In January 2021, the German Institute of Urban Affairs (DIU) issued a special publication on the topic of "Active land policy: the foundation of urban development". Against the backdrop of land scarcity and ever-increasing land prices, cities and municipalities see themselves as having a responsibility to pursue a more active land policy. The study is a joint project between the DIU and 14 cities that have examined their respective land policies and developed recommendations for action.
The goal is to continue to guarantee sustainable and social urban development in the future, which is not determined by the actors who call for the highest land prices. Rather, the aim is to generate land that does justice to social housing, a lively economic policy with viable commercial structures, as well as diversity and climate change. The basis for the reorganization of municipal land policy lies in a more strategic orientation of real estate policy. The focus should not be on selling land, but on purchasing land and using it for sustainable urban development.
The study presents recommendations for action on how an active land and property policy can guarantee sustainable and social urban planning. This includes, for example, that the existing land reserves of the municipalities are only allocated and developed for the purpose of the common good. For example, the highest bid principle should no longer apply when allocating land, but instead land should be allocated on the basis of the best concept. Another possibility is to grant a heritable building right when allocating land, so that land remains in public hands and could be used for other purposes in the long term. The entire study can be downloaded from the DIU website.
Source: DIU
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