Barely anyone living in Vienna remains unfamiliar with the narrative that the city affords a comfortable lifestyle. Public transportation, cleanliness, and medical care are said to contribute to that liveable life one allegedly has in Vienna. International indexes affirm this image by placing Vienna at the top of the list of most liveable cities worldwide. Among the many factors shaping this portrayal, housing plays a particularly distinctive role. Housing policies build on the legacy of interwar social democracy and municipal housing remains a prominent landmark across the city. This lecture posits the »livability apparatus« as emerging from an interplay between discourse and institutions. This apparatus establishes the truth of Vienna’s livability as an uncontested value, prompting public institutions to act in ways that preserve the image and maintain the city’s international reputation. The lecture shows that the workings of the apparatus depoliticize the issues at stake and conceal the primacy of economic development in livability issues. By situating the apparatus within interurban competition and analyzing selected housing policies, the question is whom this »livability« serves.

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THE LECTURE WILL BE HYBRID.

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