Germany's Minister of Construction, Klara Geywitz, urges citizens to relocate from large cities to suburbs or smaller towns to address the country's housing shortage.
In an interview with Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung, Geywitz highlighted the potential in smaller and medium-sized towns, noting they also offer essential amenities such as daycare centers, schools, shops, and medical services.
"There are nearly two million vacant homes in Germany, yet demand remains exceedingly high in our major cities and urban areas," Geywitz stated.
She announced plans to introduce a strategy by the end of this year to utilize these vacant homes better to meet housing demand.
The minister pointed out that, historically, many people moved from their hometowns to big cities in search of employment.
"Now, remote work and digitalization offer new opportunities to live and work in rural areas. We want to promote this shift," she said.
Despite efforts, the pace of new home construction in Germany has not kept up with demand.
The current government had pledged to build 400,000 homes annually when it took office three years ago. However, only 295,000 homes were completed across Germany last year.