Berlin's housing crunch fuels support for extremes, says economist Kritikos
Economist Alexander Kritikos warns that Berlin's severe shortage of apartments is driving voters toward both the far-right AfD and the far-left Die Linke.
In an interview, Alexander Kritikos highlighted Berlin's deficit of about 100,000 flats and a 75 % rent increase to €15.78 per square metre over ten years. He argued that the shortage fuels discontent, boosting votes for the far-right Alternative for Germany and the far-left Die Linke. Kritikos traced the crisis to a post-2003 influx of residents, bureaucratic hurdles, expensive construction and rent-regulation policies that discourage developers.
He criticized Die Linke's proposal to expropriate 220,000 apartments, saying it would merely shift ownership without creating new units. While acknowledging immigration adds to demand, he stressed that overall net migration, not refugees alone, strains the market.
Why it matters
The housing shortage in Berlin shapes political dynamics and influences future housing policy across Germany.
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