Berlin's housing crisis is intensifying with demand far exceeding supply, leaving both newcomers and longtime residents struggling to find affordable apartments. Long queues for viewings, soaring rents and stalled construction highlight how years of policy failures have dried up the city’s affordable housing stock.

While new initiatives like Germany's "turbo construction" law aim to speed up building permits, experts warn that rising costs and insufficient infrastructure in new neighborhoods hinder real progress. Developers and urban planners argue Berlin must embrace faster approvals and smarter, mixed‑use neighborhood concepts to solve its long‑term housing shortage.

This video summary was created by AI from the original DW script. It was edited by a journalist before publication.