AREA[404] Round Table N4 “Silver Lining: Legal Frameworks for Public Action”

A livable Vienna needs social and cultural infrastructure – not just as a promise for the future, but now. Non-profit initiatives, cultural and neighborhood centers already make an essential contribution to social cohesion, cultural participation, and democratic strengthening today. These spaces exist, but often only temporarily. Their existence is threatened by insecure contracts, rising rents, and the lack of long-term perspectives. The City of Vienna’s Urban Development Plan STEP 2035 itself acknowledges this problem: “High and likely continuing rent increases make the search for space for social, health-related, and cultural infrastructure, as well as non-profit initiatives, increasingly challenging” (p. 46).And it promises: “Urban planning secures areas and spaces where activities of non-profit initiatives can take place”. But such declarations of intent remain ineffective as long as they are not legally binding. The cultural center 4lthangrund illustrates what is at stake. Since 2018, it has existed in the 9th district as a self-organized space. More than 35 groups regularly organize neighborhood meetings, events, concerts, and exchanges here. Every year, over 7,000 people use the spaces. A center intended to be permanent is operating under a temporary arrangement that ends in January 2026. A comparable, affordable space does not exist – which threatens the end of this work. We demand concrete and practical support to preserve the 4lthangrund cultural center. This and many other spaces are under threat – urgent action is needed, even in the short term. More info