German events for World Habitat Day

At the occasion of the world habitat day some groups organize a meeting “right to housing for all”, which focuses on the housing consequences of the neo-liberal labour reforms (Hartz IV), especially “forced removals”

as a consequence of limited support for the housing costs of unemployed.

Oct 6, 4 pm “Lunte”, Berlin-Neukölln, Weisestr. 53 (German invitation has been distributed through this list before)

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Oct 31 – Nov 1, Essen

3rd Conference of Left Fraction in Bundestag (Fraktion Die Linke) on shrinking cities (Stadtumbau) Essen (Nordrheinwestfalen) – Haus der Technik e.V., Hollestraße 1

Contact: sven.diedrich@linksfraktion.de

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Nov 1-2, Braunschweig

National confernce pro public ownershio

Meeting of local initiatives resisting privatisations, including a workshop on resisting housing privatisations and another on Europeen perspectives.

Contact: Konferenz.BS@gmx.net

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Nov 5, Gladbeck (Ruhr Metropolitan Region) Ruhr Tenants Forum together with the German Tenants Union (DMB), the city of Gladbeck, the Future of LEG Action Coalition, FB 13 of the trade union ver.di NRW, WohnBund Beratung NRW organizes a conference on the consequences of the mass sell out of rental housing in Germany and especially NRW:

“Is it still possible to domesticate the housing market?”

Keynote speakers:

Knut Unger (Ruhr Tenants Forum-DMB project on large landlords) Dr. Franz-Georg Rips (president of DMB) Prof. Kofner (Zeitz) on the strategies of large listed housing companies using the example of GAGFAH Dr. Sebastian Müller (Dortmund) on the consequences of speculatively traded housing stocks for maintenance and service, the case of “small”

anonym funds

Jan Kuhnert (Hannover) on needs and possibilities to strengthen the remaining sector of small co-ops and municipal housing companies.

Parrallel workshops on:

(1) How to deal with the new huge landlords (publicly listed companies and private equity firms like Annintion (TerraFirma), GAGFAH (Fortress, LEG (Whitehall(Goldman Sachs). Immeo (FdL/FdR France), En (Ex-Ruhr Kohle AG). With trade unionists, local tenants groups etc.

(2) How to deal with smaller anonyme funds. How to force the landlords to care for maintannance and repair? Which legal instruments? How to coordinate tenants grass roots, tenants associations and municipalities?

(3) How to strengthen smaller co-ops and municipal housing companies (which face problems like deficits, huge renewal needs, lack of capital stock etc.)

In the afternoon panel discussion with politicians from the state and federal level.

Nov 5, 10 am – 5 pm Gladbeck, Old City Hall More details here

International Network for Urban Research and Action (INURA) Rhine–Ruhr together with Hippiehaus Dortmund

Sell out the City Centre?

Urban transformation of the Ruhr cities. Example of the planned shopping mall “Thier Arkaden” in Dortmund.

Panel discussion with experts and affected inhabitants.

Donnerstag, 20.11.2008, 19.30h

Auslandsgesellschaft Dortmund

Steinstraße 48, 44147 Dortmund