Experts discuss housing crisis and mobility in Ammerland!

Experts discuss housing crisis and mobility in Ammerland!

In the Ammerland district, the topic of housing is currently on everyone’s lips. This became particularly clear at yesterday's event in the Eisenhütte in Augustfehn, where experts led by District Administrator Karin Harms discussed the pressing questions surrounding housing, mobility and the needs of young people. The panel discussion was based on the results of a survey by the NWZ and highlights the challenges that many communities face. NWZ reports that the participants recognized a high quality of life in Ammerland, but also saw a need for improvement.

A central issue was living space. In view of the high rent and real estate prices, which place a heavy burden on many people, it became clear that new solutions were needed. District Administrator Harms spoke out in favor of building apartment buildings and renovating older buildings in order to meet the need for affordable housing. Keno Kreklau, first chairman of the Ammerland district youth community, also highlighted the desire of many young people to own their own home. However, single-family homes are no longer the most sustainable option these days, according to Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Matthias Stielike from Jade University and advocated multi-story buildings.

The challenge of living space

Housing is a basic existential need and an urgent socio-political issue that is also becoming increasingly important at the national level. Loud Statista Germany is the number one tenant country in the EU, with a high proportion of renters. Housing costs are a burden for many tenants, especially in densely populated metropolitan areas where rental prices have reached critically high levels. Around 25.7 percent of disposable household income goes towards housing costs, while around 13.6 percent of households are affected by housing cost overload.

The current discussion in Ammerland shows that affordable living space has also become scarce in rural areas. Suggestions to improve the situation include, among other things, reducing building and parking requirements and providing affordable land to promote the creation of affordable housing.

Movement and mobility

Another topic of the event was mobility. While the car remains the main means of transport, the number of cyclists is increasing. Participants agreed that secure bicycle parking is necessary to support this trend. Marco Buschmann, chairman of the Westerstede local citizens' association, emphasized the need to promote retail in central locations, as less frequented town centers reduce the region's attractiveness.

In summary, it can be said that the issue of housing in Ammerland has many facets. Young people's needs for home ownership, the challenge of housing shortages and the importance of mobility must be addressed hand in hand. The discussion shows that change is not only desirable, but also urgently necessary to ensure the high quality of life in Ammerland.