Eduard Pfeiffer

With great personal commitment to the creation of housing and other social facilities, the banker, reformer and cooperative Pfeiffer contributed with major projects between 1875 and 1915 to ensuring that Stuttgart remained a community without major social problems even during industrialization.

Born in Stuttgart in 1875, Pfeiffer showed a keen interest in architecture and urban planning from an early age. After studying architecture at the Technical University of Stuttgart, he began to focus intensively on the social challenges of urban development. Pfeiffer recognized the pressing problems of the growing urban population at an early stage and campaigned for affordable housing and improved living conditions, such as the reduction of urban sprawl.

In the early years of the 20th century, the housing shortage was acute in many German cities and Pfeiffer became a pioneer in social housing construction. His vision was to bring about sustainable change through architectural innovation and social responsibility. One of his most lasting commitments was the founding of the Verein für das Wohl der arbeitenden Klassen, today's Bau- und 
WohnungsVerein Stuttgart, in 1866. The basic idea was that, with the increase in the industrial population, the improvement of the conditions in which they lived had become a requirement for the general welfare.  Four housing estates were built in Stuttgart under the auspices of the association: Ostheim (1891-1901 with 1,300 apartments), Südheim (1901-1904 with 140 apartments), Westheim (1902-1904 with 100 apartments) and the Ostenau housing estate (1911-1913 with 260 apartments). With these projects, Pfeiffer – together with other housing estates by other developers – was able to solve a large part of the problems in Stuttgart's housing sector.