Laboratory of Urban Social Transformations
National Centre for Social Research

OeAW Summer School

28 September – 8 October 2026 | Vienna – Belgrade – Athens

3rd OeAW Summer School: Urban housing markets in Central and Southeastern Europe

This summer school is aimed at Master’s and PhD students with a basic knowledge or research interest in the field of urban housing and real estate markets. The Summer School is accredited at the University of Vienna as a univie: summer school; Graduates receive a certificate worth 4 ECTS.

Content and concept

The aim of the Summer School is to focus on the different framework conditions of urban housing markets – such as regulatory contexts, historically grown housing market structures or current constellations of actors. The variation of these framework conditions is decisive for the fact that “global” processes – such as financialisation, gentrification or internationalisation – unfold very differently in urban housing markets.

The cities: Vienna, Belgrade, Athens

The Summer School deals with the housing markets in three European metropolises, which are characterized by very different historical development paths and regulatory contexts. The Viennese housing market is characterised by a highly regulated rental market and a large stock of municipal housing. Belgrade, on the other hand, underwent a radical transformation in the 1990s into a property market with weak regulation. The housing market in Athens is characterized by the real estate boom and the subsequent euro crisis.

Program

The Summer School takes place in the three cities  of Vienna, Belgrade and Athens. Seminar courses take place in the mornings on three course days per city; in the afternoon, city tours, visits to relevant stakeholders and discussion rounds are organised.

Application

Interested parties are cordially invited to apply by March 15, 2026. Please send your application documents (letter of motivation, CV, registration form) to urbanhousing@oeaw.ac.at

  • Cost: 850 EUR for 3+3+3 course days, including transfers from Vienna to Athens, Lunch & Coffee Breaks, Students’ Union fee and local transport tickets.
  • Scholarships: Students from Central and Southeastern European countries (CEE and SEE countries) can apply for a scholarship (400 EUR; 5 places available).

For more information, please visit: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/isr/urban-housing-markets

Organisation

The summer school is based on an international cooperation between several Institutions:

  • Austrian Academy of Sciences
  • University of Vienna
  • University of Belgrade
  • Harokopio University Athens
  • National Centre for Social Research

Team Vienna

Robert Musil  (Institute for Urban and Regional Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)

Judith Schnelzer (Institute for Urban and Regional Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)

Walter Matznetter (Institute for Geography and Regional Research, University of Vienna)

Team Belgrade

Ivan Ratkaj (University Belgrad, Faculty for Geography)

Aljosa Budovic (University Belgrad, Faculty for Geography)

Team Athens

Thomas Maloutas (Harokopio University Athens, Department of Geography)

Stavros-Nikiforos Spyrellis (National Centre for National Research)