for clients and investors.
- —Strategic site and potential analyses
- —Development of holistic and viable usage concepts
- —Economic and financial structuring of projects
- —Integration of municipalities and stakeholders
The consulting services are aimed at investors, property owners and project partners who develop themselves but require an entrepreneurially experienced partner for crucial strategic decisions. These services are flanked by strategic research into new planning and development processes. These insights are directly integrated into practical work to inspire and advance it. Michael Ehret explains his motivation for founding the new company with the desire to work closely with properties, districts and people again after decades of activity. He sees his task as identifying, refining and strengthening the specific qualities of each property to reach investors, cities and users equally. EHRET+CIE defines itself by the idea of a partnership, where entrepreneurial partners contribute different competencies and jointly take responsibility for the success of a project. A specialised team is assembled for each project.
