Soft urban renewal pursues the goal of liniking affordable housing with economic use of resources, mixed use, and the adaptation to the existing infrastructure. The re-conversion and upgrading of the existing urban structure is counter-posed to demolition and new building. It places the residents in the foreground so as to minimize repression frequently induced by improvement activities. Owners and residents are involved in the progress. Thus the actors of urban renewal are: the municipality (MA 50 and Wohnfonds of the City of Vienna, Area Renewal Offices), private and public landlords, owners and tenants (migrants and native population). Urban renewal also tries to create new green spaces on small areas which are unused and in the courts, because a constant problem is the lack of green spaces in many renewal areas. The political aim is to preserve and improve as many old buildings as possible as long as it is economical to do so. As old stock provides cheaper housing it is not so important to achieve the standard of quality that new a new dwelling would offer. Renewal consists of more than technical measures. Typical area improvement schemes have to consider such problems as unemployment, crime rate, ethnic tensions, drug addiction etc. Those social problems cannot be solved by building programs alone. Thus area based renewal requires a decentralization of decision, but at the same time and interdisciplinary approach to existing problems.

Soft urban renewal is an excellent example of how a cost-intensive project is easily prepared with reasonably priced planning measures. Currently, more than 150,000 apaprtments have been renewed with public subsidies, one sixth of the total housing stock. This means that soft urban renewal is one of the world's leading tenant-oriented urban renewal programmes. 1974 was the foundation of the first area renewal ofice and the strategy of soft urban renewal was developed. In 1984 the subsidized renewal programme started and the WBSF was founded. 1989 the decentralization of Austrian housing policies to the provinces took place. Urban renewal does not only mean to invest in the rehabilitation of the housing stock but it also implies improvement of the infrastructure such as open spaces and investitions in public transport.

Researcher: Josef Kohlbacher, Institute for Urban and Regional Research, Vienna

Main emphasis is placed on so-called base improvement, that is on maintaining, improving and modernizing existing housing structures in coordination with residents. The legal foundations such as amendments to the tenancy laws were laid long before the improvement activities. Renewal schemes target on those already living in the areas considering their (financial) possibilities. A step to step approach is used. It follows a careful survey of existing problems and include self-help activities. The measures also stengthen local business and provide new jobs in the areas.

There is a distribution of responsibilities between owners and tenants and an emphasis on tenants' participation. Both groups, tenants and house-owners benefit from the renewal activities. Positive effects are also considerable for the local business which provides new jobs in renewal areas.

The source of funding are subsidies granted by the City of Vienna. The whole investments where approximately US $ 2,40 billion for completed projects. The public investments were US $ 2,51 billion.

City of Vienna
Vienna
http://www.wien.gv.at/english/
Dr. Wolfgang Förster (Head of Municipal Department 50), tel. 43-1-4000-74813

//2007

case

Urban Policy

Housing