The central research interest of this working group lies in the analysis of spatial structures and dynamics of urban housing markets. The focus is on actor constellations and valorization strategies within housing markets, as well as their effects on the residential population and the built environment. The working group understands housing markets, on the one hand, as an integrative interface of various societal domains – population, sustainability, economy and labor market, urban policy and planning, and the built environment. On the other hand, they are seen as a multi-scalar phenomenon influenced by processes at different levels (international, national, regional, local).

Considering multi-scalar influences and the interactions between these levels and the housing market helps to better understand current developments, challenges, and conflicts. With this understanding, the housing market also represents an important thematic link to the other working groups within the institute.

The working group focuses on three central research areas, which overlap and thus offer synergies:

• The challenge of affordable housing, the diverse manifestations of precarious living conditions, and individual strategies in dealing with displacement processes.
• The transformation and commodification of the (historical) existing city, particularly in the context of changing ownership structures and actor networks.
• Processes of up- and downgrading of residential neighborhoods, with particular attention to the different housing market segments and their market dynamics.

The spatial focus lies in the analysis of urban housing markets in Austria and Europe, with comparative approaches playing an important role. The working group follows an interdisciplinary and theme-oriented research logic and draws on a broad and innovative methodological spectrum.

In the field of quantitative methods, GIS-based and (geo-)statistical applications are mainly used to conduct analyses at the level of individual buildings. Register data (e.g. AGWR, land registry, cadaster, etc.) play a central role in this. These individual data sets enable the linking of building and location information with social changes within individual residential buildings.

In the field of qualitative methods, collaborative techniques such as reflexive photography or arts-based approaches are used to gain deeper insights, for example into valorization strategies or displacement processes. Furthermore, the working group is actively engaged in developing machine learning methods to generate new individual-level data, for example on the physical condition of buildings or their functional usage structure.

Through various research projects, the Housing and Urban Economy working group aims to analyze current housing and urban development policy dynamics from multiple perspectives, to empirically identify problem areas, and to contribute scientifically grounded input toward the development of sustainable and socially just solutions.