There is a moment this evening when the mood in the hall on Willi-Graf-Straße threatens to change. Alexander Uehlein, head of student housing at the Studentenwerk, was asked several times by the approximately 60 students present to comment on the planned partial abolition of self-administration in Munich dormitories. Finally he says: “Look at what democracy is being lost in other countries. And then consider whether their standards are appropriate here.” What follows are boos.
The tension is noticeable on this Thursday evening, which is supposed to be about the future of the student city. Together with Uehlein, Christoph Jarisch from Bayernheim and SPD city council member Lars Mentrup, the students want to discuss why urgently needed densification is not included in the current redevelopment plans. In Munich, around 9,000 people are on the waiting list for a place in a dormitory, and demand is increasing.
Johann-Tariq Schlingensiepen, architect and long-time Stusta resident, developed a densification plan as part of his master’s thesis that provides a total capacity of 4,500 residential spaces. Other calculations, including areas that are still undeveloped, even add up to 7,000 places. However, only the renovation of existing pitches is currently planned. “Why wait and spend money twice?” asks Anabel Kauer from the student housing working group.
“There will be densification,” promises Alexander Uehlein. However, the first step is to quickly resolve the acute vacancy. In addition, urban planning must also be taken into account, which the Stuwerk cannot ignore. Christoph Jarisch also emphasizes the necessary planning lead time: “You can’t just quickly build two floors somewhere.”
The student city has the potential to become “a great location for young living – not just for students,” says Lars Mentrup. He always found Stuwerk to be proactive and committed. Mentrup sees the problem more with financing. The state government’s years of poor planning are “a scandal”.
In fact, the main thing that is missing is money. A student from AK Wohnen calculates that around 3,000 dormitory places have been lost since 2017. To restore this, around 400 million euros would be needed in Munich alone. At the beginning of the year, the state government decided on a sum of 330 million euros by the end of 2025 – for all of Bavaria.
Uehlein also sees the problems continuing to grow, despite all the progress: “None of the houses will be habitable without renovation in ten years.” There is an enormous gap between needs and planning. However, he would like to thank the students, who sharpened public perception with their strong appearance.
Although the discussion ends without a firm concession, Lars Mentrup finds encouraging words for the students at the end. “Without you there would be even less progress. You also have a bit of power in this country.” Instead of boos, applause erupts at this point.