Empty city?

The housing shortage is no longer just an issue in major German cities, but has also reached medium-sized cities. For the city of Kassel, a total housing requirement of around 11,700 apartments is assumed by 2030 (Institute Wohnen und Umwelt, Darmstadt - 2019). According to the housing supply concept, around 8,000 of these apartments will have to be newly built by 2030, i.e. an average of 800 apartments per year (Stadt Kassel/empirica ag, Kassel - 2022). At the same time, Kassel has a high vacancy rate. In view of the tight housing market and the climate crisis, it is important to develop ways of reactivating vacancies - before new construction is considered, the demand for new apartments should first be exhausted in the vacant stock.

In the latest housing market report, the city of Kassel only states a vacancy rate for its occupancy-based housing stock. This was around two percent for 2021, which corresponds to a normal fluctuation reserve (Stadt Kassel, Kassel - 2022, p.19). Dysfunctional vacancies, which could also be converted into apartments, are not shown. The number of previously unknown vacancies and thus the potential for conversion into residential space in Kassel is therefore presumably significantly higher.

There are no official maps or at least estimates of the vacancy rate for the city as a whole. A vacancy rate for the city as a whole is missing, as are evaluations according to different forms of vacancy. Since Kassel's housing market, like that of many German cities, is currently under pressure, it is not only structural vacancy that can be assumed, but also speculative forms of vacancy.

The topic of vacancy is an ongoing area of research. The following sub-formats have taken place so far:

Summer semester 2023: Empty city design studio? Designing for the further development of endangered spaces in Kassel. Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gabu Heindl and Florine Schüschke. Conversion concepts were developed for three vacant buildings in Kasel. Funded by the Coordination Office for Service Learning and Social Engagement at the University of Kassel.

Summer semester 2023: Seminar Less Empty City. Lecturer: Nina Manz. Theory seminar to determine the effects of vacancy and alternative, public welfare-oriented urban development.

Winter semester 2023/24: Management of the 'Empty City' team for participation in the sdg+ challenge, organized by the sdg+ lab of the University of Kassel. Head: Prof. Dr. Gabu Heindl. Three public events in which the topic of vacancies was discussed with urban society, political leaders and experts.

Winter semester 2023/24: Seminar Critical Cartography against the Neoliberal City. Lecturer: Florine Schüschke. Student collaboration: Vincent Hildenhagen. Geodata-based mapping of vacancies in Kassel. Funded by the Coordination Office for Service Learning and Social Engagement at the University of Kassel.