Vienna Social Housing Field Study: International Best Practices in Mixed-Income Housing

Upcoming 2023 Vienna social Housing Field Study Trips

October 15 - 21, 2023 | October 22 - 28, 2023
GPLA's Vienna Social Housing 2023 Field Study

International best practices in mixed-income housing

The Global Policy Leadership Academy (GPLA) is offering a series of intensive housing policy field studies designed to give carefully curated cohorts of California’s local and regional housing policy leaders, practitioners, and changemakers a deep understanding of the Vienna social housing model and how it came to be the most livable city in the world.

Photo credit: © IBA_Wien/ Agnes T. Ackerl

What to Expect
Program participants will learn from and engage with GPLA key faculty and a wide diversity of Viennese housing experts to gain firsthand knowledge about social housing, urban planning, construction, financing, land management, and community engagement.
It Doesn't End There

To reinforce and share our collective learnings, GPLA offers a robust online learning platform after each field study where participants can access course materials, engage in discussion forums, exchange information on challenges and best practice solutions, and collaborate on projects.

Shape the Future of Housing with Peers Across the Housing Space

Each cohort of field study participants is carefully planned and curated to assure a diverse and productive mix of highly complementary thought leaders.

Invitations are still available for the following field studies:

  • October 15 – 21, 2023
  • October 22 – 28, 2023
Discover, Learn, and Share

The exclusive curriculum includes daily lectures, symposia, gatherings, exhibits, field trips, and discussion of topics including:

  • The role of government in planning and funding social housing
  • The economics of the Vienna Social Housing Model including rents and incomes served
  • A comparison of affordable housing in the USA to the Vienna Social Housing Model
  • Urban planning and urban design
  • Creating permanent affordability for all
  • Housing subsidies in Vienna
  • Creating a walkable and bikeable city

Photo credit: © IBA_Wien / Stefan Zamisch Photo

We're Making a Difference

Hear what last year’s cohort had to say about their experience.

"The housing shortage and the homeless issue in California is the most exasperating challenge that any community faces.... being here in Vienna has given us all a respite and inspiration to go back in and fight the good fight... we're seeing here that it's possible to really think comprehensively and solve big problems for the residents back in our home communities."
Ashley Swearingen
Central Valley Community Foundation
Why Vienna?

Vienna, Austria is considered one of the most livable and affordable cities in the world. In the 1920s, the City of Vienna began a pioneering social housing program in response to rapid rent escalation, overcrowding, and widespread housing insecurity that emerged after World War I.

One hundred years ago, 10% of Viennese residents were living in squalid conditions. Today, 62% of Vienna’s 1.7 million households live in high quality affordable housing, spending a fraction of the cost that the average California household spends on housing.

How did this major European city reverse direction and create a stable,
well-functioning, and affordable housing system?

Join us in Vienna to find out.

Photo credit: © Visualisierung Telegra

Explore All That Vienna Has to Offer

This intensive was created to give ample opportunities for exploring what makes Vienna’s culture and communities so special.

Daily breakfasts and nightly dinners are also part of this all-inclusive trip.

Have Questions?
Who is This Experience For?

Join our curated cohort on this enlightening and information-packed field study in Vienna, Austria. Our intensive curriculum is ideal for:

  • Local, regional, and state housing policy leaders
  • Community planning professionals
  • Community resiliency and sustainability professionals
  • Corporate decisionmakers
  • Non-profit changemakers
  • Higher-education faculty and leadership
  • Select media representatives

Looking to send a group from your organization?

GPLA works with Community Sponsors to identify diverse cohorts and create exclusive, relevant learning opportunities.

Ready to be part of the discussion in Vienna?

Photo credit: © Woow Studios

The Global Policy Leadership Academy (GPLA) prepares professionals and civic leaders to actualize leading-edge solutions to current, intractable societal challenges.