In my opinion, we as a real estate industry are not fulfilling our tasks for society as we are supposed to. We need to do better in order to master the challenges. A discussion about the tasks and self-image of the industry is overdue.

For example, where is the roadmap for a climate-neutral real estate industry? Where are the concepts for low-cost and mixed-use housing? The industry does not provide adequate answers to such questions. Far too often, I see companies seeing themselves as victims of decisions made by the public sector rather than sitting down at the table with institutions with an open mind. They should formulate concrete expectations much more often, provide their own ideas and make it clear what is preventing us from doing the job better. By the way, the industry should also be self-critical and open in its discussions for entirely selfish reasons. It is currently in the midst of a major crisis. And it can't solve it by hoping for low interest rates and then rehashing the old recipes from the boom.

To mention just a few of the suggestions made in the polemic for discussion: In order to free up capacities at the building authorities, architects could be used as experts to check building applications. The agencies are already practicing this with fire protection and structural engineering. These applications could be made digitally approvable and submitted as BIM models. By relieving the burden on the authorities they would be able to finally tackle the big problems and put an end to the parochial politics. This could include large-scale development plans for city centers and far-reaching planning laws in metropolitan regions.

To make cities more livable, we propose a rating system modeled on ESG ratings that establishes comparability, motivates policymakers and unleashes a spiral for the better. Some of the suggestions are not new, but have not yet been implemented. This would require different stakeholders to argue with each other in an unbiased way before cooperating. Since no individual group of those taking part in the construction process can manage these complex tasks on their own.

If anyone thinks this is not feasible, I would be interested to hear the reasons. Additionally, I appreciate hearing other and better ideas. I am convinced that in a substantial and ambitious dispute, many can win.