The brainchild of merchant Jakob Fugger, since 1521 the Fuggerei has provided a place for people to live with dignity, charging a constant, unchanging rent of just one guilder a year – or 0.88 euros in modern currency. In our current times of housing shortage, climate crisis, social inequality, and isolation, the sustainability-oriented and people-centred concept of the Fuggerei provides a global role model, and offers a response to the great social and ecological questions of our time.

In order to achieve these goals, the study defines an abstract set of components that make a Fuggerei successful. These eight simple “building blocks” provide the basis for a system for new Fuggerei that can be adapted to differing contexts worldwide. First is the founder, or “stifter”, who defines the local need addressed by the Fuggerei. The houses should have doors to the street and include a private green space such as a garden, roof terrace, or balcony; streets should be car-free, human-scale, and climate-responsive. There should always be a natural space providing the opportunity for social gatherings; and there should be a meeting point that forms the heart of the community. “Fuggerei elements”, such as contemplative spaces or repair workshops, provide permanent community functions based on the Fuggerei’s central need; “special elements” provide more flexible spaces that can adapt to needs that change over time; and finally, the gateway, that defines the Fuggerei’s relationship to its surroundings – simultaneously inviting people inside yet providing a sense of security for residents.