Aachen Housing Project Day

4th Housing Project Day

On Saturday, May 24, 2025, the Aachen Housing Project Day took place for the 4th time with expert contributions and project tours. The City of Aachen and the Coordination Office for Building and Living in Community organized the day under the motto "New housing projects for old houses" in cooperation with various local initiatives and housing projects. Over 200 participants from Aachen and the surrounding region came together to find out about current developments, challenges and opportunities in the field of communal living and to exchange ideas. The Housing Project Day offered a diverse platform for dialog between interested parties, residents, project initiators, experts and representatives of the city administration. The focus was on experience reports from housing projects that have already been implemented, innovative approaches to sustainable urban development and legal and financial funding opportunities.

After welcoming remarks by Mayor Hilde Scheidt, Katja Heinrichs presented the tasks and services of the Coordination Office for Building and Living in Communities. Various topics and projects were then presented in short presentations:

• Project presentation Petershof Cologne by Anne Kretschmar
• Taking over apartment buildings as a cooperative, SoWo Leipzig eG, Tobias Bernet
• Presentation of the Mietshäusersyndikat e.V. NRW, Peter Kämmerling
• Presentation of the Trias Foundation, David Matthée

The approach and concept of Petershof were convincing, as was the possibility for tenants to take over the house together as a house community if they intend to sell their property. Organizations such as the Trias Foundation and the Mietshäusersyndikat can support existing housing projects through their services and umbrella structures.

In a panel discussion moderated by Claudia Bosseler, the opportunities and risks of project development with groups in existing properties were explored. Angelika Majchrzak-Rummel, a lawyer and expert in residential projects, explained how groups should set themselves up organizationally and legally before buying a property. The GentriStop project from Aachen has already successfully implemented this.

There were also workshops on topics such as "Legal tips for project development for a future residential project in existing buildings" and "Renovating old buildings". There was also initial information on an upcoming concept procedure for communal housing projects in Brand. Owners were also addressed with the topic "Future space: sustainable living concepts for owners with vision".

In the afternoon, communal housing projects from the city and region of Aachen opened their doors to visitors. The offer was very well received and shows the great interest in communal living.

The positive response from participants shows that interest in communal living in Aachen continues to grow and that cooperation between all stakeholders should be further strengthened. Overall, the 4th Aachen Housing Project Day was an extremely successful event that promoted exchange and provided new impetus for the development of vibrant, sustainable communities in Aachen.