Housing is not only a central component of infrastructure and quality of life, but also represents an important field of economic and political activity at local and regional level.In the last twenty years, large waves of privatisation of municipal housing stocks in the conurbations, the decline in social housing construction and the recent dramatic acceleration of rent increases in the metropolises have led to substantial transformations in housing and its social embedding. At the same time, the differentiation of housing markets and housing has increased both vertically (quality and price segments, gentrification, segregation) and horizontally (centre/periphery, regions, types of settlement). Obviously, metropolitan social spaces (Berlin, Munich, Dresden) are confronted with different problems than peripheral and small-town or rural areas (Uckermark, Eastern Saxony, etc.). The latter are more likely to have to contend with out-migration and an ageing population, but also with old buildings and vacancies.
The TRAWOS-Institute deals with different aspects of development at national, state and regional level. Management models and housing-dependent migrations are examined as well as problems of land use or recording vacancies.