Housing as a Public Good – Insights from Vienna

The delegation’s purpose was to learn how the “Viennese model” works in practice and to reflect on its relevance for current debates in Ireland.

Over 40% of the city’s homes are social housing. And its municipal green social housing system is a powerful example of how, even within the context of a conservative national government, states and cities can still take bold action, addressing the housing and climate crises in tandem.

Across three days, the programme combined meetings and site visits with municipal housing providers, cooperative initiatives, tenant organisations, urban planners, parliamentarians, and representatives from the trade union movement, including the Chamber of Labour. The delegation explored Aspern Seestadt, one of Europe’s largest urban development projects, examined modular construction in practice, and discussed how Vienna’s four-pillar evaluation (architecture, ecological criteria, cost, and social sustainability) guides new projects. Gender-sensitive planning was addressed within this framework, focusing on design choices and public spaces that enhance safety, access and participation.

The discussions in Vienna highlighted that the city’s success is grounded in steady public investment and close cooperation between different institutions, all guided by the principle that housing is a public good rather than a commodity. By contrast, Ireland’s problem is not a lack of options but a lack of political will. Reliance on incentives for private developers has consistently failed to deliver affordable and secure housing, underscoring the need for a different path.

Building on the visit, FES Ireland will continue to work on this theme and publish a paper examining how aspects of the Viennese model could be adapted to the Irish context.