housing

Many people can no longer afford an apartment in Wiesbaden. We therefore want to use all possibilities to create affordable housing for the common good in particular and to secure it in the long term.

We have ensured that the city has increased the rate of social bonds for large urban and private new construction projects to 40 percent in the past parliamentary term and want it to stick to it in the future. In addition, we have worked to extend the rent brake for existing rents at the municipal housing companies GWW and GeWeGe, so that rent increases remain well below the statutory cap. In this way, we want to prevent displacement and secure affordable housing in the long term.

As a result of these two measures, existing rents remain stable in their amount and thus also the rent level. The rental level shows how high the local comparison rents are. It is regularly drawn up on the basis of many existing tenancies and ensures that rents remain transparent and comprehensible.

We will stick to the fact that the municipal companies generally do not rent over the average in the rental index for new rentals. In addition, we support tenants in new rentals by providing further information and advice in addition to the rental index in order to improve the enforcement of the federal rental price brake.

We adhere to the density specifications of the building land resolution: For new construction areas, at least 80 residential units per hectare are foreseen, with the exception of 50 residential units in rural suburbs, provided that the local character is preserved.

In addition, we want to continue to support the construction of apprentice and company apartments as well as student dormitories.

Soil is a scarce, non-reproducible commodity that cannot be subjected to the market alone. On the other hand, an active land policy, as we Greens have advanced it in Wiesbaden, is an effective strategic instrument that puts the municipality in the role of actor: It acquires, manages and distributes land in a targeted manner.

Early acquisition of potential development areas for urban, residential and open spaces is the foundation of urban development, serves as a service of general interest for citizens and allows municipalities to increase their influence on the local housing market. The municipality can decide to whom it surrenders real estate or land. This is the only way to avoid speculation with land by third parties and to achieve the construction of affordable housing. The municipality can decide whether housing is developed, social infrastructure in the form of day-care centres or schools, or whether environmental and climate protection is promoted, for example. An active soil policy thus strengthens the municipal capacity to act.

Land policy must be planned actively and in the long term in order to implement the common good-oriented goals of the municipality. We want to continue this strategy. In doing so, we are taking a path that cities such as Ulm, Münster and Hamburg have been successfully following for decades.

We are increasingly relying on heritable building law in the allocation of building land in order to keep land permanently in municipal hands. The hereditary interest rate of 1.0% (or, if necessary, less) for initiatives that are particularly worthy of funding.

We want to expand the allocation of residential building space according to the best concept (concept allocation). By promoting communal living, we strengthen neighborhoods and create social connections.

We want to introduce a vacancy statute according to Hessian state law and limit the conversion into holiday apartments. In addition, we support compaction and expansion in order to make better use of existing space, to create additional living space and to reduce the need for new settlement areas. In this way, we want to actively address the possibilities of a superstructure of supermarkets and parking lots and enter into discussions with owners.

We want climate-neutral, space-saving construction with ecological building materials as well as barrier-free and age-appropriate apartments in all new construction projects. This design protects the climate, conserves natural resources and enables the creation of residential areas where everyone, young or old, with or without mobility restrictions, can live well together.

We develop sustainable quarters with a high quality of life (e.g. urban development experimental rooms) and actively maintain existing buildings. The upgrading of districts improves the quality of life, strengthens the sense of security and promotes social cohesion in the districts.

We are committed to providing targeted housing for women from women's shelters in order to limit the length of stay there.

It is important to us that the city supports people in such a way that they do not become homeless. We want to overcome homelessness with the Housing First approach. Where this is not possible or desired by those affected, we are committed to sufficient sleeping places and medical care.

We are consistently implementing the criteria adopted in 2020 for Ostfeld. These include socially bound housing, carbon neutrality in operation, renewable energies and a predominantly car-free district. Eligible rail connections must be decided before construction begins. Aircraft noise emissions are to be intensively tested and corresponding protective measures implemented.

We want to actively involve citizens' initiatives, cooperatives, local councils and property owners in housing planning and examine a cooperative real estate agency in cooperation with neighboring cities. This networking creates innovative solutions and strengthens the common good in housing policy.

We Greens have achieved an increase in the share of subsidised housing for low and middle incomes in housing projects. For urban companies, 40 percent apply, for private investors from 40 residential units as well, otherwise 30 percent.

We have ensured that the urban rent brake introduced in 2020 for tenants of the municipal housing associations GWW and GeWeGe has been further extended and extended to all free-financed apartments in the housing stock of both companies.

The Hessian state government announced in January 2025 that it would pass a law against speculative vacancy. It is intended to make it possible for municipalities with tense housing markets to draw up statutes against speculative vacancy. We have already instructed our administration to prepare a corresponding draft statute so that the city can act immediately after the decision of the law of the state government.

With the new building land resolution, we have created clear guidelines for socially just and climate-friendly urban development. Decisions on social land use, heritable building law, concept allocations and subsidised housing will be bundled into a uniform framework. In the future: New building land for housing is only designated if at least 50 percent of the area is in urban hands or transferred. In principle, a minimum density of 80 residential units per hectare should apply, provided that the urban typology and settlement structure have not changed. This creates planning security, affordable housing and compact, resource-efficient urban development – an effective tool against rising rents and land consumption.

We Greens have established Wiesbaden's active soil policy. The aim is to acquire land at an early stage in order to prevent speculation and enable social housing. Soil is not a commodity, but the basis of the common good. Urban property can be used specifically for affordable housing, social infrastructure or climate protection. In this way, the city remains able to act and can decide on its own use and allocation. This model – successful in cities such as Ulm or Münster – strengthens municipal design power, secures affordable housing in the long term and ensures socially balanced, sustainable urban development.

The Wohnbaugesellschaft GWW, a municipal investment company of the city of Wiesbaden, has for the first time reached a stock of more than 14,000 apartments and thus strengthens the affordable, public-interest-oriented housing in Wiesbaden.

Examples such as the Kärntner Viertel, the Schönau-Quartier or the Kastel-Housing project show how municipal policy actively shapes neighbourhood development: With the rules of the game of sustainable neighbourhood development, which we GRÜNEN initiated significantly (LINK) ensure that new residential quarters are not only socially mixed, family- and age-appropriate, but are also built in an energy-efficient and resource-saving manner and that green infrastructure, climate-optimised urban greenery, sensitive water management, renewable energies and new mobility are incorporated into the planning. Wiesbaden combines affordable living, social justice and climate protection in lively, sustainable neighbourhoods.

In projects such as Bierstadt-Nord, modern apartments are being built in climate-friendly wood hybrid construction with communal areas and socially balanced occupancy. In Erbenheim-Süd, 33 apartments with age-appropriate units and a day care centre were built, the building is designed as a power-only house with photovoltaic system in an energy-efficient way. All projects combine ecological standards, common areas and social responsibility.

Through the construction of business apartments in Herderstraße, a model project for apprentice housing and the construction of company apartments on the grounds of Helios Dr. Horst Schmidt Kliniken (HSK) by GWW, we secure affordable housing for important professional groups, promote retention of skilled workers and show that the city of Wiesbaden is responding strategically to the needs of the labour market.

The SEG has set important course for Wiesbaden: With the purchase of the red skyscraper, urban influence on housing was secured and a signal for community-oriented urban development was set. The former American Arms Hotel (Kaiserhof) has been converted into a modern residential area that provides high-quality and affordable living space in a central location. These projects strengthen the municipal capacity to act, secure housing in the long term and contribute to the sustainable development of the city.