Research projects

In North Rhine-Westphalia, hundreds of thousands of homes are situated in large housing estates or residential complexes. On the one hand, this includes the post-war estates of the 1950s, characterized by dozens of identical houses (Zeilenbausiedlung) that shape the residential culture in many cities in the state, especially in the Ruhr area. On the other hand, it includes large housing estates built in the 1960s, 70s, and early 80s.

Both forms of large housing estates are indispensable parts of the housing supply in North Rhine-Westphalia. The sustainable development, maintenance and progressive improvement necessary to guarantee the endurance of these estates from housing, ecological, and social perspectives requires investment from private owners and likely also from public funding bodies. The study focuses on how large housing estates can be adapted to meet current and future housing needs (e.g., age-appropriate housing) and social requirements (e.g., climate mitigation, maintaining affordable segments of the housing market).

The research project aims to gain an overview of the state of affairs of large housing estates in North Rhine-Westphalia (large housing estates with ca. 500 residential units or more, as well as housing estates (Zeilenbausiedlung) with ca. 350 residential units or more) and to develop a typology of the estates. In selected estates, exemplary aspects of modernization (e.g., conversion and expansion, green, open, and meeting spaces; mobility services; climate adaptation measures) are examined in more detail (using desktop research, field visits, and qualitative expert interviews) in terms of their development and success factors. The housing needs and wishes of the current residents, which are studied in two selected estates, can provide important guidance for assessing the future viability of the stock.