Grüne on housing

The Greens want to change the state building code so municipalities can set ecological requirements and built-up land is used better. Gravel gardens and large surface parking lots are to become a thing of the past.

The Greens want to change the state's building rules. Cities should be allowed to make rules for green building. Apartments should be possible above supermarkets. Large concrete parking lots should no longer be built.

Municipalities could use local bylaws to set requirements on sustainable construction, renewable energy concepts, garden design, rainwater infiltration and green roofs. Mixed uses on one plot, such as housing above a supermarket, would become easier. Attic conversions and added stories would be funded through social housing subsidies and renovation programs. The Wohnraumstärkungsgesetz (housing protection law) would be tightened, and municipalities would get help with bylaws against misuse of housing. Underground garages and parking decks would be mandated instead of large lots; in urban areas, builders could do without parking spaces entirely, which is also meant to lower construction costs.

With a new state building code, the Greens want to shift the construction sector to climate-neutral methods and recyclable materials within ten years. Solar panels are to become standard on new and renovated roofs. The program justifies this with the long lifespan of buildings and their effects on climate and health.

Buildings stand for many decades. So the Greens want new rules for construction. In ten years, all building should be climate-friendly. New and renovated roofs should get solar panels.

Modern timber construction using regional wood is to be promoted, including for public buildings, in order to cut the energy needed for materials such as cement. Where no solar system is installed, a green roof is to be the alternative. Public buildings are to be built only in a climate-friendly and sustainable way as early as 2025. Construction waste is to serve more as a source of raw materials, since the program says it makes up about half of all waste.

The Greens want to use every option under state law to limit rent increases in existing affordable housing. The Mietpreisbremse (rent brake) and the cap on rent increases would be extended, and conversions into condominiums restricted in tight markets.

Housing is expensive in many cities. The Greens want to protect renters better. Rents should not be allowed to rise so fast. Rental apartments should less often be turned into condos.

Because many social housing rent restrictions have expired, municipalities would get support to buy, extend or newly acquire such restrictions. In areas with tight housing markets, converting rental units into condominiums would be limited to prevent displacement. Municipalities should be able to apply social preservation statutes faster, more effectively and with legal certainty. The party cites housing shortages, especially in the lower and middle market segments of metropolitan areas.

The Greens want to provide more subsidies for affordable housing and create considerably more such homes each year. Public land would no longer go to the highest bidder, and socially just land use would become a state objective in the state constitution.

The Greens want more affordable homes to be built. There should be more public funding for this. Public land should no longer go to whoever pays the most. New homes should be climate-neutral and barrier-free.

Favorable interest rates and repayment discounts would allow longer rent restrictions; employer-provided housing, for example for nurses, would also be supported. Municipalities would get the legal and financial means for a forward-looking land policy. For building-ready plots, municipal housing companies, public-interest companies and cooperatives would get preference. New buildings should be climate-neutral, and state programs for energy retrofits would be expanded. The state building code would again contain clear rules for accessible housing, including wheelchair-accessible apartments in new construction.

The Greens want to help municipalities redesign neighborhoods so that people of all generations can live there independently. A single funding program called "Quartier inklusiv" (inclusive neighborhood) is planned for this.

The Greens want neighborhoods for young and old. There should be green spaces, shops and meeting places nearby. Paths and homes should be barrier-free. A funding program for towns and cities would pay for this.

The plan includes nearby green spaces, good local services, meeting places and counseling for older people and people with impairments. Accessible apartments, inclusive housing projects, multigenerational living and home-based care would be expanded, including for formerly homeless people. Municipalities would get help joining the WHO network of age-friendly cities; the concept should apply in cities and rural areas alike. Digital aids would be funded, and guides would help older people use digital technology. Social and cultural offerings, self-help groups and clubs would be supported to counter loneliness and old-age poverty.

The Greens want to tackle homelessness with a statewide action plan and expand the "Housing First" approach across North Rhine-Westphalia. Homeless people would get a regular apartment without preconditions, plus personal support.

Some people have no home. The Greens want to give them an apartment first. This is called "Housing First." They also get personal help. Cities and towns will get money and support for this.

A state action plan would combine and add to existing funding programs so that the state contributes to the EU goal of ending homelessness by 2030. Municipalities would be enabled to act early when people risk losing their homes and would get help buying occupancy rights; subsidized housing construction would be strengthened. Support services would be expanded, including specific ones for women, pet owners, queer people, people without German citizenship, and families. Social service providers and municipalities would get help buying suitable apartments, for example for supported, self-managed housing projects. Homeless people who need care would be able to live in their own apartment in the neighborhood.