Learning From German Publicly Led Development Strategies to Create Mixed-Income, Mixed-Use Development Projects

Yonah Freemark
Urban Institute
Tarsi Dunlop
German Marshall Fund of the United States

This article explores several key tools German cities use to undertake large development projects featuring thousands of new housing units apiece. Evidence from Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich shows how these cities leverage federal rules that freeze land costs, publicly owned land, and neighborhood-scale master planning integrated with transportation investments to make way for projects. These tools enable cities to ensure a mix of development uses—spanning schools, transportation, and housing—through a unified urban design. This form of publicly led development has helped each of these cities respond to their respective housing needs.