Abstract
This contribution presents an overview of the current housing situation in South Tyrol and analyzes the recent transformation of housing policies through the “Housing Reform 2025” and Provincial Law No. 5/2022. The study was developed within the framework of the Provincial Integration Council’s Housing Working Group and is based on exchanges with provincial housing offices, the Municipality of Bolzano, IPES (Institute for Social Housing), and local social actors.
The analysis highlights how housing has become a structural social issue in South Tyrol. Rising housing prices, the shortage of affordable rental apartments, increasing tourism pressure, second homes, and speculative real estate dynamics are affecting not only vulnerable groups but also large segments of the middle class, young workers, and low-income households.
Particular attention is dedicated to the new policy instruments introduced by the reform, including sustainable rent schemes, social utility housing, resident-only housing regulations, regulated-price housing, and new financial support mechanisms for first-home access. The contribution also examines the role of vacant apartments and housing recovery policies, as well as the development of worker residences, student housing, and mixed social housing models.
The city of Bolzano represents the most critical case, with estimates indicating the need for approximately 4,000 additional housing units in the coming years. At the same time, part of the existing public housing stock remains unavailable due to renovation and maintenance works.
From a socio-political perspective, the research underlines that housing is increasingly linked to social inclusion, access to rights, and territorial cohesion. Particular focus is placed on migrants, asylum seekers, precarious workers, homeless persons, and low-threshold housing services. The study highlights the fragmentation between reception systems, social services, and the ordinary housing market, emphasizing the importance of integrated housing accompaniment and social inclusion policies.
The contribution argues that the housing crisis in South Tyrol cannot be addressed solely through increased construction, but requires stronger coordination between housing policies, social services, migration governance, and territorial planning.