Istanbul+5 Statement  05.06.2001 4. Perspectives

Perspectives 

As we tried to show in this short overview, the development of habitat in Germany is at a crossroads. Actually we are confronted with at least four challenges: 

1. the crisis of traditional instruments and the decrease of capacities, especially in the field of social housing and of local management; 

2. growing social segregation, poverty and exclusion; 

3. the inability of existing institutions and enterprises to introduce a sustainable strategy to reduce the consumption of natural resources; 

4. the political climate and political tendencies opposing an urban society open to migration and diversity that gives equal rights and opportunities to all its members. 

How will Germany - more and more integrated within the European context and influential in European politics - meet these challenges? 

We are not able to present solutions to all these issues, but we think that it is most important to develop a strong framework of permanent debates and evaluation tools fully involving the NGOs and grassroots movements. #

Because of this we call for a monitoring process leading to a broad and permanent discussion on the future of housing and settlement, including strategies, tools, regulations and institutions. 

There are many non-profit-organisations and local initiatives concerned with housing, social and ecological issues. Their experiences have to be taken seriously. The German government should assume its responsibility and invite the civil society to develop its own 'Habitat Agenda'. This should include the development of effective tools to evaluate the implementation of goals at all institutional levels, with the aim to control the realisation of innovative programs and measures at a local level. 

We think the following topics should be put on top of the agenda of such local monitoring processes: 

1. Germany needs new concepts for social housing which guarantee self-determined housing and urban living conditions. 

2. There is no legal guarantee for the human right to housing nor exist any legal rules for minimal standards of housing in Germany, which could obligate state authorities to promote housing access for all. This will gain major importance in face of a new housing shortage expected within the next years. 

3. No habitat monitoring can ignore the situation of immigrants. There is an urgent need for the improvement of the living and housing conditions of refugees and 'undocumented migrants'. 

4. In large parts of Eastern Germany the economic collapse has been followed by a sharp population decline. So far neither urban planners nor politicians have presented convincing strategies on how to deal with the growing numbers of empty flats and the phenomenon of 'shrinking cities'. 

5. All over Germany, there is a progressive consumption of space by new settlements as well as growing inequalities between different neighbourhoods' living conditions. While there is a broad consensus among experts that public sponsorship for private property has to be questioned, the political coalition necessary to pull through such "unpopular decisions" is not in sight. 

6. There is a need for innovative concepts of work, leisure and mobility as well as a new appreciation of the public space in our cities to prevent our society from disintegration and our ecosystem from collapse. 

7. Globalisation of economy and the intervention of "global players" in the real estate markets are challenging traditional policy approaches and local democracy.

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