Sixth Vienna Social Housing Field Study Inspires Multisectoral Delegates to Continue Dialogue Back Home

In April, 31 delegates from Southern California, the Bay Area, and Virginia attended the 6th immersive Global Policy Leadership Academy (GPLA) Social Housing Field Study in Vienna, Austria. Attendees represented local and state agencies, including a contingent from the Los Angeles County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA), a regional housing finance agency; elected officials; community-based organizations; developers; and the education and philanthropy sectors. Vienna’s housing model is world-renowned for its focus on high-quality housing, which provides choices at an affordable price to more than 60% of its population, differentiating Vienna from the US in its focus on housing the middle class as well as low-income residents. Vienna is consistently considered the world’s most livable city.

Delegates participated in a six-day program featuring a mix of lectures, panels, and walking tours. GPLA and Viennese speakers touched on topics including the history of social housing, tenant protections, access, and support, social housing development, housing research and law, and sustainability. Delegates toured multiple social housing developments, including Sonnwendviertel, a large-scale mixed-use residential district centered on a 17-acre park, and Seestadt Aspern, one of the largest mixed-use urban redevelopment projects in Europe. Delegates were additionally able to interact with Viennese residents, advocates, government officials, and experts.

Delegates focused on state and regional solutions to the housing crisis. In particular, California is well-positioned to experiment with solutions like social housing given the establishment of two regional housing finance agencies, the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) and LACAHSA, and a potential third housing finance agency forthcoming in San Diego. The state’s reorganization plan for a California Housing and Homelessness Agency and the introduction of a state housing bond for 2026 provide additional headwinds. provide additional headwinds.

The field study inspired multiple delegates to continue the conversation around social housing upon their return to the US through GPLA’s Communities of Practice (CoP), which enables ongoing collaboration, knowledge exchange, and collective problem-solving. For the 235+ delegates who have participated in this field study since 2022, the CoP will serve as an essential mechanism to sustain momentum, deepen learning, and drive housing reform efforts. Vienna’s social housing model provides valuable lessons in affordability, public land ownership, tenant protections, and sustainable urban planning, however, adapting these principles to the US requires ongoing dialogue, strategic planning, and shared expertise.

Matt Regan, SVP of Policy at the Bay Area Council, noted, “This field study enabled me to meet a lot of people with different perspectives from me and to develop trusting relationships with them. I hope that when we get back and we form these Communities of Practice to solve our particular problems in California, we’ll be able to work through our sometimes deeply held beliefs that have created the gridlock in California so that we can make the progress that we see here. If we can get together as a group and as a collective to solve some of these problems, that will be the most important work ahead of us.”

Pamela Campos, City Councilmember, City of San Jose, added, “It was great to build a network of knowledge, brain power, and leadership that is diverse in age, geography, background, lived experience, and perspective. It’s great to have a national, East, and West Coast perspective represented because this issue is not just a city, region, or statewide issue – it’s a national issue.”

Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, was inspired: “Now that we – elected leaders, experts, advocates, and community representatives – experienced what is possible in Vienna, we can return home and adapt what they have achieved into tangible, meaningful projects and programs in our communities that benefit our residents in the near future.”

Given the depth of the US housing and homelessness crisis, understanding successful models such as Vienna’s will be key to determining elements that can be adapted to local circumstances. GPLA builds multisectoral delegations across perspectives and geographies to ensure an enriching experiential learning opportunity and will be organizing a Fall delegation from September 21 – 27, 2025, and a 2026 Spring delegation (dates to be determined).

Visit GPLA’s website to learn more about its Social Housing Field Study or contact [email protected].