Large Scale Urban Developments in Austria-Challenges and Opportunities Based on Two Case Study Examples

Abstract

As urban densification is on the rise and the population of cities are increasing, strategies for eco-friendly urban development plans are needed in order to ensure the long-term sustainable growth of our cities. Quality of life and socio-economic considerations are in this context equally important as environmental factors such as energy efficiency, resilience and a future proof mobility concept. Especially large scale urban developments require long-term planning as the actual implementation phase can take decades for completion and advances in technology can significantly change over time. However these developments offer the unique opportunity for research and innovation, as accompanying studies can support the projects throughout the whole life cycle ranging from planning to implementation and monitoring during operation. To discuss the challenges and opportunities of large scale urban development projects, two Austrian case studies, that differ in time, scale and overall context have been selected: The solarCity Linz in the county of Upper Austria and the Aspern Seestadt in the City of Vienna.