A tale of two cities: social movements for affordable housing in Berlin and Frankfurt am Main

Pascal Glanz and Stefanie Wöhl

Chapter 7 in Resisting the Financialization of Housing, 2026, pp 86-99 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Housing demand has exceeded supply for years in Germany, and affordable housing is particularly in short supply. The fact that housing is an essential good with rather inelastic demand underlines the importance of this sector. While the market power of large housing corporations continues to grow, especially in metropolitan areas, purchase and rental prices have regularly reached new highs over the past decades. This chapter evaluates the situation and effects of financialization on the German housing market in two cities, Frankfurt am Main and Berlin, as well as possible alternatives and instruments introduced by civil society movements and metropolitan governments. The question is to what extent these responses by civil society and local governments mitigate the process of financialization and contribute to a more affordable housing market. The citizens’ movements “Deutsche Wohnen & Co. enteignen” (Berlin) and “Mietentscheid” (Frankfurt) as civil society initiatives will be analysed to showcase these developments.

Keywords: Financialization; Housing; Civil society; Social movements; Frankfurt am Main; Berlin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035379637
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