High Quality Open Spaces in Urban Development — Selected Examples from Graz, Austria

Abstract

Growing urbanization poses an enormous challenge to city planners. Noticeable effects of the increased population density in cities include housing shortages, rising real estate prices, increased traffic, air pollution, shortages of green spaces and attractive public spaces, the rising cost of urban infrastructure and the risk of social tensions. Especially in dense urban areas, public open spaces (squares and streets, urban parks and spacious recreational areas) have become increasing important. Their design, functionality and the adaption to the needs of the residents significantly influences the quality and atmosphere of urban coexistence. The consideration of quality criteria is essential for the creation of sustainable, livable and smart open spaces. Modern approaches to sustainable planning in urban areas and the versatile aspects of state-of-the-art open space design are the core themes of this article. General aspects of landscape planning in Austria and selected best practice projects in the context of urban development are presented.
This article gives an overview of open space planning in Austria. To be successful, projects must consider the specific needs of city districts, which requires tailor-made approaches and an interdisciplinary planning team. To be accepted and adequately used by the public, projects must be based on a detailed analyses of the spatial, natural and social conditions.
The complex and diverse challenges of open space planning in Austrian cities can be seen as representative for other cities, as certain urban trends occur (in slightly altered dimensions) all over Europe or on an even bigger scale. Selected best practice urban planning projects, which have been realized by freiland Environmental Consulting CE Ltd, based on state-of-the-art principles, demonstrate modern planning approaches to tackling these challenges.