When the Viennese argue

“Without respect, you’re wrong in a council house”

According to neighborhood police officer Petra Duschek, there are no specific problems with council housing

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

What upsets people in council housing? A visit to Rennbahnweg in Vienna shows that it's often the fact that people don't talk to each other enough. A new format for conflict resolution aims to change this too. Deputy Mayor Kathrin Gaál does not believe that there are more arguments than before.

The new tenant always jumped on the floor above her at 11 p.m. to terrorize her, complained an elderly municipal housing tenant to Vincent Wohinz, who organizes the dialogue format "Respect together safely" (see below) for the housing partners. He asked the tenant. It turned out that he goes to bed at 11 p.m. every day and his folding bed was no longer needed. Now he pays attention to it.

Suspected intentions where there are none
For Wohinz, this is a typical community building conflict: it's often about intentions that don't really exist - and solutions as soon as people talk to each other. According to Wohinz, 70 percent of conflicts can be resolved permanently in this way. His colleague Burak Büyük calls this "learning conflicts". He has often had tenants on the floor below listen to the sound of their chairs moving. "If only everyone would buy felt glides right away," he sighs.

Wohinz (center) and Büyük (right) describe the problems

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

"Three thumbs up" for patience during the pandemic
The problems have been the same for years, they say: Garbage, arguments between individual parties and disputes over the use of communal areas, but in almost every second case, noise. This is often due to suspected motives. Wohinz cites the few noise complaints during the coronavirus period as an example, even though everyone was at home at the same time: "I'd say three thumbs up, the walls are quite thin after all."

From the tenants' advisory board's point of view, two things are needed for peace in a communal building: respect - "Without respect, you're wrong in a communal building" - and dialog: "Of course, if I get stupid with the guys in the courtyard, I'll get a stupid answer. If I say, 'Come on, can't you keep it down a bit?", it almost always works." The general rule is: "If you don't talk, then it's not a conflict. Conflict is when you talk it out."

Most recently, tenants on Rennbahnweg were able to tell us directly what was bothering them.

(Bild: Jöchl Martin)

New dialog format goes into series production
The new "Respect together safely" format - joint action days organized by the police, housing partners and Wiener Wohnen in municipal buildings - is also intended to promote dialogue. It should have started before the coronavirus pandemic. Now that gatherings of people are no longer a problem, the time has come. A series of seven events in the fall, including at Rennbahnweg, Karl-Marx-Hof and Schöpfwerk, served as a trial balloon for City Hall. The response was good, according to those involved.

This is why the format is now to become a permanent part of the repertoire for conflict resolution in municipal buildings. However, conflicts are only resolved on the spot during the action days if there is "imminent danger". Especially in the case of problems between tenants, the housing partners say that rushing into things tends to make things worse. During the campaign days, however, tenants should have the right person to talk to about their concerns so that a solution can be found "prepared and calmly".

"Noise is still our main issue"
According to Housing Councillor Kathrin Gaál, Wiener Wohnen also wants to "exemplify and demand the rules of coexistence" with the campaign days. She is not only concerned with peace in municipal housing, but also with promoting the idea of "respectful coexistence", as this is "the be-all and end-all of living together in a democracy". In an interview with "Krone", she emphasizes that she continues to believe in cohesion in municipal housing.

Krone: Do we need new dispute resolution formats in council housing because there are more conflicts?
Kathrin Gaál: No, not at all. We want to join forces so that residents don't feel that their concerns are being handled by Wiener Wohnen, housing partners and the police.

Do ethnic and cultural differences play the main role in conflicts today
You might think so, but that's not the case. There will certainly be the odd case, but "children playing loudly in the courtyard" and noise are still our main issues, and recently more and more garbage.

We can achieve respect in our dealings with each other even without janitors.

Vizebürgermeisterin Wohnbaustadträtin Kathrin Gaál

Bild: Holl Reinhard

Do janitorslack the authority to keep things tidy?
I can well remember that many people used to complain about their caretakers. But we reacted by switching to individual care in particular. Everyone has their own stairs. And we set up the housing partners to deal with conflicts. I think we've achieved a pretty good balance. We also bring respect in our dealings with each other.

As a landlord, is the city too good-natured with black sheep?
I think good-natured is the wrong word. Wiener Wohnen takes its responsibility as a social property manager seriously. We don't allow ourselves to be pranked forever, but we also have a job to do.

Do you sometimes think that tenants are ungrateful?
I don't expect thanks, I'm doing a job. We also get a lot of positive feedback. I believe that there is still a special feeling in council housing. Those who complain are often louder than those who are satisfied.