German municipalities have a longstanding commitment to affordable housing, with municipal interventions often going back to the 1920s. Many cities and towns own housing companies, enabling them to actively shape housing markets in terms of social inclusiveness and long-term economic stability. Urban planning, rent regulation and modern building standards – all in the hands of municipal stakeholders – are potential game changers in tight housing markets with severe affordability pressures. Their experience is of great value for knowledge exchange and close cooperation as part of decentralised development cooperation, i.e. municipal partnerships worldwide.
The session focuses on what municipalities can deliver through the ownership of housing stock, municipal housing companies, and other urban development instruments. As the level closest to residents, municipalities are often the delivery engine for housing; steering land use, permits, local infrastructure, and in many cases operating or partnering with social and public housing providers. The challenges in the field of housing range from scaling the climate-neutral retrofitting and upgrading of public and social housing to reconstruction and related municipal services and infrastructure. Municipalities are best placed to address these challenges, but they require enabling national and international frameworks to do so effectively. In this context, municipal partnerships have proven effective in capacity building and introducing and sharing innovative approaches and mutual learning. City leaders and municipal housing operators will share concise, evidence-based lessons on what works (and what fails) on the local level to keep housing affordable and resilient. The session is therefore built around “showcase and lessons learned”, with a clear partnership focus. It demonstrates how existing and potential municipal partnerships can deliver on the need for affordable housing, and how municipalities can learn from each other through a coordinated partnership framework.