Download full text
(external source)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://doi.org/10.12765/CPoS-2014-06en
Exports for your reference manager
Prospects for West German post-war single-family home neighbourhoods: revitalising housing stocks as a new policy field for suburban and rural municipalities
Herausforderungen westdeutscher Einfamilienhausgebiete der Nachkriegszeit: Bestandsentwicklung als neues Handlungsfeld für Kommunen
[journal article]
Abstract "The single-family home neighbourhoods that were built in West Germany in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s will be increasingly affected by future socio-demographic changes. Today, the above-average length of occupancy by owners and the rise in life expectancy are leading to the increased over-ageing of t... view more
"The single-family home neighbourhoods that were built in West Germany in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s will be increasingly affected by future socio-demographic changes. Today, the above-average length of occupancy by owners and the rise in life expectancy are leading to the increased over-ageing of the populations in these residential areas. The generational change means that a constantly growing number of these homes are being put up for sale and encountering a changing and regionally differentiated housing market. Regionally diverse shrinking and ageing of the population will decrease the potential demand for single-family homes in coming years. In addition, social change will lead to qualitative changes in demand. The pluralisation of living arrangements and residential preferences can be expressed in the changed household structures and the geographic shift in housing demand in favour of more dense urban areas. Therefore, residential areas in peripheral regions with unfavourable demographic and economic conditions are particularly at risk. At the local level, winners and losers will emerge among the existing residential neighbourhoods of suburban or rural municipalities. Disadvantages such as unfavourable characteristics of a certain location and construction or energy efficiency shortcomings, as well as image perception, can combine to create serious problems. In the worst case, homes are at risk of a loss in value, neglect, vacancy and dilapidation - developments that have, to date, been largely unknown in Germany's single-family home sector. The question for areas with at-risk homes is how the looming change in owner generations, not to mention the structural and infrastructural transformation processes, can be managed. This article, based on the results of a research project conducted by the Wüstenrot Foundation, examines the general demographic and socio-economic causes of this development and characterises the present situation in selected case studies. We also address questions about handling these problems and identify initial considerations about possible municipal interventions in the re-vitalisation of single-family home neighbourhoods. In addition, the article presents a strategic framework for action and a number of possible municipal provisions." (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
Federal Republic of Germany; old federal states; residential area; demographic factors; overaging; resident population; population decrease; single-family residence; demand; socioeconomic development; local politics
Classification
Population Studies, Sociology of Population
Sociology of Settlements and Housing, Urban Sociology
Method
empirical; quantitative empirical
Document language
English
Publication Year
2014
Page/Pages
p. 285-318
Journal
Comparative Population Studies - Zeitschrift für Bevölkerungswissenschaft, 39 (2014) 2
Issue topic
Coping with local challenges of population decline and ageing - case studies from Germany
ISSN
1869-8999
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications