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This new resource is meant to help local leaders, housing providers, and others gain a comprehensive understanding of the history, and operation of Vienna's social housing system, and to learn about other housing systems that can inspire new steps towards achieving housing innovation in Portland.
Published
A new resource is now available for those interested in learning more about Vienna's social housing system, both here in Portland and across the world.
The Urban Commons, Fifth Element Community Development & Consulting, and Neighborhood Partnerships have collaborated to create Housing the City: A Beginner's Guide to Vienna Social Housing, a new coursebook and accompanying curriculum with key takeaways.
Vienna, Austria is widely considered one of the most livable cities in the world, in large part thanks to their innovative housing system, which "delivers perpetually affordable homes across income levels, maintaining stability even in high demand conditions," as described in the coursebook. Designed intentionally as an open educational resource, and produced in conjunction with an educational visit of Portland leaders to Vienna in September 2025, Housing the City is meant to help local leaders, housing providers, academic professionals, and others gain a comprehensive understanding of the history, operation, and infrastructure of Vienna's social housing system, and to learn about other housing systems that can inspire new steps towards achieving housing innovation in Portland.
Note from the Author:
This book is a compilation of lessons shared by Vienna's social housing actors, residents, and institutions. Written by Beatriz Stambuk-Torres, an urban planner and social housing researcher at TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology), it aims to support the global expansion of social housing through international knowledge exchange.
Like the housing system it describes, this manual is offered as a non-commercial resource, written in solidarity with all those working to advance housing as a human right rather than a commodity.
May this manual serve as a starting point for new conversations and collaborations. To continue the dialogue, visit theurbancommons.com.
How to use these materials:
The Coursebook summarizes the key components of Vienna's social housing system for housing professionals, advocates, and policymakers from around the world. Its purpose is to inspire new ideas for creating systems that provide permanently affordable housing. It's one of the most comprehensive English-language guides to Vienna social housing.
Complementing the Coursebook, the Curriculum covers a study visit to Vienna by a group of Portland housing professionals. While the Curriculum focuses on key takeaways from participants' observations, reflections, and lessons during the trip, the Coursebook serves as a more comprehensive reference to the policies, institutions, and practices that make Vienna's housing system work. Together, the two documents provide both a firsthand account of the study tour and a broader guide to understanding the system itself.
We recommend starting with the Curriculum which covers key learning themes that create the foundation to Vienna's resilient housing system. From there choose chapters from the Coursebook that align with specific topics of interest.
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