Gemeindebauten, city-owned flats, are part of Vienna’s social housing project and symbolise affordable and high-quality housing within the city.

The history of this type of municipal housing began in the 19th century when there was a large housing shortage in Vienna due to fast urbanisation and population growth. People moved to the city from other regions in search of job opportunities and better life quality. But instead, many of them ended up in overcrowded and poor housing situations.

The rapidly increased population was mainly affecting the working class and marginalised communities, who struggled to be able to afford decent housing. In response to this crisis, the newly elected Social Democratic city government began exploring solutions to make housing more accessible to everyone and initiated the “Gemeindebau” movement.

Today, Vienna is famous for its affordable social housing. More and less one in four flats in the city is a Gemeindebau, offering homes to around 500,000 people. 

Benefits

While living in a Gemeindebau, you can enjoy low rent while being able to rely on the City of Vienna to take care of your flat and building. The rent is subsidised by the state, which also oversees all necessary functions such as management and renovations. 

Gemeindebau also offers a social and inclusive living environment. The buildings are designed to encourage community involvement and often has green spaces, courtyards, playgrounds, and other communal areas such as small libraries or shared living rooms.

One of the main ideas behind Gemeindebau is to promote co-living with people from different background and create a more diverse and inclusive city. The buildings are found all over Vienna – and not limited to outer districts or lower-income areas – and integrate its residents to different areas where they normally have necessary services nearby the building, such as public transport, shops, healthcare facilities and schools.

Furthermore, the city of Vienna has during recent years focused on more sustainable and environmental housing. The have upgraded and set up energy-efficient heating systems, insulation, and renewable energy installations in many of their social buildings. 

READ NEXT: How can I move into affordable cooperative housing in Vienna?

Downsides

Even if the concept of “Gemeindebau” offers its residents a lot of benefits, this type of housing also comes with some downsides. One issue is the limited ability, even if there are many buildings in Vienna, they are highly wanted and waiting times can be long.

Some social challenges can also be present, such as problems with creating a inclusive community among the residents and possible stigma around living in social housing. Even if the stigma is said to be little, it may sometimes still exist.

Residents might also have limited options and flexibility compared to those on the larger private housing market and need to rely on the state for running the buildings in good manners, something which could be an issue if policies of fundings change.

Furthermore, applying for social housing can be time-consuming and requires many steps, and you need to upload certain documents depending on your individual situation.