‘Palaces’ for the people in Vienna are not so far fetched, but do Australians have the right values to create similar homes?

POSTCARDS FROM VIENNA: The architecture in Vienna is nothing short of stunning. This city state of just 400 square kilometres is home to beautiful baroque, gothic and neo-renaissance architecture that attracts people from all over the world. But possibly the biggest legacies the Habsburg rulers left for the city over one hundred years ago were the conditions that sparked a housing movement that provides hundreds of thousands of “palaces” for the people today.

On my study tour of Europe, examining challenges and solutions for housing the population, it was clear that Vienna is in a class of its own. It didn’t happen overnight. It has taken an enormous strength of character to maintain, and it has had to overcome more challenges than most cities.

The results are jaw dropping – a great demonstration of appropriate long term policy settings, investment and adherence to the principle that housing is a right (not a privilege).

Whilst in Vienna, I was lucky enough to take a tour of the “people’s palaces”. I am not talking about the majestic Schönbrunn Palace, the grand Hofburg palace or even the stunning Belvedere Palace; I’m talking about the residential district of Sonnwendviertel housing project built on the site of old railway lands.

It delivered 5500 apartments for 13,000 residents, plus a school, office buildings, numerous stores, a student dormitory, hotels and temporary housing all near a new Hauptbahnhof (main train station) over the past 10 years.

The project includes a massive seven hectares central parkland area for the residents and the broader city, so the dense living still feels generous with its outdoor offering. (See this article for detailed information.)

Now I’m not trying to dismiss the beautiful architectural legacy of the Habsburg empire. It is awe inspiring, and the respect for restoring and maintaining this heritage after the devastation of WW2 is incredible.

However, the luxury building campaign in Vienna of the late Habsburg empire left the masses (who built the city) in absolute squalor.

It was a housing crisis of epic proportions that resulted in the city getting its own disease named after it – the Viennese disease, which was a form of tuberculosis. The end of World War 1 and the end of that empire saw a massive shift in society from an absolute monarchy to a republic with a socialist government elected in Vienna, with their priority number one being improving the housing for the masses. This movement was known as Red Vienna and is worth reading about.

What Amila Sirbegovic showed me about a great housing project

I was lucky enough to get a guided tour through the Sonnwendviertel project thanks to Amila Sirbegovic from Vienna Housing Promotion and Arbitration Board for Legal Housing Matters, whom I met through the Green Building Council of Australia contacts. Amila kindly walked me through the project, explaining the history of housing in Vienna, the models for planning, development and ownership.

I had read and heard a lot about the legendary Vienna housing solutions, so my first question was simple. “Is the legend true?”

Amila’s background as an architect and working in urban renewal provides broader insight into the housing solutions, so she was the perfect person to explode any myths.

She explained, “It is not just about putting a roof over someone’s head in a random place that doesn’t meet their needs for social connection, education, health and wellbeing. Housing needs to encompass all these things.”

Like all of Vienna, the housing project is incredibly well linked by public transport. Connecting people to each other and all their needs is integral to the planning process.

Mixed communities

In Vienna, this is deeper than the 15 minute city concept.  They call it the ”city of short paths”, and it is very much connected to the work of Eva Kail on gender-sensitive urban planning. It’s not just about distances; it’s also about creating fully representative communities that thrive. “A cleaner can live next to a doctor. A family can live in the same apartment block as the empty nesters or young single people,” Amila said.

Roughly half of the Sonnwendviertel project was developed by a combination of Vienna City (social housing) and limited profit housing providers. The other half was developed with approved masterplans by full profit private interests.

The first thing that struck me about this was that it was difficult to tell apart which half was private and which half was social. They both looked and felt great. The area was peaceful, with the sounds of children playing clearer than any rumble of traffic.

Nearly everything the community needed was within easy walking distance of the community. This isn’t an enclave of the rich or the poor; it is a wholly representative community.

I joked with Amila about the “granny trolleys” that I saw around the streets – you know, the ones that elderly community members wheel through shopping centres.

Amila indicated how nicely her trolley was decorated, and at this point, I realised, foot in my mouth, that they were a practical solution for a world that I didn’t really understand.

A utopian world where you could easily walk down to the shops to pick up groceries without any need for a car, thus the trolleys.

Amila made me feel a little better when she noted her partner also felt the trolleys were uncool and would never resort to using one. I started to get “trolley envy” as the only thing I’ve ever managed to pick up on a short walk is a takeaway coffee…in my very cool reusable cup (brand name withheld).

So, what are the learnings for addressing a modern day housing crisis? Amila distilled it down to three simple elements, but you need all three for a success story like Vienna:

1. Money: This may seem like a bit of a no brainer, but investment barriers are often difficult to overcome. So even though the Australian housing market is awash with value, it doesn’t guarantee the money when you look at the risk adjusted returns required by many developers
2. Land: Another no brainer but when you look at the challenges faced by many communities and local governments, land zoning challenges and availability aren’t as easy as they sound. Yet somehow the City of Vienna, which is about the size of a postage stamp on an envelope compared to Sydney and Melbourne, has managed to find land without compromising the gentle renewal philosophy that Amila described to me.
3. Ideology: The most important ingredient that Amila spoke about with passion. Amila explained, “If you don’t have an ideology that good and secure housing for all is a human right, then you won’t have the drive to bring together the money and the land in a way that achieves the goal. A neo-liberal market solution is unlikely to provide solutions for a large portion of the population.”

Does Australia actually care about housing as a human right?

It’s a sobering thought for Australia. Is the dream a con, as we just don’t really believe that good and secure housing is a human right, or is the right only of those with appropriate bank balances?

I don’t normally get so philosophical, but from what I have heard from the city, it appears to be more successful than others. Australia may be missing the third and most vital ingredient in solving a housing crisis. I will leave that for readers to ponder while I share a few other learnings from Vienna.

Most people rent for life in Vienna, and that doesn’t cause them stress. There are numerous rules in place, especially for the social and limited profit housing organisations, that enable them to deliver high quality housing which is maintained very well for decades.

Not a lot of strata – but single entities that look after projects

You don’t see the strata models dominate like in Australia. Apartment blocks are generally owned by a single entity that looks after them professionally.The City of Vienna alone manages 220,000 apartments catering for around 20 per cent of the city’s residence. This likely makes them the largest residential property manager in the world.

Dense but green

Vienna is a dense city yet feels open and green. It would be hard for us to rebuild much of our cities like this, but the master planned communities could be a good place to start.

In Australia, however, many master planned communities are in outer suburbs with poor public transport and currently very low density. Maybe that density needs to be reconsidered with a greater initial investment in connections for a much large long term gain (including taxes and rates).

And maybe for those better serviced existing areas like Fisherman’s Bend in Melbourne and Sydney Olympic Park, here’s our chance to get on with future city defining developments. I’ll happily revisit Vienna for more learning to support any team working on that.

Density can be good if it brings together the whole community and doesn’t just create enclaves for the rich and poor. Amila noted, “Density is also important for the infrastructure costs, mobility, small shop owners, schools etcetera. If it is dense, then you can have a supermarket in the neighbourhood, and thus you don’t need a car to drive to the next one.”

Like other European cities, better public transport connections and fewer cars are good for cities. I have made this point before – let’s make our buildings for people and provide less space for cars.

Apartments don’t have to be big. In the City of Vienna, the average apartment is 65 sq m for two occupants.

Smaller studios and bigger apartments are in the same buildings to ensure a diversity of inhabitants that is more likely to represent the whole community.

Individual apartments can be smaller if the apartment building has more shared services. The Viennese call these smart apartments. This is also one of the approaches that Australia’s own Nightingale Housing developments understand, yet some banks are less likely to finance projects if individual apartments lack every service, like their own laundry.

So much more could be written about Vienna’s housing solutions, and much has been written, so go to your favourite search engine and get inspired.

I’ll finish by answering the first question about Vienna’s housing, “Is the legend true?” Amila’s answer was simply, “Yes”. I tend to agree with her.

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