Housing Vienna: Lessons for Los Angeles

Los Angeles has a housing crisis. Vienna, Austria is seen by many experts as a model of best practices in providing affordable housing. But how relevant is Vienna to LA? Find out at a thought-provoking symposium co-hosted by the Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design and FORT: LA.

This isn’t the first time Los Angeles has learned from Vienna. Modern architect Richard J. Neutra applied his ideas about architecture, community, and design science to multi-family public housing during the 1920s-1960s. What happened to these utopian ideals in LA? What lessons does Neutra’s architecture have for affordable and attainable multi-family residential design that can be applied today?

Housing Vienna will bring together architects, planners, developers and city representatives to discuss contemporary Vienna’s approach as well as architectural historians, cultural historians. Participants include Beatriz Stambuk-Torres, Manager, GPLA Vienna Housing Field Study for the Global Policy Leadership Academy, John Ellis, AIA, Michael Lehrer, FAIA, Anthony Fontenot, author, Cristian Ahumada, Executive Director and CEO of Holos Communities, and Neutra’s son, Dr. Raymond Neutra, in thoughtful discussion about the nexus of the present and the past.

The symposium, emceed by author Frances Anderton will take place at the historic Neutra Office Building (1950), the site of the combined practices of Neutra and Robert Alexander, partners on the ill-fated public housing project at Chavez Ravine. It will be accompanied by a short film, Expansive, Still and Connected: Life at the Strathmore Apartments, made by Russell Brown, founder of Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (FORT: LA.)

Saturday, January 27th, 10AM to 1PM. Neutra Office Building and Apartments, 2379 Glendale Boulevard. Refreshments provided. Street parking only.