In Haut-Rhin, local officials urge owners of large plots to build homes in their backyards to address the housing shortage. In Ribeauvillé, retirees Alfred and Monique Cichon received a letter in October inviting them to consider this approach. The initiative reflects a broader context where the housing crisis is central to local election debates.
The housing crisis is weighing heavily on France's 2026 municipal elections, especially in tourist areas like Alsace. In Haut-Rhin, officials in the Alsatian vineyard region, at the heart of the wine route, are encouraging owners of large plots to subdivide their land or convert empty buildings. This aims to counter rising prices and housing scarcity.
In Ribeauvillé, a picturesque commune, Alfred Cichon, 74, and his wife Monique, 75, received a standard letter in October signed by their local officials. The mail invites them to meet architecture and urban planning professionals to « build a new home in [their] garden (for themselves, a relative, or to rent) » and explore « the full potential of [their] property ». The couple, owners of a five-room house with a 2,200-square-meter garden, were already considering moving to more age-appropriate housing.
« The plot is 2,200 square meters, there's too much to maintain », says Mr. Cichon. « We'd started looking at apartments in recent months », adds Mrs. Cichon. After meeting an architect, they plan to build a 100-square-meter single-story house with garage on part of the land, without a basement, and sell their current home with 1,500 square meters of garden. Although the project's finances are uncertain, the high property values in this tourist area could allow them to fund the build while recouping funds.
This initiative highlights broader challenges for local officials, as in Biarritz where Mayor Maider Arosteguy (The Republicans) is daily questioned on urgent housing needs, amid a surge in secondary residences and routine appeals against new developments. In this town of 25,000 residents where over 40% of homes are secondary, the social housing rate is only 11% against a 25% target.