Die Wohnkrise: Wie sie Demokratie und Zusammenhalt bedroht

A Conversation with Authors Sebastian Kurtenbach and Rolf G. Heinze

Housing has become a matter of life and death. What began as a problem in major cities has long since grown into the most significant social crisis everywhere, affecting all social classes, hindering economic transformation, and widening the social divide ever further.

Housing is a fundamental right—it’s not just about square meters, but about the lack of a home or an unsuitable one, which makes it difficult for individuals to establish their identity. When home ownership becomes purely a matter of luck and background, the promise of social mobility loses its credibility, and confidence in a better future fades.

This book analyzes:

• The causes: Why political measures and rising government spending have largely failed to make a difference so far.
• The consequences: How the housing crisis hinders our professional mobility and undermines social cohesion.
• The Way Forward: Why we need new alliances that go beyond purely economic controls to save the foundation of our society.

Rolf G. Heinze, born in 1951 in Vlotho, is a senior professor and executive scientific director of the Institute for Housing, Real Estate, Urban, and Regional Development (InWIS GmbH) at Ruhr University Bochum.

Sebastian Kurtenbach, born in Cologne in 1987, is a professor of political science at Münster University of Applied Sciences and a private lecturer at Ruhr University Bochum. One of his main areas of research is urban development and neighborhoods.