Haunted house in Favoriten: What's behind the word occupied?

Haunted house in Favoriten: What's behind the word occupied?

At Schröttergasse 27 in Favoriten, a conspicuous sign reading “occupied” draws questions and curious looks. The building, which has appeared abandoned for several years, attracts the attention of passers-by. Loud meinkreis.at the lettering is a relic of a short occupation that took place about three years ago and lasted only a few hours. During this time, the police arrived to clarify the situation.

The building that is Ms. Birner's birthplace has a special history. Ms. Birner, who is in her advanced years, has made it clear that she does not want the building to be demolished during her lifetime. Her sons already have plans for possible future use of the property, but these will only be implemented after her death. This uncertainty not only makes the neighborhood smile, but also raises questions about the building's future.

Vacancies and their consequences

In Favoriten, living space is a valuable asset. Many addresses are empty or appear to be, which is also noticeable throughout the city. According to a recent study by openbook.at 9.7% of apartments in Vienna are empty, which is a considerable number given 104,700 properties. These vacancies not only have an impact on the housing market, but also depress the quality of life.

The reasons for the high vacancy rate are varied. The causes include unusable apartments as well as holiday homes and speculative vacancies. This problem should not be underestimated, because a vacancy rate of over 9% cannot be explained solely by normal fluctuations such as renovations and moves.

Impact on quality of life

According to the study by openbook.at enormous. They reduce the intensity of use of infrastructure and public spaces. The ground floor areas are particularly affected, as they become less attractive due to vacancies and affect residents' sense of security. The demand for housing in Vienna is growing, and despite high occupancy rates for non-profit developers of 90% and commercial developers of 83%, the pressure on the housing market remains enormous.

The discussion about acceptable and speculative vacancies makes it clear that there is a need for action here. Innovative approaches, such as the Swiss model of imputed rental value taxation, could help to improve the situation and lead to vacancies coming back onto the market more quickly.

In this mixture of the desperate search for living space and the strange sight of the occupied building on Schröttergasse, it becomes clear: There is something going on. Urban development in Vienna is facing a challenge that requires both solutions and creative approaches.

For those interested, there is also further information about the historic Schröttergasse geschichtewiki.wien.gv.at, which shed light on the special features and charm of this district.