B2: Housing sector
A new district is taking shape: between Altona long-distance railway station and the Holsten Brewery, between Altona-Nord, Altona-Altstadt and Ottensen, the City of Hamburg is planning to build 3,600 flats – as reported in the newspapers, on the radio and on television. But who exactly is actually building there? And why is there a dispute over who is allowed to build there? These questions form the focus of this lesson.
Pupils will explore the basic workings of the housing and property sector. How is a rent actually determined? What factors influence construction costs? Who decides where social housing is built? Which other stakeholders are involved?
The unit also explores what makes ‘housing as a commodity’ so special and how this relates to the frequently cited, so-called ‘fundamental right to housing’. It becomes clear what conflicts arise between the individual stakeholders, but also amongst different sections of the population, when it comes to the allocation of housing. This situation forms the basis for a concluding discussion. This unit is also suitable for providing more in-depth preparatory study for the simulation exercise in the foundational unit (FU).
