Dr. Richard Lang, researcher at the IFI, together with Ernst Gruber (wohnbund:consult) contributed a chapter to the book “Affordable Housing Governance and Finance: Innovations, partnerships and comparative perspectives”. The chapter “Collaborative housing models in Vienna through the lens of social innovation” critically investigates the potential of driving social innovations within the affordable housing sector through new collaborative models: Baugruppen, the “Syndicate model” and participatory projects. “We focus on the local context of Vienna, Austria, where such models aim at active involvement, self-organisation and collaboration of residents”, highlights Richard Lang. The quantitative demand for flats in Vienna is rising rapidly, putting more pressure than ever on the affordable housing sector which traditionally relies heavily on subsidies. According to a study by the Austrian National Bank, the relation between the fundamental factors and market prices has increased significantly in the past ten years resulting in an overvaluation of real estate properties in Vienna of about 20 per cent. This makes it almost impossible for individuals or groups to find an existing flat, house or even a building plot on the free market. In combination with a growing demand in alternative forms of living through demographic changes, this favours alternative models such as the collaborative ones described in this chapter.