In the 1950s, the City of Vienna ventured an experiment in social housing, building one- and two-storey apartment blocks for elderly residents in more than thirty municipal housing estates—an innovative response to the post-war housing crisis and an ageing society. These Alte-Leute-Siedlungen enabled barrier-free, selfdetermined living within the social fabric of the Gemeindebau (municipal housing), supported by open spaces that fostered social interaction and neighbourly care. Once seen as a model internationally, these settlements are now largely forgotten. Many no longer serve their original purpose, and only a few are protected as heritage. Yet their core idea—age-appropriate housing embedded in supportive urban communities—remains highly relevant. This article calls for renewed recognition of these settlements as a vital part of post-war social housing history and argues that the lessons they offer are essential for addressing today’s and tomorrow’s housing challenges.