Project description

Period: 2014-2016

Every city has its centers. Intense, spatially and culturally condensed places where urban life is concentrated, places of diversity and liveliness. City centers are vital centers of urban life and crystallization points of everyday social situations.

But the one universal city center exists less and less. Over the past centuries, city centers have repeatedly been subjected to major changes that have influenced their significance, image and orientation. For a long time now, it has no longer been just the areas within the city walls where central functions are concentrated. The multifunctional structure that has grown up in the centers - with the quite natural selective concentration of stores, administration, and social and cultural institutions in urban and specially designed squares - has also become increasingly thinned out and specialized in the individual functions.

Based on the fundamental experiences regarding center development in STEP 2025 and at the same time as preparatory work for the specialized concept centers of MA 18, the workshop report "Vienna: polycentral" developed by IFOER opens the discussion on a general understanding of urban centers and in particular the special Viennese situation. For this purpose, the study examines the different building blocks of Vienna's center landscape, their development and specific features, their qualities and the potentials of these spaces. It identifies current trends and future challenges and provides recommendations for further discussion and promotion of Vienna's centers.

Further information: TISS Reasearch Portal, opens an external URL in a new window

This project has been carried out on behalf of the City of Vienna, MA18.

Handling: Rudolf Scheuvens, Stefan Groh, Daniela Allmeier, Mario Weisböck - TU Wien, IFOER