SPD on housing

The SPD wants more apartments in downtown Bremen, especially on the upper floors of buildings. Housing is to play a larger role there than before and bring life to the center in the evenings and on Sundays. A share of 30 percent is to be built as subsidized housing.

More people should live in downtown Bremen. The apartments should mainly be on the upper floors. 30 out of 100 new apartments should be low-cost. That way the city is lively in the evening and on Sundays too.

According to the platform, the planning-law basis for apartments in the center has existed for some time. The SPD wants to talk with property owners so that these options are used more. Retail is expected to take up less space in the future and housing more. For affordable apartments, the platform names a social housing quota of 30 percent.

The SPD wants everyone to have barrier-free access in their own neighborhood to what they need day to day. This guiding idea of the 10-minute city is to be written into all municipal planning in Bremen and Bremerhaven.

The SPD wants a 10-minute city. This means everything important is close to home. Examples are shops, doctors, daycare and bus stops. The cities should keep this in mind in all their planning.

The program lists local supply with supermarkets, pharmacies, postal and banking services, public transit, daycare centers and elementary schools, playgrounds, sports facilities and green spaces. It adds care services, family doctors, culture and meeting places for all ages. The idea is to be embedded in planning for housing, retail, transit, school sites and green spaces, among others. The SPD calls it a long-term goal that can only be reached together with private providers, with local government setting the direction.

The SPD wants to give existing urban renewal programs permanent funding and staff and to appoint district developers. Residents are to be involved early, and neighborhoods are to combine housing, work and green space.

The SPD wants to develop city districts better. Each district should get its own experts. People who live there should have a say early on. There should be squares and green areas for everyone. Homes and jobs should be close together.

The district developers are to coordinate and connect programs, monitor social, economic and urban conditions, and advise on building projects. According to the program, open areas can be turned into neighborhood squares together with residents. In new neighborhoods the SPD plans green spaces, squares and space-saving shared parking garages from the start. It also backs projects following the "Produktive Stadt" (productive city) concept, such as the Tabakquartier, where trades, businesses and housing sit side by side, especially on land that is already paved over.

The SPD wants to realign Bremen's housing construction strategy and create the conditions for 10,000 more housing units. The aim is an affordable option for everyone and fewer people moving to the surrounding region.

The SPD wants many new homes to be built. 10,000 new homes should become possible. Everyone should find an affordable home in Bremen. Fewer people should move away to nearby towns.

The new strategy is to be finished at the start of the legislative term and allow a varied supply, from single-family houses to small rental apartments. Priority goes to land that is already paved or connected to public transit. If needed, the SPD wants to open up additional land for housing. It also wants to bring the state constitution's right to adequate housing up to date.

The SPD wants to step up social housing construction, keep the 30 percent social housing quota for new buildings and raise it in expensive neighborhoods. More middle-income households are to gain access to subsidized apartments.

The SPD wants more low-cost homes. In new buildings, 30 percent should stay social housing. In expensive areas the share should be higher. More people should be able to get a subsidized home.

The higher quota in expensive neighborhoods is to cover small projects too, using sector-specific development plans. In sought-after locations, an additional 20 percent of apartments are to be offered at 9 euros per square meter or go to cooperatives and building groups. The SPD wants to agree with the municipal company GEWOBA on adding 3,000 apartments to its stock. Income limits for the Wohnberechtigungsschein (housing eligibility certificate) are to rise markedly. Against displacement, the program relies on socially minded landlords and, where needed, neighborhood preservation statutes.

The SPD plans a building program called "Lebenslang in meinem Quartier" (lifelong in my neighborhood). It is meant to let older people find a suitable barrier-free home in the district they know.

Many older people want to stay in their part of town. The SPD wants suitable homes built for them. The homes should have no barriers. People in wheelchairs should be able to live there well too.

The program is to determine the need for age-appropriate, barrier-free and wheelchair-accessible housing in each district, create the planning permission for it and use housing subsidies. It is to be drawn up jointly in the "Bündnis für Wohnen" (alliance for housing). When land goes to building groups, the SPD wants to take multigenerational housing into account. It expects such moves to free up more houses for young families.

The SPD wants to keep helping families with little equity buy an affordable home. Bremen's Eigenheimzuschuss (home-buyer grant) is to stay, become more attractive for existing buildings and be supplemented with low-interest loans.

The SPD wants to help families buy a house. This is for families with little money of their own. They will keep getting a grant. There should also be cheap loans. New row houses should be built too.

The grant and loans together are to form a program called "Jung kauft alt" (young buys old), accompanied by advice on renovation and energy costs. The SPD rejects an exemption amount in the real estate transfer tax because buyers with a lot of equity would benefit too; the money is to go into a broader grant instead. That grant is to change from a city grant to a state grant and so also apply in Bremerhaven. For new construction, the program favors the space-saving row house and wants to designate more building land in less densely populated districts close to jobs, such as Strom.

The SPD wants to create more residence halls for apprentices and students. This is meant to give these groups affordable housing and take pressure off the rest of the housing market.

The SPD wants to build more dorms. Apprentices and students live there. This makes housing cheaper for them. And other homes stay free for other people.

Once the "Emmy" complex is finished, the need for further student housing is to be assessed and new construction planned with the Studierendenwerk (student services organization). In the former Bundeswehr high-rise, GEWOBA is to set up a central housing option for both groups. The SPD wants to decide on more apprentice dorms once the first one at Ellener Hof is complete and demand is known. Apprentices are to get standards similar to student dorms in price, size and furnishings, and a central office is to allocate the places.

The SPD wants building projects to move faster. Permit deadlines are to be shortened, the building authority is to get more staff, and applications are to be filed digitally.

The SPD wants building to go faster. The office should approve applications more quickly. The office should get more staff. People should be able to apply for a permit online.

The party wants to examine where more residential projects could go ahead without a permit, such as converting attics. Following Hamburg's example, a housing coordinator is to mediate when developers complain and, if necessary, propose decisions to the parliamentary committee. The "Bremer Standard" is to be revised so that social and ecological requirements are bundled transparently and coordination takes less time. For sustainable new construction, the SPD also wants to simplify the state building code.

The SPD wants to introduce a Mietspiegel (official rent index) for the city of Bremen and apply the rent brake on that basis. In the Bundesrat it wants to push for stronger tenancy law, including a lower modernization surcharge.

The SPD wants to protect renters better. Bremen should get a rent index. That is a list of usual rents. With it, the rent brake should apply. Landlords should be allowed to pass on less of their upgrade costs.

At the federal level, the program calls for better protection against evictions for the owner's own use and a lower cap on rent increases. The modernization surcharge is to drop to 4 percent, and maintenance is to be paid from rent and kept separate from ecological upgrades so that renovations do not raise total rent including heating. The tighter cap agreed by the federal coalition is to apply in the city of Bremen. The SPD also wants to use the planned new non-profit housing status in Bremen. People moving to the area are to get neutral advice on the housing market.

The SPD also wants to gain new apartments by extending and converting existing buildings. This is meant to use less land, pave over less ground and save energy in producing building materials.

The SPD wants to build homes on top of existing buildings. Examples are supermarkets, offices or parking garages. This way less new land is needed. It also saves energy and building materials.

Adding floors is also meant to improve the energy efficiency of older buildings. According to the program, using existing structures saves so-called gray energy, meaning the energy that goes into making building materials. For urban planning, project-based registers of building materials, energy and heat use, and open spaces are to be set up. The SPD wants to link practice closely with university research here.

The SPD wants to upgrade former working-class districts through targeted urban development projects. In the Überseestadt, a new center with shops, green space and a neighborhood square is to be created.

The SPD wants to make older districts nicer. It plans building projects in these districts. The Überseestadt area should get a new center. It will have shops, green space and a square. The tram should run farther there.

The program cites Walle, Buntentor/Huckelriede and Woltmershausen as successes so far; the approach is to be applied to more districts. In the Überseestadt, the SPD sees gaps in social infrastructure, public transit and the link to the older part of Walle. The tram is to be extended from Europahafen to Hafenkante, and footpaths are to cross Nordstraße. The wholesale market is to get new commercial buildings along its edges and lose its fence. The Überseeinsel is to combine housing, work and green space, and the development plan will be changed to preserve the Überseewiese meadow.

The SPD wants to redevelop several Bremen districts, including Woltmershausen, Hemelingen, Vegesack, Kattenturm and Huchting. Plans include new housing, commercial space, public squares and better connections, partly funded through special programs drawing on urban development grants.

The SPD wants to improve several districts in Bremen. New homes, squares and workplaces should be built there. Hemelingen should get a market square. A new bridge should link Woltmershausen with the Überseestadt area.

In Woltmershausen, the Tabakquartier is to keep growing and a pedestrian and bike bridge to the Überseestadt is to be built. In Hemelingen, a market square is planned on the former Coca-Cola site, along with housing, businesses and a link to the premium bike route. In Vegesack, the harbor “Stadtquartier,” the Maritime Meile, citizen services and the Steingut site are to be developed; a public company is to buy the Grohner Düne housing complex and later partly demolish it. Kattenturm, Huchting and the area around Hemelingen's center are to get special investment programs from urban development funds. The state is to cover one third of the costs when such funds are used, which is meant to help Bremerhaven in particular.

The SPD wants to turn the area around the main station into two residential neighborhoods: the Falkenquartier to the west and the Rembertiquartier to the east. Large road structures are to be scaled back to make room for housing, green space and places to meet.

The SPD wants to rebuild the area near the main station. Two neighborhoods for living should grow there. Big roads and a traffic circle should shrink or go away. Homes and green spaces should be built on the free land.

The public housing company GEWOBA is to convert the former Bundeswehr high-rise into the neighborhood hub Q45. In the Falkenquartier, road structures the program considers oversized are to be scaled back to give pedestrians more room. The Remberti traffic circle is to be replaced by a more compact road layout; the freed-up land is to be used for city-owned housing, green space and better walking and cycling routes. Meeting places are to be created together with GEWOBA, BREBAU and the church. Once the A 281 highway is finished, the SPD wants to examine whether the elevated road can be removed.

The SPD wants targeted upgrades for Gröpelingen and Blumenthal because, in the program's view, these “arrival neighborhoods” do special work for the whole city. The city-owned company BREBAU is to take charge of neighborhood development, alongside special investment programs and an action program for Blumenthal.

The SPD wants extra support for two districts: Gröpelingen and Blumenthal. Many newcomers settle there first. The city should fix up buildings and create squares there. The districts should become attractive for families, trainees and students.

BREBAU is to develop smaller properties and remove derelict buildings. The state program “Bastelhäuser,” so far used in Bremerhaven-Lehe, is to be topped up by the same amount for each of the two districts. Gröpelingen is to get new squares, a recreation park in the allotment garden area and a tram link to the university. In Blumenthal, the Kämmereiquartier is to become a site for education and business; a redevelopment zone has already been designated. To attract private investment, the social housing quota is to be suspended temporarily in Blumenthal, with the subsidized units built in high-priced districts instead. In the Schweizer Viertel and Tenever, the SPD wants to continue urban development funding and, if needed, replace lost federal money with city funds.

The SPD wants to set up a task force at the building authority that holds owners accountable for serious structural defects. It also wants to keep using the Wohnraumschutzgesetz (housing protection act) against vacant apartments and have the city buy large housing complexes.

Some buildings are in very bad shape. The SPD wants a special team at the building authority for this. It should make owners fix their buildings. The city should also act against empty apartments. The city wants to buy large housing complexes itself.

The housing protection act is to remain in use in the city of Bremen because housing is scarce. The SPD wants to evaluate whether further powers such as substitute performance belong in the law; this means the authority has work done in place of the owner. In Gröpelingen and Blumenthal, the party aims for the city to buy large housing complexes. The program cites GEWOBA's purchase of the Lüssumer Heide complex as a model, to be followed by more public investment in that neighborhood.

The SPD wants more land in city ownership and plans a land fund that buys plots in a targeted way. Public land is to be allocated primarily through long-term ground leases rather than sold, and this priority is to be written into law.

The SPD wants the city to own more land. A land fund should buy plots. The city should mostly lease its land instead of selling it. That means the city stays the owner and others can use the land for a long time. Sales should only happen as exceptions.

Among other things, the land fund is meant to make it possible to give sought-after plots to cooperatives and municipal companies at affordable prices. The registry of vacant lots is to be continued, and both cities are to use municipal rights of first refusal to speed up infill building and prevent speculation. Exceptions to the leasehold priority, for example for city housing companies, single-family homes or land in low demand, are to be set out in the law and tied to repurchase and first-refusal rights. Sales are generally to take place only as concept-based awards, meaning the best plan for use wins.

The SPD wants to expand neighborhood centers and other local facilities and secure proven projects with base funding. The programs “Lebendige Quartiere” and “Wohnen in Nachbarschaften” are to continue, and residents are to have a say in building plans.

The SPD wants more meeting places in the districts. Good projects should get steady money. Two funding programs for neighborhoods should continue. People should have a say in planning for their district.

Participation and consultation procedures for residents are to be built into construction planning through established structures. The SPD wants to strengthen networks of public and non-public institutions, businesses, housing companies and residents. The state program “Lebendige Quartiere” (lively neighborhoods) is meant to close funding gaps and is to be continued and expanded. The program “Wohnen in Nachbarschaften” (WiN, living in neighborhoods) is to stay and be adapted to changing needs.

The SPD wants to take action against landlords who let apartments decay or charge grossly excessive rents. The public housing companies GEWOBA, BREBAU and STÄWOG are not to be sold, not even in part. Socially oriented landlords are to get priority for new subsidized housing.

Some landlords do not take care of their apartments. The SPD wants stricter checks on them. The public order office should get more staff for this. Large housing complexes should have to employ a caretaker. The city's housing companies should not be sold.

Priority for socially oriented landlords is to be a condition for selling city land and granting new building rights. A caretaker requirement is planned for large housing complexes, and apartments whose rent is paid by the state are to be checked for habitability beforehand. A unit at the housing authority is to pursue rent gouging; according to the program, the new rent index makes this possible under the Wirtschaftsstrafgesetz (economic offenses act). At the federal level, the SPD advocates a general municipal right of first refusal for large housing complexes and large apartment portfolios.

The SPD wants to create tenant co-determination modeled on works councils. Elected tenant councils are to have a say in neighborhood matters and send a representative to the supervisory board, starting with public housing companies.

Tenants should have more say. The SPD wants to set up tenant councils for this. Tenants elect these councils. The councils have a say on questions about the neighborhood. At first this should apply to the city's housing companies.

The rollout is to follow Berlin's example and begin with public housing companies. The SPD wants to examine whether the model can legally be extended to private companies and, if necessary, push for a general rule at the federal level. The party also encourages people to join tenant associations. For people receiving basic income support, the city is to pay the membership fee so that it does not end up covering unjustified rents.

The SPD wants affordable, senior-friendly housing with services to be available in every district. Older people should be able to stay in their familiar surroundings for as long as possible.

Older people should be able to stay in their district. They need suitable homes for that. The homes should be affordable and offer everyday help. The SPD wants such homes in all districts.

The party points to its concept for care in the neighborhood. Welfare associations and housing companies are to be encouraged to expand such offerings, and the SPD wants to create the necessary conditions. This applies especially to communal forms of living. The wishes of aging people with a migration background are also to be taken into account.

The SPD wants to make "Housing First" a permanent part of the regular support system and add 50 apartments per year. Low-threshold assistance is to remain in place alongside it, and new housing options for homeless people are to be created.

The SPD wants to help people without a home. With "Housing First," they get their own apartment first. After that they can choose to get advice. Each year 50 apartments should be added. Emergency shelters, meals and medical help should continue.

According to the platform, about 450 homeless people in Bremen live in emergency shelters. "Housing First" arranges an apartment with an open-ended lease and offers support on a voluntary basis only. The program securing occupancy rights is to continue, along with offerings such as places for homeless people with dogs and long-term support meant to prevent people from losing housing again. Street outreach, day centers, meals, emergency shelters and medical care are to be maintained. The SPD wants to review whether support for homeless women is sufficient, create more accepted places to stay and live, and develop solutions such as staffed lockers.