The kick-off meeting of the nationwide knowledge network of the ‘More than four walls’ project took place in Erlangen on June 26th and 27th 2025. With the selection of the pilot municipalities and the official launch of the network, an important milestone was reached.
The knowledge network is a central element of the project that offers the participating municipalities—and, perspectively, other interested cities and districts—a structured space for exchanging experiences, joint reflection, and the further development of practical solutions in the context of refugee accommodation. The aim is to pool good practice, think it through, and make it transferable to other contexts.
The event focussed on professional exchange on overarching key topics arising from the municipalities‘ project ideas and the presentation of the selected pilot projects.
Initial thematic focal points include
- Hybrid accommodation for different groups of people
- Housing placement and transition from accommodation to housing
- Participatory self-administration by residents
- Accommodation in the municipal multi-level system
- Minimum standards in shared accommodation in commercial areas
- Designing flexible systems in the municipal accommodation landscape
As part of a gallery walk, the participants were able to discuss these topics, contribute their professional expertise, and identify starting points for further project work. The dialogue on the key topics will be continued and intensified in working groups in the coming period.
The successful kick-off in Erlangen has laid the foundation for an intensive project phase—characterised by networking, mutual learning, and the common goal of shaping the accommodation of refugees in the long term in a way that is needs-based, sustainable, and viable for local authorities.
