PUBLIC CONSULTING AGENCY, CHEMNITZ, GERMANY

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Founding of the ‘Agentur StadtWohnen Chemnitz’ (CityLiving Agency Chemnitz) with the goal to coordinate relevant stakeholders and support alternative housing projects in order to enable the sustainable development of unused historic apartment buildings in need of repair.

The ‘Housing agency’ is a consulting service (project) for interested owners of neglected and/or vacant properties, potential investors and users with an interest in common forms of living and creative ideas for the subsequent use of buildings. The task of the Housing agency is to function as a coordination body, which connects owners, potential users, investors and local authorities and provides them with free-of-charge consulting services for the reactivation of the vacant apartment buildings in the extended inner city where the free real estate market had failed.

The services are carried out by a local private urban development company, which received this task through a public tender by the city. The ‘Housing agency’ fulfils tasks that had not been foreseen within the city administration. At the same time through the private company additional know-how and work capacities are obtained.

Mainstreaming

To connect owners of neglected houses with new users a public owned housing agency (Agentur StadtWohnen Chemnitz) was found by the City of Chemnitz. It supports the match making between abandoned tenement heritage buildings with people that look for living accommodation and work space at affordable prices. It works outside the official city government structure, but is connected to the city’s formal procedures. It acts in close liaison with the city’s relevant departments: urban planning and development, funding, historic preservation, building regulations, land registry and taxes; it also works with relevant NGO, social and cultural associations and individuals.

Activating

There are basically 7 steps to facilitate a change in the ownership of abandoned buildings to people that want to invest:

1. Identify the buildings in need.
2. Collect basic data about the buildings.
3. Contact the owner to know about his plans.
4. If the owner agrees, publish the building on the agency’s website and other platforms.
5. Organise visits of the buildings with interested people.
6. Connect potential buyers with the owners.
7. Accompany the buyers to liaise with municipal departments and other relevant actors.

All of those services by the housing agency are free for owners and investors. Among them also to connect to relevant stakeholders such as the building regulation department on safety issues, to talk to the preservation departments on the historic significance and burdens for future investors or to pre-check on possible grants to support the renovation.