Leipzig urgently needs new living space: IG Bau demands construction offensive!

Leipzig urgently needs new living space: IG Bau demands construction offensive!

Leipzig, Deutschland - In Leipzig, the call for a comprehensive “upswing” is getting louder. The industrial union Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt (IG Bau) calls for North-West-Saxony to meet the housing shortage with a new building offensive. Chairman Bernd Günther emphasizes the urgency of social housing and affordable living space. Last year, only 2,771 new apartments were built in Leipzig, which inadequately relieves the existing misery, especially from the aspect that the building costs are estimated at around 309.4 million euros for 2024. This situation is alarming, especially in view of the nationwide, chronic need for living space, which according to IG Bau is described with around 550,000 missing apartments, of which around 35,000 in Berlin.

Günther not only demands more new buildings, but also targeted renovation measures, especially for senior citizens -friendly living. He emphasizes that savings are possible through the use of cost-efficient construction methods, such as the so-called "building type". This construction could reduce costs by a quarter of up to a third. A study by the state building research institute ARGE supports this thesis and at the same time warns of exaggerated requirements for noise and climate protection.

demands for social housing

In order to cover the massive housing needs in Germany, crucial measures are required. According to

The traffic light government has only promoted 23,000 new social housing in its last year, which is less than the annual average of previous years. In view of these developments, the partners in the "Social Wohn" alliance call for a clear trend reversal. Prof. Dietmar Walberg suggests reducing the construction costs through relieved construction. Additional measures such as reducing VAT to 7% for the construction of social housing are also under discussion.