Mainz and Wiesbaden: Together against the housing shortage on the Rhine!

Mainz and Wiesbaden: Together against the housing shortage on the Rhine!

In the Rhineland-Palatinate capital Mainz and the Hessian neighboring community of Wiesbaden, the municipalities face similar challenges in the areas of housing and heat supply. Despite the natural separation factor - the Rhine - there are close cooperations and a common interest in finding solutions for pressing problems. The initiatives are led by the Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende from Mainz and Nino Haase from Wiesbaden, who exchange intensively about the future development of both cities.

A central point of the discussion is the need to create new living space. Mainz has already identified 48 hectares of development space in the districts of Ebersheim and Hechtsheim, where new apartments could arise between 1800 and 3,300. In view of a persistent influx of 2000 people annually, housing is not only desirable, but urgently required. According to Mayor Haase, Mainz is inspired by Wiesbaden's plans that make it possible to acquire areas through urban development measures, even if this could result in expropriation.

Wiesbaden fights with high costs of the heat turnaround

The heat transition is another important topic that affects both cities to a similar extent. Wiesbaden faces financial challenges of 2.1 billion euros that are required to switch to a modern heat supply system. These huge costs also include planning expenditure of four million euros, which the city administration sees as a significant burden. The municipal utilities of Mainz and Wiesbaden work together in a narrow network, because the heat supply is interwoven across the borders, which makes the topic even more complex.

While Wiesbaden is now facing an "incredible financial challenge", Mainz also focuses on maintaining the existing green spaces. Forest and nature reserves should remain protected, so that an "organic development" inner-city settlement areas are sought instead of isolated new buildings. The connection to local transport is also an important criterion from Mainz - sustainable urban development only makes sense if the new residential areas are easily accessible.

The common city committee, led by the two mayors, shows how closely the cooperation between Mainz and Wiesbaden is. Common approaches are developed here in order to better tackle the challenges in both cities. The hope lies on a "steep learning curve", says Haase, who, together with Mende, looks at the impending decisions of the administrative courts that could clarify the legal framework for the urban planning measures.

In this collaboration, not only new residential areas are planned - the heat supply is also strategically considered across the boundaries. The clear goal is to supply the citizens in the districts of Amöneburg, Kastel and Kostheim with thermal energy that is delivered via the Mainz network. So many synergies could be used.

summarized both Mainz and Wiesbaden the will, creative and pragmatically approach the pressing problems. The challenges in housing policy and heat supply require a coordinated procedure for both cities to achieve sustainably positive results. The close cooperation in a common city committee is considered a key to fully exploited the potential of the region and further strengthen the interlinking of the two municipalities.

Further information on these developments can be found in the current reports on www.faz.net .