A lesson in providing affordable housing
Vienna may offer an example to Hong Kong in how to supply cheaper homes, according to Austria's consul general in the city
As disgruntled voices about the city's "unlivability" rise along with the property prices, Hongkongers can only envy residents of Vienna - the Austrian capital that has been named the world's most liveable place for six years in a row.
Housing that is affordable and yet of a high quality is the most important factor behind Vienna's reign at the top of a 230-city global list compiled by consulting firm Mercer, according to the country's top diplomat in Hong Kong and Macau. And Hong Kong could, through land tenders, make its own residential estates greener and more innovative by taking a leaf out of Vienna's book, Austrian consul general Claudia Reinprecht said.
"Seventy-five to 80 per cent of people in Vienna live in subsidised housing. It's no social stigma," she said.
"For Vienna and Austria in general, housing is a human right. It has to be guaranteed by the government."
Subsidised homes in Vienna come from two sources: the government, which has built about 220,000 flats, and limited-profit private developers, which have provided another 200,000.
The latter involved a public-private collaboration model started in the 1980s that fostered innovation in design and green technology by offering incentives, Reinprecht said.
Under the model, the city buys land deemed suitable for housing and invites proposals from private firms that will build and retain ownership of the estates.
