The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1497 Housing Issues
In addition to transportation, housing is also a big problem. Franz originally thought that the cracking of the Portland cement formula, coupled with the application of reinforced concrete structures, would promote progress in the construction industry of the Austrian Empire and thus solve the housing problem.

But he still underestimated human nature. The population growth of Vienna far exceeded everyone's imagination, including Franz.

As the population exploded, some wealthy nobles invested their capital in new lands and became new landlords. These so-called new lands were properties in Vienna.

The nobles' enthusiasm for becoming new landlords made businessmen discover business opportunities. They began commercial operations, and soon smart people discovered that land was the fastest appreciating asset.

These people took the lead, and then others followed suit. In order to obtain more land, they did everything they could.

The violent evictions, arson and poisoning cases triggered by this are endless. The gangs that were originally wiped out by Franz have revived in the past two years.

They were the ones who made money, and the common people suffered. But it wasn't just the common people who suffered, some small nobles whose ancestral homes were in the inner city also suffered.

They couldn't keep their property when their family fell into decline, and now they can't keep their ancestral home. But the ancestral home is somewhat different from the property. Most nobles are unwilling to give up their ancestral home, which is not only a testimony to their past glory, but also the foundation of their existence in Vienna.

Once they leave the core circle, it is extremely difficult to come back. Here they may meet more important people in a day than they would meet in a year outside, and the chances of being appreciated are countless times higher than outside.

If they are lucky enough to be chosen by the daughter of a big family, then it is not impossible for them to make a breakthrough. However, they are not the only ones who know these benefits. Some new rich people also want to squeeze into the inner city.

With demand comes a market, and the declining nobility became victims. All kinds of wolves and tigers robbed and plundered in Vienna, but some officials even acquiesced in it.

After all, this seems to be a thriving scene, especially the demolition of slums, improvement of urban environment and reduction of the number of poor people, which are great political achievements, and they sometimes also need to use black gloves.

It is easy to deal with the gangs in public, but the real difficulty lies in the industrial chain behind them. However, the economic crisis caused by the US real estate crisis in 1837 is still fresh in his mind, and he does not want to follow the footsteps of the Americans at all.

In fact, there were many industries in the Austrian Empire that made money at that time, but Franz was annoyed by the fact that these people insisted on making money without doing anything.

Fortunately, Austria is an empire, and after the overwhelming administrative orders were issued, people immediately lost their enthusiasm, or the courage, to speculate in real estate.

Franz's order can be summed up in one sentence: "Go and do business for me."

However, the problems caused by the population explosion must also be solved, and Franz considered using the Khrushchev Building as a temporary transition.

So Franz found the best architectural designers in the Austrian Empire and solicited proposals from all over Europe.

Then Franz realized that Sui Zong was still too kind.

When the designers of the Austrian Empire heard that it was transitional and affordable housing and that it had to be delivered on time in a short period of time, they immediately came up with a plan that the floor height would be 1.8 meters, the living area would be 10 square meters, and 8000 people could be crammed into one hectare of land.

How outrageous is this data? As of 2024, the world's ultra-high-rise buildings (buildings with more than 2700 floors) will have a population of people per hectare.

(However, the slums in Mumbai, India are even more exaggerated, with an estimated population of more than 30,000 people per hectare.)
The Khrushchev Building, which has been criticized throughout history, has a floor height of 2.5 meters and has always been regarded as synonymous with cramped in the modern construction industry.

I wonder how they would feel if they knew someone was planning to build a house with a floor height of 1.8 meters.

With Franz's insistence, the floor height was finally raised to 2.6 meters.

The final three options were a small one-room apartment with an actual living area of ​​25 square meters, a medium-sized apartment with two rooms and an actual living area of ​​55 square meters, and a large apartment with three rooms and an actual living area of ​​80 square meters.

Since most civilians at that time had no concept of toilets and kitchens, they cooked with fireplaces and used toilets. For many people, houses were just boxes that could shelter them from wind and rain and defend against foreign enemies.

So 25 square meters was not a completely unacceptable number, at least the experts of the Austrian Empire agreed with this plan.

However, this type of housing was strongly opposed by grassroots officials, and many people said that they would rather live in a hotel all their lives than live in this kind of rat hole.

They hoped to adopt a large-sized design so that they and their families would have more space, while also showing the imperial style. Then the centrist plan of 55 square meters of actual living area was highly recognized by nationalists, egalitarians, and religious people. They felt that this would eliminate differences and be very conducive to the realization of universal values ​​in the Austrian Empire.

"Which one do you think is more suitable?"

Franz pointed to three design options posted on the wall. At this time, Fleglova had already straightened her messy hair.

"Your Majesty, you must want to hear the truth."

"Don't be too smart."

Franz drew the curtains again.

"Okay, Your Majesty."

Fliglova smiled awkwardly.

"I think the third one is more suitable."

"Tell me your reasons."

"Your Majesty, you know I don't need these houses, and I don't need to please those officials."

At this point Fleglova smiled again.

"Of course, I don't dare to do that either. But I still think the third option is more reasonable. I know you have traveled to various districts many times, sent many people to visit, and even conducted special investigations.

But you still can’t make up your mind that you are not satisfied with any of these options.”

"A woman who is too smart doesn't live long."

Franz approached Fleglova step by step, and the latter simply opened her collar to reveal a piece of white where her heart was.

"Your Majesty, you don't like fools either. I knew from the first moment I saw you that I belonged to you and you did not belong to me, but my loyalty to you is absolute.

If you don’t believe me, you can take a closer look.”

"Hmph, go on and tell me what you think about unified housing."

Franz snorted coldly.

“Your Majesty, with all due respect, your people are too fertile! And thanks to your policies and subsidies, the survival rate of children is too high.

I have nine brothers and sisters, but I am the only one in my family who lived past the age of 13. My brothers and sisters died of hunger, disease, fighting, or various natural and man-made disasters.

Many families now have five or six children who can live to adulthood. Together with their parents and elders, a family has nearly ten people. When those children grow up, a room of 30 to 50 square meters will be a joke.

The whole room would be as crowded as a sardine can.

As for those officials, you don't have to worry about them. These people are only cowardly in Vienna. Once they leave Vienna, they will definitely be more outrageous than the most arrogant dandy you have ever seen."

Franz nodded and tore off the plan on the wall, revealing a new plan underneath.