53,077 steps of #Vienna

When living in a small town heaviliy impacted by #overtourism during summer and turning into a #ghosttown during winter, #citybreaks become essential for #mentalhealth. If combined with #climateaction and #sustainability, even better. For me the best way to travel was always by getting to know local projects and initiatives, sharing ideas and challenging assumptions. Without getting to know who owns the city, you don't meet cities at all. #WYSIWYG and what you see is often just commodified heritage. Despite history and culture, the offer is similar for most of the European cities.

Reimagining #travel could start from rethinking what is urgent to share, what is urgent to learn.

VIENNA TAKEAWAYS

#participation, participation and again participation. It can be found in neighbourhood projects like the Garage Grande, to the way Seestadt (one of the largest development projects in Europe) was designed, and the work of the Vienna Climate Team at the municipality level.

(1) Cars are getting bigger, space is getting smaller. #GarageGrande is an unused car garage turned into an open space for the neighbourhood. From May to October it hosts literally an universe: bike repair, urban gardening, beekeeping, small climbing boulder, yoga/martial arts corner, swap shop, space for exhibitons, workshops, you name it. An explosion of experimentation. The space for good climate and good neighbourhoods is owned by its citizens. Who pays the bills? The owner? Why? He likes the project. Simple as that.

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(2) The #ViennaClimateTeam engages citizens on climate issues in their neighbourhoods. 2022 in numbers: 3 districts, 1100 ideas submitted in the first round, 232 made it to the co-creation process, and 102 of them to the final jury phase. 19 projects were finally selected and will be implemented in 2023. Currently, a new idea call is out, with 3 new districts waiting for ideas from their inhabitants. Budget for the 2 pilot years? EUR 13 million. Not bad.

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(3) We had the chance to meet a participant of the Climate Assembly formed after 380,000 signatures were collected between 2018 and 2020. The assembly gathered 100 citizens randomly selected by the national statistics agency, representing "Little Austria". 15 climate experts and a team of facilitators helped to frame 93 climate recommendations in 6 months, presented to the government in July 2022. Even if a non-binding mechanism, it brings a lot - Austria is clearly putting some resources to empower and encourage citizens to take action, to learn and experience the power of participation and critical thinking that can bring positive change (and faster adaptation).

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(4) #housingforall is what makes Vienna good as #socialhousing make 44% of the city rental stock. 1800 apartment complexes are owned by the city. Being the biggest landlord, the City influences the whole renting market - by controlling the prices and driving them down. This is why Vienna offers high-quality housing available to almost anyone.

#Seestadt in the Aspern neighbourhood, that will host a total of 20,000 people, will offer 70% of #socialhousing for 7,50 and 11,50 EUR/m2. This city-within-a-city is focused on the quality of public space and services that can create the conditions for collaborative and inclusive societies. Most of the European cities were designed by male planners for male citizens going to work by car in the morning and coming back in the evening. All other users and uses were excluded - from women to children and people with disabilities. Who is the city for offers another answer in #Seestadt and not only by taking gender mainstreaming into urban design. Seestadt looks and feels like a very well-designed neighbourhood you would want to move in.

(6) Getting out of Austrian national borders, have you heard of the #AlpineConvention? The international territorial treaty aimed at the sustainable development and protection of the entire mountain range, started already in the 90s with the urgency to protect the Alps region. Back in 1952 the International Commission for the Protection of the Alps (CIPRA) launched the call for an Alpine-wide treaty and in 1995 the Alpine convention finaly enters into force. The 190,000 km2 area is a living and conomic space for 14 million people (+ tourism), habitat for 30,000 animal and 13,000 plant species.

Thematic working bodies of the convention include: Alpine Biodiversity Board, Alpine Climate Board, Large Carnivores, Wild Ungulates and Society Working Group – WISO, Mountain Agriculture and Mountain Forestry Working Group, Soil Protection Working Group, Natural Hazards Working Group – PLANALP, Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development Working Group, Transport Working Group.

What can we learn from that? Is the future of sustainability and territorial conservation linked to specific commons like the Alps case?

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53,077 steps afterwards, #climateaction is still all about participation, mixed feelings and opinions, conflicting values and priorities. A sense of urgency and skepticism, love and hate, anxiety, fear, frustration, hopelessness but also motivation, power, creativity and belief. It is important to aknowledge all of them. Engaging in open and respectful dialogue is key to building resilience. We need a specific set of soft skills and #mentalhealth is underestimated in this race.

There is no #climateaction without #socialaction or as seen on a Berlin wall 6 years ago:

People change NOT climate change.

*The Vienna study visit was part of CLIMATE BRIDGES, a project by Center for Energy, Environment and Resources (CENER21) from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Association Green Istria from Croatia, the Urban Research Institute (URI) from Albania and CIPRA?International Lab from Austria, and funded by the European Climate Initiative (EUKI)

??Thanks to Association Green Istria for the invitation.