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With the shift of the workplace to the private home in the Covid-19-pandemic, the sphere of gainful employment has more or less abruptly invaded the private sphere and has not only led to necessary adaptations in houses and flats, but has also raised new questions about the attractiveness of residential locations. Based on the results of an online survey, this paper examines the influence of home office on housing and settlement structures. Considerations of co-working spaces, another form of mobile work, are also included in the analyses. The aim of the paper is to contribute to the discussion about the attractiveness of residential locations and the consequences of mobile working for housing behaviour. The results show: Contrary to what media discussions suggest, no clear effects on location preferences or a 'new desire for the countryside' can be identified (so far). Furthermore, there is an increased willingness to move, especially in flats that are perceived as too small; dissatisfaction with the flat is higher among respondents with little space. Co-working Spaces do not yet play a role, but respondents with a preference for flexible forms of work are considering them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the last two decades, large housing estates in eastern Germany have become the scene of an increased concentration of low-income households. At the same time, considerable shifts in the structure of home ownership have been documented in these areas. National and international investors have acquired large housing stocks here and become a fundamental part of the local housing markets. This paper discusses the connection between both developments. Based on a case study in two large housing estates in Halle (Saale) and Schwerin, it is argued that the relative impoverishment of large housing estates can be traced back to two developments on the supply side: On the one hand, municipal housing companies are increasingly made responsible for the provision of homes for households that cannot provide for themselves on the market. Due to the uneven spatial distribution of municipal housing, this leads to an increased concentration of poor households in the large housing estates. On the other hand, letting policies of financial investors are characterised by tight yield requirements. In view of a rather restrained demand for the housing they manage, they therefore increasingly rent their flats to population groups that are avoided by other landlords. Together, these developments operate like a 'segregationmachine', which continuously shifts low-income population groups to the large housing estates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the accessibility of a city -- for example, due to the connection to the long-distance rail network for the first time -- not only affect transport demand but can also have catalytic effects on urban development. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study presented in this paper investigates whether long-distance rail stations in Germany between 2004/2005 and 2016/2017 generate such impulses for urban development in their catchment areas via their accessibility level and dynamics. Results show no direct impulses of accessibility on urban development in many cases, suggesting that other reasons such as population and housing pressure or the existence of inner-city (unused) development sites are the more significant factors for urban development dynamics. In addition, accessibility changes are often subject to business considerations that are generally detached from local political and planning goals and interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]