Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

This is possibly for completely intra-European supply chains. Everything involving foreign trade will probably "suffer" from significantly higher freight rates well into next year.

I see it the same way, I think that there will increasingly be a focus on second sources in Europe where possible. That eases the situation somewhat.

Is that from the new bestseller by the Greens? Otherwise, that is pretty simplistic and certainly wrong overall. Not least because the city has no space for "innovation" and often not even any money. Maybe you could provide us with some examples from your observed utopia?

No, I have no inclination to read that. We actually had a controversial thread here in the forum about no longer approving single-family homes in the zoning plan in the north of Hamburg. In Barcelona, the neighborhood concept with inner traffic-calmed zones is working so well (attention "utopia") that it is already becoming expensive again (damn cycle). There are surprisingly many people who perceive having a garden as a burden and for that reason alone a basic disadvantage of the city, which maybe you, I, and other homeowners don’t even realize. I lived for a while in the Stephanskiez in Moabit. That already had a special flair for a couple with a dog and no children... I do think the dream of owning a home is still very high on many people’s wish lists, but it no longer plays the role model function as much as in my generation (early 50s). I did not intend a totality in my statement – that is either poor expression on my part, a misunderstanding, or an exaggeration on the readers’ side.

Where are there still motorways with a real (!) average speed over 100 km/h even during rush hour? Pure envy here from NRW.

I have been commuting by car for over a year from the Bergisches Land to Bavarian Swabia to a client. Not during rush hour – that’s the secret that commuters don’t want to reveal. A relaxed average of 115 km/h door-to-door is nothing special – despite some construction sites and some country roads. To achieve an average over 140 km/h without driving illegally, you have to move the car quite quickly on the free stretches. But that is regularly no problem because traffic conditions at my driving times (after general quitting time) are calm. This saves about an hour on the somewhat more than 500 km route and costs about 15 liters more diesel. (Here I am not very "green", but I am also not the inventor of consistency – when it comes to cars, I am apparently typically "German", drive a lot for work, like to drive fast, moderate myself with a self-set price limit for cars of roughly max. 3 monthly incomes, and pay some attention to practical fuel consumption at cruising speed.)

I see it the same way, I think that more and more second sources will be relied on in Europe wherever possible. That eases the situation a bit.

No, I have no inclination to read that. We had a controversial thread here in the forum about no longer approving single-family houses in the development plan in the north of Hamburg. In Barcelona, the district concept with inner traffic-calmed zones is proving (warning: "Utopia") so successful that it is becoming expensive again (Damn, a vicious cycle). There are surprisingly many people who see a garden as a burden and for that reason alone recognize a fundamental disadvantage of the city, which maybe you, I and other homeowners don’t even perceive. I lived for a while in Stephanskiez in Moabit. It had a special flair for a couple with a dog and no children... I do think that the dream of owning a home is still very high on many people’s wish lists, but it no longer has the role model function it did in my generation (early 50s). I did not intend a total statement — that was probably either a poor expression on my part, a misunderstanding, or an exaggeration on the readers’ side.

Well put. I see it exactly the same!

Not at rush hours — that’s the secret commuters can’t ventilate well. A relaxed average of 115 km/h door-to-door is nothing special [...]

Pity. Strong start. Strong drop-off. OK. So you manage a 115 average (including the way to the highway and from the highway to the customer) “quite relaxed.” When do you drive? 3 a.m.? I can do that quite relaxed too. But that has nothing to do with the topic. It was about whether commuting up to 200 km one-way will become normal. I definitely don’t see that. Even if you only have to cover the distance 2-3 times a week, you practically have nothing of your family on those days.

So you can manage an average of 115 (including the trip to the highway and from the highway to the customer) "quite relaxed." When do you drive? 3 a.m.? I can manage that quite relaxed too.

I usually leave around 6 p.m. and first go to the hotel. I arrive relaxed the following morning. The return trip is also in the late afternoon. Of course you can manage that too. The highway also works quite well in many regions between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., not just at night. Anyone who works in field service knows their route planning.

The question was whether commuting for up to 200 km one way will become normal.

That would be absurd if that became normal; we should have progressed beyond that by now. For someone who likes to have free time besides work, that's not an option. I have commuting experience – by car and plane, each 1-2 hours one way. If you really enjoy the job, that works for a while. I have less experience with train commuting but know some people who commute between Cologne and Frankfurt by ICE. It’s not healthy in the long run. But it’s not about me; I am an outdated model and no longer lead a socially representative life.
For well-educated young people, time matters; over the years, they will be able to choose their employers more and more easily – and thus better control their working conditions and commuting times.

The autobahn also works quite well in many regions between 9:00 and 15:00, not just at night.

Yeah, there are regions where driving on the autobahn works quite well all day long :)
That's why my comment above: "Envy from NRW"
But I have to say that for me as a newcomer, NRW somehow only means the Rhine axis between Duisburg and Bonn and the Ruhr area.
Places like Bergisches Land, OWL, Sauerland, deepest Lower Rhine I don't associate with NRW. Way too sparsely populated there :D

I am currently at the hardware store to buy a few simple formwork boards (300 cm x 12 cm x 2 cm) and I am almost in disbelief. The price has nearly tripled since my last visit a few days ago. One (!) meter now costs 5.39 euros!

I am currently at the hardware store to buy a few simple formwork boards (300 cm x 12 cm x 2 cm) and I am almost in disbelief. The price has nearly tripled since my last visit a few days ago. One (!) meter now costs 5.39 euros!

But that's nothing new. An S10 roof batten 40x60 hardly costs less than 3€ either. Although the futures for construction timber have dropped. Construction timber is stabilizing again. For the rest, there will probably be permanent price increases in the range of 15-50%.