Many rural regions are threatened with demographic shrinkage. The infrastructure is weakening, schools, doctors and retailers are withdrawing from the town, regions are becoming unattractive. But Borgstedt, a community of 2000 souls in Schleswig-Holstein, has managed to grow. Mayor Gero Neidlinger strengthens the place as a multi-generational village. "We have created new, affordable (rental) housing for young and old, instead of cyclically developing classic new development areas with single-family homes," says Neidlinger in an interview with the F.A.Z.
Anne Kokenbrink
Editor in the economy
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This includes 57 residential units suitable for the elderly in the construction of apartment buildings. This corresponds to almost two new development areas, but requires less space. A further 32 residential units have been built as social housing with rent caps, which are aimed at the elderly, single parents or young professionals. Rural areas are also struggling with increasing land consumption, says the mayor. Therefore, there is a need for multi-storey apartments for rent, which are also aimed at other groups instead of just the classic nuclear family.
Rural areas have a reputation for being left behind and unattractive. But in fact, the province is attracting more and more people – especially from the city. While rents are high there and housing is scarce, many apartments in the countryside are empty. So the prices are usually cheaper. This has consequences, as researcher Eva Eichenauer notes. "It is not yet possible to say with certainty whether Germany is at the beginning of a new land movement, but it is likely," says the researcher at the Berlin Institute for Population and Development.
Cities are only growing due to immigration from abroad
A look back at the statistics indicates a trend reversal: Departures from the independent cities to smaller cities and rural regions increased by 2021.2019 percent in 1 compared to 8. At the same time, there were 5.4 percent fewer moves to major cities. In 2021, they experienced the sharpest population loss in almost 30 years. The figures were calculated by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). Despite the "urban exodus", independent cities are growing – but recently only due to immigration from abroad. "In many large cities, housing has become a rare commodity," says Eichenauer. But there are differences between West and East Germany.
The desire for the countryside is growing, but not in all age groups. Younger people tend to move to larger cities, while older people tend to move to the countryside. At the same time, prospective tenants are increasingly looking for a suitable place to stay in the suburbs, while buyers are more likely to be in rural areas. This is shown by an analysis by the Internet portal Immoscout 24. Shortly before the Corona pandemic, all types of settlements were relatively equal. Now rural communities have overtaken medium-sized and large cities.
Geywitz recommends moving to the countryside
Even Federal Building Minister Klara Geywitz (SPD) recently advised moving to the countryside – above all to alleviate the housing shortage in the cities. The Deutschlandticket, which has been in force since May, is intended to give a boost. People must be given the opportunity to live where they would like to live, the politician believes. This would allow people to afford longer commutes. In Germany, an estimated 1.7 million apartments are vacant, often in rural areas.
On the other hand, Christian Oberst, economist for real estate policy at the employer-oriented Institute of the German Economy (IW) in Cologne, doubts that a cheap ticket is an incentive for moving to the countryside. "The ticket is of little use to the rural population," he says. There are too few buses or trains, too thin timetables, too few peripheral traffic zones. In fact, there is an urban-rural divide: In areas with very high population density, 39 percent of respondents want to use the ticket, according to figures from the Civey polling institute. In the countryside, only twelve percent. Gerd Landsberg, Managing Director of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, calls for better access to regions through good transport connections. For Geywitz, there are other adjustments to be made, such as the digital infrastructure or home office offers.