Due to high state investments, Vienna is a leader in affordable, high-quality living space

Yet Vienna’s history and culture defy easy description, and efforts to do so with crimson prose will fall into the realm of the mundane. But as you walk the streets, the imposing beauty of the buildings and monuments speaks of a thousand-year history and an empire that was lost barely a century ago.

The city’s integrated transport system with trams, metro and buses makes it easy to get around. An adult annual pass costs €365 – €1 per day.

A bit like Ireland, the capital has a population of 1.8 million, almost a quarter of the country’s total population – but this city seems to function smoothly. The people in Vienna are mostly reserved and friendly. Efforts to speak at least a little German are welcome, but English is very widely spoken and spoken enthusiastically by many.

Returning after an absence of more than two decades, this writer was captivated by the magic of Vienna. But back to the little-kept secret: how to afford life in Vienna.

According to the city’s deputy mayor, Kathrin Gaal – who has significant executive powers over housing in Vienna – it is about a century of very heavy government investment in housing, with local authorities fully empowered.

Ms Gaal said it dates mainly from a period known as “Red Vienna”, between the two world wars, when the city was ruled by the Social Democratic Workers’ Party.

“They launched the most ambitious social housing program ever. These investments have continued and today 62 percent of the Viennese population live in communal social or social housing,” Ms Gall said.

Six out of ten people living in cost-supported housing say a lot about keeping house prices within reach of ordinary workers. A young professional landing in Vienna can expect to rent a nice one-bedroom apartment in a nearby suburb for between 800 and 1,200 euros per month, including water and energy costs and depending on the area. Just compare with Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Co.

But the other standout is the extremely high quality of this case, for the most part. The current flagship project Vienna Housing – called Biotope City – in one of the Vienna suburbs, called Wien-Favoriten, is an example of courageous thinking and quick action when it comes to housing.

Around this time last year, people were moving into nearly 1,000 apartments in several high-rise buildings.

The extreme density of the residential units contrasts with an already successful embedding in nature with a large forest area, many trees, flower beds and vegetable beds. As with most new sites this time of year, there is a certain rawness to the look, but once the growth matures that will certainly soften.

The idea was first presented over 20 years ago by Dutch-German urban planner Helga Fassbinder. It’s a determined attempt to mitigate the effects of climate change through quality urban living that mixes flora and fauna, blending urban planning, architecture and good old-fashioned gardening.

Little is left to chance and exceptional detail is covered, including available gardening tips for those looking to develop their vegetable beds.

Densification and urban development are mostly seen as the downside of nature conservation and dealing with the effects of climate change. The thought here is that this need not be the case.

But, as a colleague of Ms Gaal pointed out, any high-density development is likely to experience conflict. Therefore, meeting rooms on the ground floor of each block, equipped with fully equipped kitchens, are provided for discussions to manage and settle probable disputes between neighbors.

The project was selected for study by the President Michael D Higgins for this week’s state visit to Vienna. He and his wife Sabina took part in a guided tour lasting several hours on Thursday.

It has also caught the attention of those involved in housing provision in Ireland and we hope to see similar action here.

The Irish Ambassador to Austria, Eoin O’Leary, estimates that 2,000 Irish live in Vienna. A thousand years ago, Irish monks established Austria as a political entity and co-founded the University of Vienna.

More recently, Irish international officials work for organizations such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). There is an abundance of Irish pubs, some better than others as we find across Europe.

I really liked the Green Room on Hernalser Hauptstrasse, on Tram 43, which is subtly Irish and full of people of all nationalities.

Well, that’s another of Vienna’s poorly kept secrets – it has excellent bars and cafes.