Community Conversation to Discuss Austrian City’s Social Housing Model

Photo by Miroslav Petrasko

Austria’s capital city of Vienna will be the subject of a community conversation on Saturday morning at the County Council’s office building in Rockville.

Vienna is internationally recognized to be at the forefront of progressive housing policy, sustainability and architecture. Close to 60 percent of Vienna’s 1.8 million residents live in government-subsidized housing that is rented to them by the municipality or nonprofit housing associations.

The city administration and the Austrian government invest heavily in new housing construction and renovation every year and provides direct financial support for residents with low incomes. A unique characteristic of Vienna’s social housing system is its goal to serve both people with low incomes and “a broad middle class.”

“I look forward to learning more about how Vienna’s social housing policies help keep rents affordable, while also making the city greener and easier to get around,” said Councilmember Hans Riemer, who chairs the Council’s Planning, Housing and Economic Development Committee. “I hope this discussion will clarify policy issues and provide lessons that we can act on right here in Montgomery County.”

“Vienna, Austria’s Smart City Strategies for Housing, Energy and Mobility” will be hosted by Riemer as well as the Sierra Club of Montgomery County. The event will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, at the Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave., in Rockville.

Riemer will be joined by visiting officials from Vienna and housing experts from the County, including:

• Kurt Sturzenbecher, member of the Vienna City Council;
• Karin Ramser, director of the Vienna Housing Agency;
• Katharina Bayer, architect;
• Josef Cser, director of Wohnservice Wien (the umbrella organization for City of Vienna Housing); and
• Shruti Bhatnagar, chair of Sierra Club Montgomery County, Md.
• Casey Anderson, chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board
• Stacy Spann, executive director of the Housing Opportunities Commission

“To help ease our affordable housing crisis, we must look far and wide for new ideas, and I look forward to a discussion about new ideas and potential solutions with representatives from Vienna,” said Casey Anderson, chair of the Montgomery County Planning Board.

To RSVP to the community conversation, click here.

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