IBA Wien

Throughout Europe, many cities are growing despite moderate economic development. Vienna, as a leading city in the area of social housing construction, has decided to seek ways in good time within the framework of the “IBA_Wien 2022 – Neues soziales Wohnen” (New Social Housing) to offer affordable housing with a high quality in a liveable city in the future. IBA_Wien is therefore deliberately focusing on the challenges of the future, which present themselves not only for Vienna, but for many other cities in Europe. Vienna has been experiencing above-average population growth for many years. The fields of action thus extend not only to new construction, but also to the further development of the city and at a very principle level to living together in the city.

IBA_Wien has three major themes:

New Social Neighborhoods: In view of the global trends of increasingly diverging income situations and ever more complex requirements for coping with everyday life, a comprehensive and sustainable neighbourhood development is becoming more and more important for many people. Based on this understanding, the goal is to initiate, shape and supervise urban succession processes to new social, inclusive districts. Among other things, answers are to be given to the differentiation of lifestyles, new forms of work and employment opportunities as well as to mobility needs.

New Social Qualities: The requirements for housing have changed significantly in recent decades: Increasing costs on the property market, new standards and norms as well as constantly growing expectations of apartment standards lead to price increases for living space. IBA_Wien aims to find solutions for dealing with social change, social sustainability in neighborhoods, and the affordability of living and life in general.

New Social Responsibility: In view of increasing strains on municipal budgets and the simultaneous increase in the proportion of people in precarious circumstances, questions arise about the further development and redefinition of the existing instruments of subsidised housing.

These major themes form the framework for the activities of the coming years and beyond. IBA_Wien is in its “half-time” – the phase of identifying and initiating innovative projects and processes that are likely to help shape the future of social housing in Vienna has been completed. During the second half of the project, the main focus will be on accompanying the neighbourhoods and individual projects in quality assurance and making the contributions to the future of social housing generally comprehensible and visible. “IBAIBA Internationale Bauausstellung VOR ORT” (IBA ON SITE) events will provide information and various formats at key locations and development areas.

In the spring of 2020, Vienna will present the projects developed to date in an interim presentation. In 2022, the presentation year, both urban development as well as socially innovative projects in the focal areas of new building, the redevelopment of existing housing, and models for living together will be on display. IBA_Wien strengthens Vienna’s global reputation as a pioneer of innovative housing, and it will share its experiences with other cities.

IBA_Wien is a project of the City of Vienna under the direction of Kurt Hofstetter.