Planning and Implementation of Green Infrastructure in Austrian Cities

Abstract

The aim of the research stay was to reveal different approaches of Austrian cities to green infrastructure planning and implementation. For this, the five largest Austrian cities were selected as case studies Vienna (Vienna), Graz (Styria), Linz (Upper Austria), Salzburg (Salzburg), and Innsbruck (Tyrol). The methodology consisted of two parts 1) narrative interviews with municipal planning officers dealing with urban green infrastructure, and 2) collection and analysis of general and thematic planning concepts. Narrative interviews were conducted with nine specialists in five cities 1) Vienna MA 18 Urban Development and Planning I. Wieshofer (Landscape and Open Space), and MA 22 Environmental Protection J. Preiss (Spatial Development); 2) Graz Urban Planning E.M. Benedikt (Urban Development and Land Use); 3) Linz Planning, Technology and Environment E. Maurer and A. Gäbler (Urban Planning); 4) Salzburg Urban Planning and Transport C. Polito (Social, Open Space and Landscape Planning) and C. Kaiser (Urban Planning and Transport, Urban Development Concepts, Land Use and Master Planning); 5) Innsbruck MA III Planning, Construction Law and Technical Infrastructure Management Green Space T. Klingler (head of department) and M. Pinter (Green Space Planning and Construction). The general strategic planning documentation differs in each city in terminology and contents - Urban Development Plan (Vienna), Urban Development Concept (Graz), Local Development Concept (Linz), Spatial Development Concept (Salzburg) and Local Spatial Planning Concept (Innsbruck). There are conceptual documents on urban green infrastructure, such as the Thematic Concept Green and Open Spaces (Vienna) or Green Net concepts (Graz and Salzburg). Implementation instruments include e.g. Green and Open Space Supply Standards, Open Space Network (Vienna), Open Space Planning Standards (Graz), Greening Degree (Linz) or Green Space Deduction (Salzburg). Political instruments include e.g. Green Space Declaration (Salzburg) or Green Space Offensive (Graz). The research stay at ILAP BOKU provided a great opportunity to gain a good overview and specific insights into green infrastructure planning and implementation in selected Austrian cities. ; ICM-2018-12149 ; (VLID)4048384