Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Sibylla ZECH
Head of Research Unit

regional planning and regional development, studies and planning for regional cooperation, process-oriented spatial planning, cooperative planning and participation processes, process design and moderation, planning and building culture, integrated development planning, internal development, climate-sensitive spatial planning

Sibylla Zech grew up in Nenzing (Vorarlberg, Austria) and studied spatial planning at the Vienna University of Technology. In her diploma thesis in 1985, she developed IT-supported methods as a contribution to environmental impact assessment and used them specifically in route comparisons for road projects. In addition to her work as a university assistant at the Institute for Landscape Planning, she worked in various planning and architectural offices - in development planning, village renewal and open space design.

In 1991, she founded the stadtland office together with Alfred Eichberger, passed the civil engineering examination and ran the office in Vienna and Vorarlberg as an engineering consultant for spatial planning and as a technical office for spatial and landscape planning. Initially, the focus of her work was on environmental planning and ecologically oriented spatial planning (environmental studies for railroad expansion, landscape and green space concepts). The office's field of activity was soon expanded to include process-oriented communicative planning within the framework of cooperative participation processes (Vienna-Lower Austria Urban-Rural Management, Vision Rheintal, Austrian Spatial Development Concept, urban development dialog processes).

Sibylla Zech works a lot locally and on the road. Her work abroad has taken her to Luxembourg (studies on housing policy), Switzerland (land-use planning, citizen participation) and post-communist countries in Eastern Europe. Consulting and training programs for urban and transport planning were associated with repeated stays, especially in Albania.

In 2008, Sibylla Zech accepted a chair as professor for regional planning and regional development at the Vienna University of Technology. She teaches and conducts practical research with interdisciplinary teams at the Institute of Spatial Planning, currently with a special focus on rural areas. For example, she is the initiator of the Center for Rural Areas established at the Faculty of Architecture and Spatial Planning in 2021 and promoter of the Drosendorf Rural University (Waldviertel, Austria).

Contact, opens an external URL in a new window  |  Publications, opens an external URL in a new window  |  Research Portal, opens an external URL in a new window

ID Type Title
280.923 SE Diplomseminar Region, opens an external URL in a new window
280.A11 EX Experiencing Japan - Part 1: Hospitality, opens an external URL in a new window
280.959 EX Planning viewing and communicating space, opens an external URL in a new window
280.B14 PR Ländliche Räume: Von Strategien über Konzepte zur Umsetzung, opens an external URL in a new window

 

The table contains an overview of the courses held by Sibylla Zech in the academic year of 2024/25. The first column contains the six-digit course number, the second one the course type and the third one the course title. The following course types are available: VO (lecture), VU (lecture with exercise), UE (exercise), SE (seminar), PR (project), EX (excursion).

  • Planning and building culture (e.g. World Heritage Site Management, Austrian Building Culture Report, LandLuft Association)
  • Jury activities
  • Expert committees on planning and design
  • Climate protection
  • Integrated planning of (spatial) development
Research Units

Research Unit Law

Research Unit Urban and Regional Research

Research Unit Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy

Research Unit Local Planning

Research Unit Transportation System Planning

Research Unit Sociology

Research Unit Land Policy and Land Management

Research Unit Urban Culture and Public Space