Paper short abstract:

Based on empirical research on the system of social housing and on the experiences and strategies of housing seekers, this paper traces how the system of public housing in Vienna partly responds to, but often also fails to meet the needs of changing dwelling practices and domestic arrangements.

Paper long abstract:

Vienna is known for its long tradition of social housing, dating back to the era of “Red Vienna” in the 1920s. Although the city’s own building activity decreased over the years, more than 20% of Vienna’s housing units are still owned and administered by the municipality. This paper looks at the ways in which this large part of Vienna’s housing stock responds (or does not respond) to various models of co-habitation and changing dwelling practices. Empirically, the contribution is based on an analysis of the legal regulations of access to and the formalities of the allocation process of municipal housing, on qualitative interviews with representatives of Vienna’s municipal housing agency and on qualitative interviews with housing seekers conducted within the interdisciplinary research project SPACE (Spatial Competition and Economic Policies) at the university of Vienna. In a first step, the norms inscribed in the material structures of the municipal housing stock as well as in the access and allocation regulations are elaborated and examined for their changes over the last years in relation with social developments. In a second step, we will present case studies of housing seekers looking for a municipal apartment who were confronted with various difficulties in finding opportunities for their desired or needed uses of domestic space within this system of municipal housing.