First research by the department in the summer of 2023 revealed a vacancy of at least 200,000 square meters of gross floor area in Kassel. This corresponds to around 2500 apartments with an average size that could be utilized through conversion or simple occupancy. Why do these vacancies exist, and what steps can be taken to reactivate them? Further information about the event and guests will follow.

The event is part of the series "Empty City?" organized by the team of the SDG+ Challenge Leergut and the Department of Architecture City Economics / Prof. Dr. Gabu Heindl, University of Kassel.

The series is supported by the Coordination Office for Service Learning and Civic Engagement of the University of Kassel and QSL funds from the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning, and Landscape Planning.

// Additional dates for the series:

January 25th, 6:30 PM
Urban Vacancy – Visibility and Utilization
sdg+ lab, Wilhelmstraße 21, 34117 Kassel

Thursday, February 8, 2024, 4:00 PM
2nd Assembly on Vacancy in Kassel
WH22, Werner-Hilpert-Straße 22, 34117 Kassel

Housing shortages are ubiquitous, even in Kassel. At the same time, Kassel has a high vacancy rate. Faced with the climate crisis and under the auspices of resource conservation and environmental protection, it is important to develop ways to reactivate vacant properties - before considering new construction, the need for new housing should first be exhausted in the existing vacant stock. To meet this challenge, civil society, political, and planning levels must come together and be collectively considered.