[Commuting Hell Liberation Diary]⑨ Youth Original Cost Housing Surprises Even Left-Wing Parties "Supply for Everyone"

Interview with Niklas Schenker, German Left Party MP
"Housing Only for Youth Raises Concerns of Reverse Discrimination"
"Increase Rental Housing to Benefit Both Youth and Low-Income Groups"

Failures in real estate policy hit young people and low-income groups harder than the wealthy. Many of those pushed from city centers to the outskirts due to soaring housing prices belonged to these groups. The same is true in Germany. This is why Niklas Schenker, a member of parliament, is dedicating his efforts to housing policy. Born in Berlin in 1993, the young lawmaker actively serves on the Urban Development, Construction, and Housing Committee of the Berlin State Parliament.

Expressing sympathy and solidarity with Korean youth despairing over downward residential mobility and commuting hell, he emphasized, "It is the state's duty to supply as many affordable homes as possible at levels that young people and low-income groups can afford." On the 11th of last month (local time), we met Schenker at his parliamentary office in a residential area of Berlin.

A sign reading 'Stop Rent Increase (MIETEN STOPP)!' is placed by the window of Assemblyman Shenker's office.

According to Schenker, the fundamental cause of rising real estate prices in Berlin was a shortage of supply. He said, "In the early 2000s, Berlin was full of vacant homes. The city sold off a large number of municipally owned houses. It was indifferent to the socio-structural changes brought by economic growth. Companies were being attracted one after another, and the population was increasing, but the outlook was misjudged."

The conclusion is also to expand housing supply. However, the Left Party, to which Schenker belongs, differs in tone from the Social Democratic Party and the Green Party, which form the Berlin state coalition government. He said, "The supply policies advocated by the SPD and others focus on quantity," adding, "It is important to provide housing at levels that low-income groups can sufficiently afford." Focusing solely on short-term supply makes it difficult to lower housing prices.

The most distinctive point from other coalition parties is his stance on housing expropriation movements. Schenker stated, "It is necessary for the city to purchase housing and socialize more homes," and added, "The housing expropriation movement also needs to be continuously pursued."

When told about Korea’s situations such as the 'Newlywed Hope Town' and 'Youth Cost-Price Housing,' which emphasize housing supply for young people and low-income groups, he gave an unexpected response. He said, "Providing housing solely for youth based on age can be a discriminatory act." Schenker explained, "Rather than supplying housing for a specific age group, housing policies should cater to all ages and all social classes." He believes that it is sufficient to aim to supply as many affordable homes as possible without discriminating by age or other factors.

Besides new housing construction, he also emphasizes expanding rental housing. Schenker said, "Currently, when private entities build housing in Berlin, they must supply 30% of the total area as rental housing, but this ratio should be increased to 50% or 60%." He added, "In the public sector, the current 50% rental housing obligation should be raised to 100%."

In addition to supplying quality housing, he focuses on proactive tenant protection policies such as rent regulation. He stressed, "It is unreasonable for tenants to pay more than 30% of their income on housing costs, and preventing this is the policy goal," adding, "Stronger rent control policies must be implemented." Finding vacant land and empty houses is also a major concern. He said, "There are still cases where real estate investors deliberately leave buildings vacant or let them deteriorate for redevelopment or reconstruction," and added, "We plan to respond by establishing legal tools to prevent leaving empty spaces unused and to ensure people can live there."

Shenker, who identified himself as a 29-year-old tenant, expressed solidarity and empathy regarding the housing market environment and the commuting and school commute hardships in Korea, emphasizing the urgent need to expand housing supply and improve transportation networks.

Schenker lives as a tenant in the Wedding district, slightly north of central Berlin. His commute involves 20 minutes by bicycle and 20 minutes by public transport. When told about Korean youth who are pushed to outskirts and spend 3 to 4 hours daily commuting, he said such a situation is hard to imagine in Germany. If such a thing happened in Berlin, he said his course of action would be clear.

"We must massively supply affordable housing so that young people are no longer pushed out of central urban areas. Government purchase and socialization of housing, rent support and control are natural. In addition, the public transportation system needs to be thoroughly improved. Measures to increase train and bus frequency during commuting hours and to enable faster travel are already being implemented in Germany."

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