The FINANCIAL — KfW Bankengruppe is launching the new promotional programme "Accessible City" on 1 September 2012: KfW will grant reduced interest loans to municipalities, municipal enterprises and social organisations to improve accessibility in public spaces, municipal traffic installations and sports venues as well as in buildings related to municipal and social infrastructure.
"Decision-makers in cities and municipalities face immense challenges in adapting their municipal and social infrastructure to meet the needs of demographic change. With its new promotional offer, KfW provides support for this adaption, thereby supplementing the very successful approach implemented in the housing programme," said Dr Axel Nawrath, member of the Executive Board of KfW Bankengruppe.
The programme supports investments in different areas of building access, such as pathways to buildings and parking spaces, building entryways, vertical access, sanitary rooms and the adaption of sports venues. Likewise eligible for financing are projects involving traffic installations or public spaces, for example the upgrading of traffic lights. As KFW reported, in order to secure the overall quality of the promoted measures, certain technical requirements must be observed. The interest rate, which KfW will significantly reduce using its own funds, will be set shortly before the programme is launched.
In terms of housing promotion, since 2009 KfW has offered the programme "Age-appropriate Conversion" to support measures for comfortable accessibility in buildings and in the living environment through low-interest loans. Since the programme was launched KfW has provided support to a total of 87,000 homes and buildings in Germany with a promotional volume of EUR 940 million.
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