[Commuting Hell Liberation Diary] ⑤ "If You Need a Yard, Go to the Suburbs... Urban Areas Must Increase Floor Area Ratio"

Interview with Andreas Otto, German Green Party Member

Andreas Otto, Member of the German Green Party

"Even in the city center, you might want to feel the atmosphere of a country house with a yard and plenty of greenery. Everyone probably has such a desire. But I want to say this: if that’s the case, you should move to the outskirts, not the city center."

Andreas Otto, a member of the German Green Party, has been a ‘housing expert’ who has focused on housing issues since he was first elected by direct vote in 2006. The Green Party is one of the coalition partners in the Berlin state government. We asked him about the shortage of residential land in the city center. His answer?that country houses belong not in the city but in the outskirts?was even shocking. He emphasized that Berlin should be filled not only with green but with diverse ideas and colors.

His flexibility is evident from his stance on the ‘Deutsche Wohnen expropriation movement.’ As rents in Berlin skyrocketed, citizens launched a campaign to have public authorities reclaim housing owned by large private real estate companies like Deutsche Wohnen, and the referendum passed with a majority of 56.4%. Although it has no legal effect, it clearly reflected the anger of the public. Otto said, "More than half of the citizens want this, but whether it is desirable as a policy and socially acceptable needs to be examined more carefully." Because it involves unnecessary political controversy and feasibility issues, it requires a more long-term approach.

Auto Assemblyman

Instead, Otto is seeking more realistic solutions. Fundamentally, it is about new construction supply. He said, "The Berlin state government has started a project to supply 200,000 housing units over 10 years, or 20,000 units annually, and this needs to be supported." He also gave straightforward answers regarding land acquisition issues. He said, "Among the vacant land currently available in Berlin, the largest portion is designated as green space." He is not suggesting tearing down intact parks in the city center to build apartments. Otto said, "There are many places designated as green space but left empty without anything on them," and "There are also many places registered as weekend farms but not actually operated as farms." He stressed the need for active efforts to find leftover plots and empty spaces.

The squeezed land must be used efficiently. He said it is necessary to maximize the floor area ratio. "Considering construction costs, housing costs, and other factors, the most appropriate building height for residential buildings in Berlin is eight stories." He emphasized, "We need to convert places currently used as parking lots, supermarkets, etc., on the first and second floors into residential land and increase the floor area ratio to raise density as much as possible." He said, "Considering the current population growth trend and housing price movements, without such policies, a normal housing market cannot be maintained."

Since land prices in the city center are high, efforts to reduce construction costs must accompany this. He sees modular housing and wooden housing as alternatives. Modular housing is a type of housing that uses Off-Site Construction (OSC), where 70-80% of materials and components such as exterior walls, windows, electrical wiring, plumbing, bathrooms, and kitchen fixtures are prefabricated in factory box forms, transported to the site, and then assembled. Compared to traditional reinforced concrete construction, it can shorten construction time by about 30%, reduce carbon and waste emissions during construction, and overcome chronic issues in the construction industry such as low productivity, labor shortages, and safety and quality problems. It is considered an innovative housing method.

Perspective view of the wooden apartment 'Bildspitze' built in HafenCity, Hamburg, Germany

Wooden houses can be built faster and more safely compared to concrete houses. Above all, they are environmentally friendly.

Wooden housing, as the name suggests, uses wood as the building material. It is an eco-friendly construction material that is not less safe than reinforced concrete structures but is more affordable. In February last year, Berlin unveiled a plan for a 98-meter-tall residential complex wooden building scheduled for completion in 2026.

Otto also introduced an idea unique to Berlin, called ‘housing exchange.’ Some elderly people live alone in their own homes, while many young people share small housing with three to four people. The idea is to exchange their housing so that the elderly receive government support and care from the youth, while the youth secure comfortable housing. This model has been independently promoted in Berlin for four years. Otto said, "It is true that the elderly show less interest and response than the youth," but added, "We plan to expand it more actively as a campaign." He said, "Cities like Berlin will inevitably face worsening housing shortages, so efforts to try various ideas and produce better results must continue."

※This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, funded by government advertising fees.