Vienna Social Housing Field Study Overview
International best practices in mixed-income housing
This course is designed to give local and regional housing policymakers, practitioners, and leaders insight into international best practices in affordable housing. The Vienna Social Housing Field Study takes a deep dive into Vienna’s social housing model to understand the forces that have shaped the city’s unique approach to housing and evaluate how it compares to U.S. affordable housing systems.
Participants will learn about the housing ecosystem in Vienna, from urban planning, design, consultant selection, construction, financing, government land management, and subsidies to newer strategies for environmental sustainability and climate resilience.
Photo credit: © XYZ
This program will also take a close look at how Vienna approaches community engagement, transit-oriented development, the growing need for deeper affordability, and inclusion of housing options for diverse populations, including single parents, seniors, newly arrived refugees, and people experiencing homelessness.
Participants in GPLA’s intensive field study will learn about the housing ecosystem in Vienna, from the role of public agencies in land procurement and funding to the process of designing complete communities with plentiful housing, excellent public transportation, parks and amenities, and affordability levels that serve a broad range of incomes and household sizes.
Why Vienna?
Vienna, Austria is considered one of the most livable and affordable cities in the world, but it was not always this way. One hundred years ago, Vienna had a housing crisis that left more than 30,000 residents unhoused and many more living in squalid conditions.
Today, Vienna has the lowest cost housing of any major European city, with a majority of its residents living in high-quality, environmentally sustainable, permanently affordable housing.
Who Is This Experience For?
- Elected officials
- Local, regional, and state housing policy leaders
- Community leaders
- Community planning professionals
- Community resiliency and sustainability professionals
- Affordable housing development and finance professionals
- Non-profit changemakers
Looking to send a group from your organization?
GPLA encourages the participation of cities, professional organizations, and community groups who want to study the Vienna Social Housing Model as a group. We will work with Community Sponsors to develop a recruitment plan for a diversity of participants and will create specialized learning opportunities for groups of 5 or more people.
For information about Community Sponsorships, please contact Kori Fronda at [email protected] or (619) 236-0632.
