Comparative analysis of offered qualities and standards for projects of the "Housing Initiative 2011 - Vienna 22, Aspern Urban Lakeside" and the property developer competition "Vienna 22, aspern + Vienna's Urban Lakeside"

In 2011 the city of Vienna launched the so-called "Housing Initiative 2011" for the promotion of construction of new apartments following especially the price and quality requirements of subsidized housing. As part of this it is intended that the City of Vienna provides available concessionary loans for interested parties - which are bidding consortia of developers and financial institutions and provide adequate bids as part of special "calls" - in case of joining a quality assurance process.An initial focus of this housing initiative was established in spring 2012 at an approximately 6.5 acre part of the airfield Aspern, on which the construction of some 1,500 dwellings is provided and which had the title "Housing Initiative 2011 - 22, Vienna, Aspern Urban Lakeside" (in short referred to as "housing initiative"). Nearly parallel in spring of 2012 there was held the property developer competition "Vienna 22, aspern + - Vienna's Urban Lakeside" (hereinafter referred to as "property developer competition"), which represents at a roughly 3.3-hectare part of the development area 5 processing areas with 6 building sites and approximately 800 dwellings included.

In the course of the present study the above mentioned policies were examined by a comparative analysis regarding offered qualities and standards, where the following results were obtained:

• Firstly there is to be noted that the proposed " total cost of construction per square meter floor space" at the "property developer competition" in average compared to the contributions of the "housing initiative" are lower by about 14%. However, it should be noted that the "total cost of construction per square meter floor space" at the "property developer competition" were capped with a limit of € 1,450 -/ m².

• Furthermore, it was determined that the proposed user charges at the "property developer competition" in average compared to the contributions of the "housing initiative" are lower by about 20%. Here, too, it should be noted that in the "property developer competition" limits for the monthly fee (max. € 7.50 / m²) and the financial contribution (€ 90,-/m²) were given. At the "housing initiative" there was also a "cap" in the form of two different proposed options (max € 6,10/m² net rent and a maximum of € 150,-/m² financial contribution or a maximum of € 4,75/m² net rent. and a maximum of € 500, -/m² financial contribution).

A direct quality comparison showed initially some differences that, however, require a more detailed interpretation. It was found out that a total of 64 achievable qualities defined in the "property developer competition" 28.6 average qualities in the course of "housing initiative" in average 15.1 qualities were offered. Looking at the individual quality pillars lower offers at the "housing initiative" were given in ecology but also in the area of social sustainability.

At a detailed examination of built quality groups it was seen, that under the "housing Initiative" compared to "property developer competition" an approximately equal number of offers were made mainly in the areas

• Ausformulierung der EG-Zonen
• Flächenökonomie
• Nutzungsflexibilität
• Wohnungsbezogene Freiräume
• Regenwasserversickerung/-nutzung
• Ökonomische Grundrisse bzw. Erschließungskonzepte

More numerous offers in the "property developer competition" were made mainly in the areas of

• Ökologische Qualitätsnachweise
• Größe und Nutzungskonzepte für Gemeinschaftsräume
• Moderation / Partizipation
• Hausbesorger "neu"
• Günstige Betriebskosten

Also here again it has to be noted that in the "property developer competition" certain of the above qualities were already set by the call for tenders requirements (particularly in the area of "social sustainability").Compared with the property developer competition "Affordable Housing in Vienna Danube City" as well as the projects from property developer competitions and projects of the real estate advisory board earlier date (study of March 2011) showed, that in particular architectural qualities are always available regardless of the policy, "expensive" qualities (like those in the field of ecology) however, have a higher spread and appear rather in the course of property developer competitions.

A comparative analysis of the costs and benefits of the quality offered (according to the procedure as it was chosen already in the study "Evaluation and analysis of efficiency of offered qualities and standards for projects of the Land Advisory Committee and from developer contests with respect to issues" Affordable Housing ") revealed that at "property developer competitions" compared to the "housing initiative" an average of twice as many qualities at around 75% higher-through expert interviews - rated "costs" were offered.

This suggests that in the increased range of qualities in the "property developer competition" mainly cheaper rated qualities were provided, which were partly set also in the call for tenders. Tendentially expensive rated qualities are also offered at the "housing Initiative."

Furthermore, it was found out, particularly in the context of a parallel evaluation of the cooperation program of the "housing Initiative", that in case of the cooperation of all property developers especially urban and open space qualities are expected.

As a recommendation for future practices there can be recommended that

• on the one hand increased cooperative aspects should be forced in the field of "property developer competitions" and

• on the other hand in the course of the "housing Initiative" certain - as "low" classified qualities (especially in the area of quality column "social sustainability" such as "nutzungsneutrale Räume", "Besiedlungsmanagement", "Nutzungskonzepte für Gemeinschaftsräume und Gemeinwesenarbeit," Hausbesorger "neu"") should be forced

because especially here potential for an improvement of the two policies is seen.