Housing affordability crisis, approaches and outcomes in Germany and Australia

This collaborative project between HCU Hamburg and the University of Sydney explores the evolving dynamics of housing markets in Berlin and Sydney, two cities facing acute housing crises marked by rising rents, limited affordability, and emerging informal and semi-formal housing arrangements. Despite significant differences in their housing systems and urban development trajectories, both cities exhibit converging trends such as the growth of shared housing and furnished micro-apartments-phenomena shaped by globalised real estate markets, digital platforms, weakened regulatory frameworks, and informal practices. The project team, consisting predominantly of early career researchers, draws on local expertise developed at the partnering institutions and adopts a comparative approach to investigate the actors, practices, and policy responses shaping these transformations.