Residential segregation and housing policies in Vienna

This article grounds its reflection in the field of residential segregation, providing an investigation on how it is shaped and distributed in Vienna, considered by many ‘city rankings’ as one of the most ‘liveable’ not only in Europe, but also worldwide. This paper aims to analyse the patterns of spatial localisation and residential segregation of the two main immigrant populations in the Vienna Municipality: those from countries of former Yugoslavia and Turkey. The paper starts off by charting a historical overview of housing regimes, social mix policies and anti-segregation strategies. It then provides a contemporary spatial analysis focused on the years 2010 and 2015. The main outcomes enhance both the successful development and the effectiveness of social mix policies in the city of Vienna, using the two groups as proxies of evaluation. Finally, some further comparative research perspectives are added as conclusive comments.