Pilot Action City of Vienna – UHI-STRAT Vienna

The article presents the results of the pilot action “Urban Heat Islands– Strategy Plan Vienna” (UHI-STRAT Vienna). It sets out by determining what potential consistent consideration of urban climate aspects at different levels of action and decision-making has and how to implement such consideration. In a second step it looks at today’s and future development of UHI and the urban climate. The report goes on to explain the three fields of action identified, i.e. awareness building, information and public relations for UHI, as well as urban infrastructure and large-scale and more detailed technical and structural measures to support strong consideration of the issue. It shows up the levels of action in planning from the master plan to the actual project and the options available in the course. Two feasibility studies reveal how UHI-relevant measures can be implemented in designated areas of the city. They make a clear distinction between measures in the development of new city quarters and measures in adapting existing ones, and they also identify two different levels of planning, the strategic master plan on the one hand and the planning of legal provisions, i.e. the land-use and building development plans on the other hand. The “Master Plan for Nordbahnstrase – Innstrase” in Vienna’s 20th municipal district is used as an example to show how measures can be introduced at different stages of the master plan process. Proposed measures can be embedded in land-use and building development plans, as demonstrated in the case of the quarter surrounding the Vienna University of Technology (Karlsplatz) in the 4th municipal district. The studies were assessed as to the feasibility of the measures proposed, which involved participation of different agencies of the Vienna City Administration. The summary points out the project’s added value for the city, indicating that the journey Vienna has taken to protect the climate while at the same time adapting to the consequences of climate change is bound for success.