Simply Social Housing

In Vienna the audience for affordable new housing is steadily growing, and so are the costs from financing to the execution of construction work. The objective of this consulting study is to identify the most efficient measures of all relevant fields of action for Vienna´s housing.

Interviews and workshops with experts all along the value chain have helped to generate this white book on social housing. A matrix of 50 measures is headed by some 15 top priorities ranging from new financing models to urbanistic details like car-parking management. The following issues are resuming the impact of these measures:

• Economic financing is more efficient than cheap construction
• Social housing = rented flat without capital contribution
• More Super-Subsidies
• Mobilising the capital of non-profit-making developers
• "New Vienna communal housing" on building lease sites
• Privileges for social housing in urban planning
• Economic housing = urbanistic privileges + efficient construction methods + engineering architecture
• New housing program "simply social housing"

High priority has an inexpensive financing. The recommended bank for housing is one option; the capital of non-profit developers has to be mobilized in any case to some larger extend. A higher percentage of loans like the super-subsidies can reduce the high level of capital contribution by the tenant. So the trend in social housing goes from subsidised ownership back to classic rental flats. Even the communal housing could be back on schedule with a new scheme: PPP with building lease for social housing on communal estates. The basic condition of social housing has to be upgraded: privileges like special subsidies, a new legal framework and designation of areas, lower costs of infrastructure has to be put in charge. These urbanistic favouritism along with economic construction methods and a cost-conscious architecture will lead to a new level of low cost housing and an affordable living in Vienna.

A new housing program "simply social housing" could establish these conditions within the designated STEP-development areas. Within the approved system of competition for developers the program brings into focus economy in financing, project development, construction and architecture.