Table Talks: “Strategies for Vacancy and the Public Realm in a Shifting Demographic Context”

With the symposium series “Tischgespräche” (Table Talks), the Institute of Urbanism and the Institute of Housing continue to cultivate a productive platform for exchange between the university, public administration, and civil‑society actors. In its third edition, this experimental dialogue format once again created a valuable space for collective reflection on the challenges posed by demographic change. This year’s discussions focused on the political and social conditions of aging populations, and on how vacancy, care, and the public realm can be addressed within this shifting context. A central point that emerged was that vacancy cannot be approached as an architectural problem alone; rather, it must be understood in relation to intertwined economic and institutional dynamics. Municipalities play a key role in this process, acting as mediators between property owners, regional authorities, churches, and local initiatives. Small, incremental transformations, flexible approaches to building use, low‑threshold funding instruments, and new governance models for private ownership structures are essential if facilities for care, support, and community‑oriented living are to remain integral to vibrant town centers—rather than being pushed to the periphery.

Karina Brünner