Who is the city building for?

Housing shortage: a first-class funeral

Housing is an ongoing political issue in Innsbruck.

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Is there a housing shortage in Innsbruck? The city says yes, but many in the province see it differently. The city of Innsbruck wanted to secure priority for the purchase of private properties by means of a decree issued by the state of Tyrol. But things turned out differently.

The Tyrolean state parliament met late into the night on Thursday. Net working time minus lunch break just under eleven hours. One of the points on the agenda was the housing shortage which, according to the Innsbruck coalition of the YES, SPÖ and Greens, has broken out in the city. Not only the provincial SPÖ sees it differently, the corresponding motion therefore received a first-class burial in the provincial parliament on Thursday with ÖVP help.

Parliament did not recognize a housing shortage in Innsbruck. This would have given the city easier access to private land.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

Who is the city building for?
The reason for this could also lie in the hard facts. The number of Austrian citizens eligible to vote in Innsbruck has fallen by 6,500 people or 7.4 percent in eleven years (figures for the 2013 provincial elections and 2024 National Council elections). At the same time, 3,000 new city apartments were built and allocated during this period. But to whom? Who is the city building for?

Introduction of a housing ticket
The obvious exodus of the middle class is also a reason for the revision of the city's allocation guidelines. The coalition intends to present the changes on Monday. A key cornerstone is the introduction of a housing ticket based on the Viennese model. In future, housing applicants will be able to actively apply for available municipal apartments as soon as they are eligible and will not have to hope for a time-consuming allocation.

DNI-GR Christine Oppitz-Plörer already criticized the massive expansion of the eligibility group in advance: In Innsbruck, if you have only been employed in Innsbruck for four years - even if only marginally - you will in future count towards the full group of people entitled to claim.

This means that the eligible group will be extended to include all students from the EU, for example.

Christine Oppitz-Plörer

Bild: Birbaumer Christof

Previously, it was six years with regard to students. "This means that the eligible group will be extended to include all students from the EU, for example. In future, they will have the same right to an apartment in Innsbruck as a family or people who have been living in Innsbruck for decades," explained Oppitz-Plörer.

In addition, homelessness will in future be a reason for emergency allocation that is not limited to Innsbruck residents.