Leaving for housing in Brandenburg: crisis or chance for attracters?

Leaving for housing in Brandenburg: crisis or chance for attracters?

In Brandenburg there is a dramatic picture on the housing market: While high rents and housing shortages are complained in Potsdam and the surrounding area, every fourth apartment is empty in small communities such as Tröbitz and Steinreich. The latest figures in the state government, published by a request from the AfD parliamentary group, reveal alarming vacancy rates: in Tröbitz, this is 24.8 percent, while Steinreich is just under 23.8 percent. These figures based on the census data of 2022 reflect a dark side of demographic change, which also becomes clear in the larger cities such as Welzow and Lauchhammer, where the vacancies are also high, such as nordkurier.de reported.

The municipality of Steinreich in the Dahme-Spreewald district, which only counts 454 inhabitants, has to struggle with these challenges. With an area of almost 42 square kilometers and a low population density of only 11 inhabitants per square kilometer, the Situation here is particularly precarious. The empty apartments in Steinreich reflect on the difficulties of making this region attractive and gaining new residents. Interestingly, however, the positive migration balance in Brandenburg has contributed to stabilizing population development in recent years, even if it is often not as noticeable in the small communities as the numbers show. The community, which formed from a merger of Glienig and Sellendorf in 2002, relies on local developments and initiatives to improve the living situation, as described in detail on Wikipedia

The problem of living lack in metropolitan areas and the high vacancies in rural regions raises questions about the equal distribution of living opportunities in Brandenburg. Ministeries warn of the consequences of one -sided development and emphasize that the housing markets in Brandenburg are very heterogeneous. While larger cities are under strong pressure, smaller places fight with strong emigration and sudden vacancy, which the authorities presented with great challenges.