EVA – Evaluation, Interim Assessment and System of Objectives for aspern Seestadt

EVA

Evaluation, Interim Assessment and System of Objectives for aspern Seestadt

Report 2024

in the aspern Seestadt podcast, we talk to experts from the fields of business, research, urban and landscape planning and mobility about the core issues of urban development and about its responsibility for society as a whole.

A TOTAL AREA OF 240 HECTARES: MORE THAN A THIRD OF SEESTADT HAS ALREADY BEEN REALISED. THIS INTERIM ASSESSMENT HAS BEEN DRAWN UP AND A NEW SYSTEM OF OBJECTIVES DEVELOPED FOR THE NEXT PHASES.

WITH EVA INTO THE FUTURE –A PREFACE BY WIEN 3420

Projects need names. We at Wien 3420 aspern development AG, the developer of aspern Seestadt, gave the name EVA to the largest internal project that we have carried out since our company was established. EVA was born over two years ago as a comprehensive evaluation of the project ‘aspern die Seestadt Wiens’.

clusions of our evaluation. We have called it EVA, and it is the first in a series of such reports.

QUALITY AS A PRINCIPLE

We have undertaken a detailed evaluation of all that has been achieved so far, accompanied by a team of specialists from Urban Innovation Vienna. Does the urban development meet our ambitious aspirations? How do residents, local businesses, investors and experts experience aspern Seestadt as a home and as a location? Are our strategies still aligned with today’s economic situation? Do we have appropriate answers to the climate crisis? How must we adjust or even completely realign our objectives across a wide range of areas in order to master our overall task –the creation of a place in which people can live and do business not only well but also sustainably? But this process has produced more than an interim assessment. Much more! Namely, we decided not only to draw up a set of transparent targets, but also to make these measurable with the help of KPIs and to subject the performance of Seestadt to a programme of regular critical assessment. The first step of this process has been completed: An initial pilot reporting of selected KPIs is now available and can be found in this publication – alongside the key con-

We invite everyone who only knows Seestadt from the media to pay a visit and draw their own conclusions. We want to bring more people to Seestadt and provide information to all interested parties. We learn through dialogue – and EVA should provide the factual basis for this.

GERHARD SCHUSTER CEO of Wien 3420

Seestadt ‘performs’ well in a lot of areas and there are many in which the verdict is even ‘very good’. But there is clearly room for improvement. And it has also become apparent that it is sometimes necessary to be even more focussed and ‘rigorous’. We are confronted by a context and by expectations that are constantly changing and we are permanently evolving in line with these. We are always raising the bar – particularly in terms of climate protection – by setting more demanding targets and refining Seestadt’s own guidelines to reflect each advance. To this end, Wien 3420 has developed a comprehensive quality management system over the years: This begins with environmental impact assessments of urban planning and transport infrastructure projects and the drawing up of consistent zoning policies and development guidelines for each building plot. While our bespoke standards determine objective requirements for buildings, we accompany developers in cooperative planning processes together with the aspern Advisory Board. And Wien 3420 also turns to this board, with its interdisciplinary team of experts, as an advisory committee in a variety of development questions. We are facing enough challenges – from climate change to the need to prepare the ground for the local services of tomorrow, from sustainable mobility to the social infrastructure of a growing city. We want to keep setting the pace and constantly expand our know-how. And we want to share everything that we learn with others.

This is precisely the purpose of EVA. Thanks to the strategic evaluation process and the system of objectives, which are as ambitious as the urban development project itself. Besides enabling aspern Seestadt to assess its own progress, EVA effectively offers a ‘glimpse into the workshop’ An ambitious project in its own right, EVA is also a further opportunity for Seestadt to take responsibility and position itself as a pioneer in the field of quality management.

In spring and summer 2022, Urban Innovation Vienna carried out a comprehensive externally moderated strate-

gic evaluation based on the two pillars of empiricism and benchmarking.

The empirical pillar presents a view of Seestadt from the outside – how it is seen and perceived; the benchmarking indicates where we currently stand vis-à-vis our aspirations and objectives.

The core of this empirical study was a Deep Dive, during which over 100 experts were asked to appraise the qualities of Seestadt and to comment on its potential and the challenges that it faces. This was complemented by our ongoing ‘brand controlling’, a standardised survey of the image attributes of Seestadt that began in the 2000s.

This benchmarking enables us to objectively appraise the performance and qualities of Seestadt. We developed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), on the basis of which we are able to align the future development of the project and evaluate and shed light on our own performance.

The global trend towards urbanisation means that many ambitious urban development projects are currently being realised across Europe. These are a source of experience and concrete learning, for our ongoing operations and for our strategic evaluation process. This is why we also selected five projects (see page 27), whose systems of objectives and measurement provided a detailed mirror and a background for our own process of reorientation.

For Gerhard Schuster and robert Grüneis, Members of the Executive Board of Wien 3420, EVA is a means of assessing all that has been achieved so far.

EVA is primarily an interim assessment. But it’s also the first phase of a project that runs through every aspect of our work. We always want to know how we are performing and to make this information transparent. From 2025, we’re going to do this every two years. Why? Because we want to be as good as humanly possible – as a location, as a living environment and as a real-life climate protection programme. And this can only work if we exchange information with all stakeholders and ensure that we have their support.

ROBERT GRÜNEIS Member

of the Executive Board of Wien 3420

DO GOOD THINGS AND TALK ABOUT THEM – WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

As a development company, we are aware that much has been successfully completed in the 17 years since the adoption of the Seestadt master plan. Every year, we are visited by countless delegations from every corner of the globe – politicians, administrators, researchers and business people who want to learn and exchange ideas. Seestadt has an excellent reputation in specialist circles because we always go that extra mile and look for partners who are ready to go this extra mile with us. Because our priority is the quality of people’s lives. And because we are really doing something to protect the climate. But EVA has also confirmed in black and white that we must do more to communicate all this.

Seestadt makes huge demands upon itself. It’s self-critical and doesn’t just want to be good but, rather, to be better and better. By setting up the aspern Advisory Board, Wien 3420 established a body that is ideally qualified to perform a quality management role. this self-imposed ‘control committee’ consists of an interdisciplinary team of experts who ensure that the ambitious targets can also be implemented on the ground. the desire to be – and to remain – pioneers has been firmly anchored in the dnA of Wien 3420 from day one.

CHRISTA REICHER

Long-serving Chair of the aspern Advisory Board, Professor of Urban Planning/Urban Studies, RWTH Aachen University

Qualitative and quantitative interviews that were carried out during the evaluation process show that many of Seestadt’s qualities and achievements must be presented to the outside world even more. For example, Seestadt has a much weaker reputation among non-residents than among insiders. Its image in the eyes of its residents has been extremely positive since the start. The people of Seestadt love living here and closely identify with their district. And even the – generally more critical – local business community has a fundamentally positive image of Seestadt.

WHOM IS EVA TARGETTED AT?

EVA is consciously aimed at a very broad target group: at developers, investors and, in particular, the business community. And, finally, at Austrian and international experts and interested members of the public. We see this publication as, firstly, a means of actively shaping the specialist debate about sustainable and forward-looking urban development. Secondly, today’s developers and

employers expect to find a location that provides them with a demonstrably solid foundation in the areas of ESG and EU Taxonomy.

In turn, EVA is designed to help Wien 3420 to continue to create enthusiasm for Seestadt among the developers, innovative business people, inspired designers and engaged residents that it needs in order to achieve its ambitious objectives.

PLANNED FOR THE LONG TERM

The development of a district like aspern Seestadt is the embodiment of long-term thinking. The first ideas about building ‘A city for the full life’ on the former Aspern Airfield emerged decades ago and this history will continue to be written for years to come. The notion that Vienna should expand here was first taken up after the fall of the Iron Curtain and in response to the resulting economic boom. But the concrete plan for the new district was drawn up many years later in response to the growing need for living space.

The development of the new regional centre in Donaustadt followed in phases or, more specifically: in quarters. Today, just ten years after the arrival of the first residents, more than a third of Seestadt has already been realised on a total area of 240 hectares; it should be completed in the 2030s. At the end of this multi-phase process, the district will contain over 11,500 homes with at least 25,000 residents and areas for shops, bars and restaurants and small businesses as well as more than 20,000 jobs and training places. Seestadt sees itself as a multifunctional district: as a combination of homes, businesses, social facilities such as schools and kindergartens, industrial and research institutions and leisure opportunities.

A leading role in the development of Seestadt is being played by the development company Wien 3420 aspern Development AG. Specially created for this purpose, Wien 3420 is supported by aspern Seestadt Project Management, which is part of the lead programme for urban development areas for liveable housing and forms part of Vienna’s Building Directorate. Wien 3420 works with its partners to coordinate the urban planning and infrastruc-

Smart city Wien stands for inclusion, saving resources and innovation. Vienna exemplifies best practice in high-quality, affordable living as well as economic power. Seestadt is, so to speak, the ‘urban Lab’ of Smart city Wien. It is a district where research not only takes place but innovations are also directly tested in practice – providing important findings that can be applied across Vienna. And also beyond our city and our national borders: for years, aspern Seestadt has been a target destination for national and international delegations from the worlds of politics, administration and business – up to 10,000 people come every year.

MICHAEL LUDWIG Mayor of Vienna

tural development of Seestadt. Its multidisciplinary team acts as a sparring partner for investors, site owners and other businesses.

With owners including the Vienna Business Agency and the Austrian Federal Property Administration (BIG), Erste Bank and Wiener Städtische Versicherung, Wien 3420 is a public-private partnership.

SEESTADT AS AN ECONOMIC FACTOR

Thanks to its location and innovative energy, Seestadt is the ‘gateway to the new Vienna’. And home to countless examples of how Vienna is positioning itself as a Smart City within Europe. Seestadt is a dynamic location with international pulling power and one international technology giant, HOERBIGER, moved here during one of the earliest development phases. But Seestadt is also a flagship for the City of Vienna in terms of the start-up economy. The pacesetter here was and remains the Vienna Business Agency’s Technology Centre, together with TU Wien’s Pilot Plant for Industry 4.0. In the field of urban manufacturing, Seestadt is bringing intelligent production back to the city with a focus on the IoT (Internet of Things). In recent years, the district has emerged as a life sciences hotspot due to the arrival of such companies as the biopharma specialists Biomay. And the international

pharmaceuticals giant Takeda is building its ‘laboratory of the future’ here – not least due to Seestadt’s growing innovation ecosystem.

This all works because, rather than leaving things to chance, the City of Vienna and Wien 3420 developed strategies that exploit the time factor. From day one. Seestadt is now reaping the benefits of these well-thought-out concepts that were ‘sown’ years ago. EVA, a project that is still in its infancy, will soon join this line-up of successful concepts.

Seestadt is one of Europe’s largest and most important urban development projects and rightly regarded as an international showcase for synergy between business and industry, between living and working. this young district attracts international pharmaceutical groups, local businesses, smart manufacturers and start-ups. the research-friendly environment that has been created in cooperation with public institutions and companies functions perfectly as a catalyst for technology and innovation. this has enabled Seestadt to rapidly develop from a vision into a fertile breeding ground with a successful record of creating both value and jobs.

PETER HANKE

Executive City Councillor of Finance, Business, Labour, International Affairs and Vienna Public Utilities

the area that was still occupied by the runways of Aspern Airfield in 2010 is now home to a dynamic district with a population of 12,000.

Establishment of ‘Asperner Flugfeld Süd Entwicklungs- und Verwertungs AG’, now Wien 3420 aspern Development AG.

2005

Launch of the EU-wide competition to select a design team for the master planning of the new district.

2007

Unanimous adoption by Vienna City Council of the master plan by Tovatt Architects & N+Objektmanagement GmbH.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN …

When you alight from the metro in today’s Seestadt you find yourself at the heart of a dynamic, functioning urban district. But this wasn’t always the case. the location dominated by asperner See and the urban skyline beyond was occupied until 1977 by an active airfield. decades later, some initial urban planning ideas laid the foundations for today’s aspern Seestadt urban development zone. the rest is history – and you can read this story here.

In the 1920s, Aspern Airfield was one of Europe’s most state-of-the-art airports. Now, around 100 years later, it is the site of aspern Seestadt – one of Europe’s most state-ofthe-art urban development projects.

Although construction started in 2010, the foundations had been laid decades earlier. The first ideas about developing the former Aspern Airfield had emerged in the early 1990s after the fall of the Iron Curtain when Vienna, as the new heart of Europe, experienced an economic boom and a relentless rise in demand for new housing. However, these ideas were soon shelved, largely due to the poor transport infrastructure, which included a lack of public transport connections.

thectares project area

During the following years there was widespread discussion of urban plans for the northeast of Vienna. Between 2001 and 2003, Vienna City Council carried out an evaluation of the development perspectives and infrastructural framework of the region. At around the same time, the ‘Transport Master Plan 2003’ finally set out the basic conditions for today’s Seestadt: These included the extension of the U2 metro line, the upgrading of the Marchegger eastern rail link, the construction of the S 1 northeast ring road and the extension of the A 23 motorway. This formed the basis of a master plan for the development of the new district that was unanimously approved by the City Council in 2007. The green light for aspern Seestadt, still known at the time as ‘Zielgebiet Flugfeld Aspern’, had been given.

THE LOCATION: AT THE HEART OF CENTROPE

Two capitals – and close neighbours: Seestadt is located in the northeast of Vienna between the ‘Twin Cities’ of Vienna and Bratislava. At the heart of Centrope (which is made up of parts of Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia), one of Europe’s most dynamic regions in both economic and demographic terms, aspern See-

2008

Presentation of the aspern Die Seestadt Wiens brand. Launch of the competition for a Score for Public Space (Winner: Gehl Architects).

2010

Green light for the ‘Pioneer Quarter’ to the south, ground-breaking ceremony for the lake. Completion of the EIA for Seestadt Süd.

2011

Following an urban ideas competition for Lakeside Park Quarter, the aspern Advisory Board recommends the concept by the architect Rüdiger Lainer + Partner.

covering five hectares, and framed by a park of almost the same size, the lake forms the heart of aspern Seestadt.

Vienna wants to ensure a high quality of life for everyone. In order to guarantee this, a climate-fit city needs strategies that focus on people through social and technical innovation and by minimising the use of resources. Given its role as a ‘laboratory’ for intelligent solutions, Seestadt is a perfect platform for the application, implementation and analysis of the principles of the Smart climate city Strategy. And Seestadt is not the only beneficiary. other urban development zones also apply ideas that are ‘made in Seestadt’.

INA HOMEIER

Project Leader, Smart Climate City Vienna Strategy, Deputy Head of the Department for Urban Development and Planning

2012

The Vienna Business Agency’s Seestadt Technology Centre, with its tz1 plus-energy element, is the first building to be completed.

F%

proportion of open space

stadt is a new location with huge economic potential. And Seestadt also benefits from the proximity of the urban centres, railway stations and airports of both cities.

THE UNDERLYING CONCEPT?

‘aspern Die Seestadt Wiens’ was designed by the winner of an international competition, the Swedish architecture office Tovatt Architects & Planners, as a multifunctional urban district or, more specifically: a mix of residential and commercial buildings, social facilities such as schools and kindergartens, workplaces and industrial and research space. The new district has been and continues to be built around a specially created groundwater lake, or See, which gave its name to Seestadt – and has become its heart. While centres in other cities may be marked by a church, a square or civic offices, the focus of Seestadt is a green and blue leisure space that is open to all and covers around 100,000 m2

This lake, asperner See, is the living embodiment of a new planning principle: first the public space, then the buildings. When the district is complete, around half of its area will be public open space. The guidelines for the planning of all this public space are based on the ‘Score for Public Space’ by the Danish office Gehl Architects.

The Urban Development Plan was gradually developed and set down in ‘STEP 2025’, which was adopted by Vienna City Council in 2014 and confirms Vienna’s approach as a multi-centre city. According to this concept, Vienna defines high-quality urban growth as a combination of the strengthening of existing urban centres and the development of new ones.

Seestadt anticipated this concept: It had been planned for decades to redevelop the area as a regional centre for Donaustadt. And this was made possible by the plans to expand the public transport and road networks that were set out in the ‘Transport Master Plan’ of 2003. Seestadt is now an urban centre located on the U2 development

2013

In October, the U2 metro runs to the ‘Seestadt’ terminus for the first time after four years under construction. Establishment of ASCR.

2014

The first residents move in. To this day, the Seestadt Neighbourhood Management Office continues to help newcomers and promote networking.

the timber high-rise building HoHo Wien is 75 percent wood: the walls, slabs and columns are made from spruce and completely unclad.

Seestadt was identified as central to one of 13 target areas for the urban development of Vienna in the StEP 05 urban development Plan – this clearly demonstrated the focuses of the city of Vienna’s development strategy. Seestadt is a 21st-century attempt to return to building mixed-use cities – with all the related opportunities and challenges. the success of the venture so far impressively shows that this is the right approach. cities themselves clearly aren’t – as often suggested – a problem but, surely, the solution to many problems related to land use – from land consumption to climate protection. Sandwiched between areas of housing and adjacent to a large industrial zone, Seestadt brings key urban functions to semi-urban donaustadt. Something very special is happening here: the site of a former airfield with an area of around 240 hectares – which is roughly the size of Innere Stadt, Vienna’s First district – is being transformed into a new, multifunctional urban district. this is a major achievement, however you look at it.

THOMAS MADREITER Director of Planning, Vienna City Council

2015

Completion of asperner See and the Lakeside Park. Construction start of Austria’s first managed shopping street.

HAND IN HAND SEESTADT AND THE SMART (CLIMATE) CITY VIENNA

As a Smart city; Vienna wants to be innovative, inclusive and liveable. the main objectives of Smart city Vienna are to improve the city’s economic and social performance and to strongly reduce its ecological footprint – and, hence, to contribute to the decarbonisation of the Austrian and European economies.

the development of Seestadt began well before the transformation of the city of Vienna into a Smart city. the Seestadt strategy was adopted in 2014 whereas Vienna was only declared a Smart climate city in 2020. In other words, Seestadt has never been about merely implementing appropriate strategies – rather, it is a driver and a pioneer or, in short, an ‘urban Lab’. It is a place where intelligent ideas, concepts and technologies can be combined, tested and perfected under real conditions. As a growing district, it is an ideal testbed for new approaches to urban development, which is why it regularly attracts international attention.

However, contrary to the usual international model, the city of Vienna in general and aspern Seestadt in particular do not principally regard the ‘Smart city’ as a digitalisation project. digital strategies and tools are mostly used in the areas of renewable energy and communications technology and should contribute to making cities more efficient, liveable and climate-friendly. the successful implementation of this approach has been recognised by the award of such honours as the ‘Lee Kuan Yew World city Prize 2020’.

axis. It is growing steadily, not only in terms of population. Employers have also discovered the location and are constantly creating the new jobs and training places that are urgently required to the north of the Danube.

PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES AS A BASIS

In the master plan – which was, incidentally, comprehensively revised in 2012 – the City of Vienna, Wien 3420, the property owners the Vienna Business Agency/Vienna Housing Fund and BIG committed themselves to concrete principles and objectives as the basis for the development of a high-quality urban district, principles and objectives that continue to be valid and followed today. These also

2016

The first major company, the international technology specialist HOERBIGER, relocates to Seestadt.

2017

First school year of BRG/WMS Seestadt in the new federal school building on Maria-Trapp-Platz.

As the new regional centre of donaustadt, Seestadt will connect a number of adjacent districts and urban development zones.

apply to all development partners and are incorporated into all contracts. The principles are as follows:

• High-quality public space: The public spaces are principally designed to meet the needs of pedestrians and provide a high-quality visitor experience. Streets, squares and parks should encourage appropriation by users and offer functional flexibility and the potential for further development.

• Sense of scale and diversity: The built environment of Seestadt should be shaped by a variety of stakeholder groups and provide a setting for a range of lifestyles and types of work.

• Vibrant ground-floor zone: Every project pays detailed attention to the high-quality treatment of the base level of the buildings.

• Flexible urban buildings: Spaces and constructional methods that offer flexibility create versatile quarters that are adaptable and, hence, offer a sustainable quality of life – over decades. This is the simplest way of saving resources.

• Functional mix and innovation: All actors support the creation of a district with the function of an urban centre by helping to attract anchor projects and public institutions.

2018

The BVwG approves the EIA for the urban and transport planning of the north of Seestadt. Opening of Aspern Nord station.

2020

Jane-Jacobs-Steg becomes the fastest ‘northsouth connection’ between the Lakeside Crescent Quarter and the Lakeside Park Quarter.

2021

Opening of Elinor-Ostrom-Park, with its wide range of sporting and other activities, and of the Liselotte-Hansen-Schmidt-Campus.

• Climate adaptation and climate protection: Each project is required to introduce measures to improve the urban microclimate and reduce the consumption of resources. Seestadt should be developed as an urban district in which the amount of energy generated in situ exceeds internal demand.

• Well-balanced mobility: Environmentally-friendly forms of sustainable urban mobility are encouraged, car parking spaces are concentrated in neighbourhood garages and the number of parking bays in public spaces and on the individual building plots is reduced in order to minimise the impact of motor vehicles on each neighbourhood.

These principles provide the basis for many further concepts. Because there is a strategy – a very well-thoughtout strategy – behind everything that happens in Seestadt, even if this may not be obvious at first sight. Projects of this scale, such as the realisation of a new urban district, have to be designed in great detail and coordinated with countless parties. At the same time, it is essential to remain flexible, to keep all long-term options open and to regularly realign one’s actions in line with the constantly changing parameters. This is the huge challenge that we must continue to meet in future.

2022

The International Building Exhibition visits Vienna. The ‘Lakeside Terraces Quarter’ is a key part of IBA_Wien 2022.

2023

QUARTER WORKSHOPS

Wien 3420 sells the building plots to developers, whom it then accompanies from the preparation of the planning to the occupation of the buildings. For a number of years it has been organising ‘Quarter Workshops’, in which it works together with all those who are developing projects in a quarter and considers the individual plots as an integrated ensemble. depending upon the planning or construction phase, a range of issues is addressed together with the city of Vienna.

district development demands intense communication! the ‘Quarter Workshops’ transform individual projects into integral components of a neighbourhood. these moderated workshops, which take place regularly from the initial design phase to completion, focus on the exchange of information between plots and the coordination with public spaces as well as multi-plot issues, from the energy supply to the logistics of relocation. And, of course, they also provide a vital platform for informal communication! the ‘Quarter Workshop’ was developed as a quality management instrument with the team of IBA_Wien in the run-up to the International Building Exhibition 2022 in Vienna on the basis of the recently built ‘Lakeside terraces Quarter’.

PETER HINTERKÖRNER

Head of Planning and Quality Management, Wien 3420

High-rise architecture competitions for the signature waterfront projects Lil-y am See, Pier05 and Seestadtkrokodil.

Autumn: opening of the NOA22 Health Hub, ROBIN Seestadt, with its record level of energy savings, and tz3.

ASPERN SEESTADT SETS STANDARDS

today, 14 years after the ground-breaking ceremony for the excavation of the lake, more than a third of the buildings in Seestadt have been completed. over 12,000 residents have moved into their new homes, more than 550 companies have relocated to the district and at least 5,000 people have made Seestadt their workplace. this is not the result of good fortune but, rather, has been driven by deep commitment coupled with a lot of brainpower. Because aspern Seestadt wants to keep a step ahead – rather than being a mere fellow-traveller. And it truly is a pioneer and a gamechanger in many areas.

out of 1,000 possible tQB points

The commitment of all participants to creating a good place to live and work has had an impact: A huge majority of residents love their Seestadt. According to a survey, 93 percent of those questioned are ‘happy’ or ‘very happy’ to live in Seestadt. 91 percent have seen their expectations fulfilled since moving to Seestadt – and the same applies to 61 percent of the companies based here.

This has been a long process. Because sustainable urban development is about much more than just building homes and streets. It must encourage a sense of community and offer excellent infrastructure while also saving resources and being climate-friendly and climate-compatible – and much more besides.

Wien 3420 and its project partners are realising such sustainable urban development in Seestadt on the basis of the three cornerstones of the Smart Climate City Strategy of the City of Vienna – quality of life, saving resources and innovation. The examples on the following pages demonstrate how they are doing this on the ground.

aspern Seestadt has sustainability in its DNA. But rather than just being the ‘City for the full life’ described in its claim, it also wants to be a ‘City for the full year’. Wien 3420 has long been a climate protection pioneer and, over the course of the past few years, has intensified its focus on the question of how to adapt to climate change.

The race against rapidly accelerating climate change –which is affecting Vienna more seriously than many other cities due to its geographic location – is proving to be very challenging because the period required to plan a project, navigate the various approval processes and construct and fully landscape a quarter is very long. And many more years must then pass before trees can truly offer shade and cool their surroundings. On the other hand, the issue of ‘urban heat’ has become extremely important to the public. Expectations are rightly very high but the evaluation of Seestadt in this context has often led to misunderstandings. This is another area in which EVA will, firstly, allow more objectivity and, secondly, (naturally) help us to optimise our future development strategies.

VIENNA REDUCES LAND CONSUMPTION

According to a 2022 report from the Environment Agency Austria, green land with an area equivalent to around 12 football pitches is built upon every day in Austria. This represents an annual loss of an area the size of Eisenstadt. aspern Seestadt is energetically fighting this trend by reducing its impact on valuable land and minimising the hard surfaces created in courtyards. For example, the current level of land consumption in Seestadt is just 66 m2 per inhabitant (of which just 48 m² has a hard surface) and this figure covers all building, transport, leisure and recreation areas including parks (but excluding water and woodland). This level of land consumption is already much lower than the Vienna average of 127 m2 (source: ÖROK, 2022), while the figure in rural areas can often be ten times higher. A key part of this success story is the stacking of functions in Seestadt’s multi-storey buildings, which starts with the shops and social infrastructure that are located in the ground-floor zones on the shopping streets. Above these, there is a mix of offices, commercial space and apartments. Cars are also stacked – in neighbourhood garages in each quarter that also incorporate social, cultural or sporting facilities – and parking is almost non-existent in public spaces. These are principally placed at the disposal of the people of Seestadt.

ABUNDANT GREEN AND OPEN SPACES

Giving people enough space is one of the main Seestadt principles and, according to the master plan, 50 percent of Seestadt is open space – which is mostly green and free of hard surfaces.

The already built part of Seestadt includes around 19.5 hectares of newly created public lake and parkland – the equivalent of around 28 football pitches.

The district is bordered to the west and the east by two strips of greenery known as ‘green belts’, which are central to the overarching green space concept of the City of Vienna and will interconnect in many places with See-

Legende

Seestadt

Status Gesamt Hergestellt

Grünraum

Feld, Acker, Grünfläche, Wald sowie Wiese

Planning Handbook of the Score for Public Space

stadt’s internal network of green and open spaces, as soon as this network reaches the edges of the district. Wherever possible, an important role is played by ‘green corridors’. These are richly landscaped streets that connect the neighbourhood parks, central urban spaces and larger-scale areas of landscaping. One such main green corridor will run from east to west, connecting Yella-Hertzka-Park, the Lakeside Park and Eastern Park, which is still at the preliminary design stage.

Bäume

Öffentlicher Raum & Grüngürtel

Datengrundlage: Flächenmehrzweckkarte FMZK (MA 41), Straßeninformationssystem SIS (MA 28) & Baumkataster (MA 42) von der Stadt Wien, Grünraum Privat & Bäume Grüngürtel (interner Dachansichtsplan)

this plan of the green spaces illustrates the proportion of green space in Seestadt while also recording each individual tree in the public spaces and in the strips of greenery to east and west (‘green belts’).

Grundkarte: basemap.at

EARLY GREENERY

Grünraum Seestadt

(Stand April 2024)

0 250500 125

Seestadt is often criticised for its lack of trees. But the facts are as follows: Almost 1,700 trees have been planted in public spaces alone since the beginning of the development process. Furthermore, around 1,500 trees can be found on the 34 hectares of the ‘green belts’ and around 950 on the various building plots.

Maßstab: 1:7 000

According to the ‘Score for Public Space’ drawn up by Gehl Architects, Seestadt’s open spaces are shaped by four ‘strings’ (based on those of a musical instrument), one of which is the ‘green string’. This is a series of locally anchored, green open spaces that connect with the overarching network of landscape spaces. In the spirit of a ‘green living room’, this green string, which is currently at the detailed design stage, will take the form of a child-friendly residential street with safe play areas that will communicate a sense of neighbourhood, clearly prioritise pedestrian and cycle traffic and provide a rich habitat for the flora and fauna of Seestadt.

Meter

Wien 3420 AG ©

‘Green things require time’, which is why not only the parks and streets were planted with greenery long before the start of construction work on Seestadt’s building plots. The ‘aspern Terraces’ leisure area in the green belt to the east was even the first part of the new district to be laid out and planted. This has had the desired effect of protecting the adjacent residential areas from building noise. It is also an early example of Seestadt’s circular economy – created from material excavated during the construction of the lake, it now acts as a ‘green transition’ to the Memorial Forest to the south and the district of Essling.

4,000 trees in Seestadt

SOLUTIONS FOR EXTREME WEATHER: SPONGE CITY, RAIN GARDENS

Accelerating climate change is accompanied by an increase in the number of extreme weather events, including heavy rain and the risk of flooding, and longer periods of drought. Seestadt has introduced a series of innovative measures designed to reduce the impact of such extremes.

The ‘Lakeside Crescent Quarter’ is the site of the first largescale application of the sponge city principle in Austria. Here, the roots of trees lining streets and paths are given a lot of room in which they can store rainwater. Trees with larger root zones also have broader crowns and this will help to ensure that at least 20 percent of the streets in the north of Seestadt will be shaded by trees – although current plans suggest that this area will be much greater. Upon completion, two-thirds of Seestadt will have a system of sponge city rainwater management.

Simple yet effective: The edge of Elinor-Ostrom-Park is home to the so-called rain gardens. These temporarily absorb rainwater from adjacent plots before it slowly seeps into the ground. The grassy hollows to the south and north of the large meadows are also important. These are dimensioned to retain the water expected to collect on

the adjacent plots during a once-in-every-30-years rainfall event and are planted with vegetation that, being tolerant to salt, is able to ‘pre-clean’ this surface water.

FACT CHECK: URBAN HEAT

In light of rising summer temperatures, many city dwellers are demanding even more measures against summer heat.

Although most of Seestadt’s trees are still very young, measurements show that temperatures in the district are average for Vienna and no different from, for example, the adjacent areas of detached housing. Heat loads in public spaces are only higher on certain summer days, particularly on public squares where the still young trees can neither provide adequate shade nor cool passers-by through transpiration. This is why such busy ‘hotspots’ now have spray mist showers to provide cooling. And of course the large lake has a similar effect.

Night cooling is also very important. In order to ensure that this continues to happen in the growing district, Wien 3420 is leaving nothing to chance. Microclimate simulations integrated into the planning of all new quarters ensure that the buildings and groups of trees are

HOW THE SPONGE CITY PRINCIPLE WORKS

A collecting basin filled with loose gravel and soil runs along streets, paths and parking bays. this ‘retention basin’ collects clean rainwater, while strongly soiled water is directed towards the drains. As a result, 70 percent of rainwater remains within the ecological cycle and trees have adequate supplies of water, even during longer hot periods. And an additional benefit of this smart system is a dramatic reduction in the risk of flooding during heavy rain.

* Public spaces include all public open spaces (streets, paths, squares and parks). They do not include building plots (and their open spaces) or the green corridors.

A video explaining the sponge city principle: trees cool Seestadt

FrAMEWorK

positioned to optimise not only cooling shade but also fresh air corridors.

And while developers in the already completed southern section of Seestadt were required to create large areas of green roof (whose simple design with a minimum of just eight centimetres of soil means that maintenance costs are low and, as this is not enough to permit human access, they provide a valuable habitat for flora and fauna), the EIA for the northern section demands intensive roof planting (with at least 20 centimetres of soil, which is enough for almost all plant species and ‘garden use’).

THE INTELLIGENT BUILDING SITE OPTIMISES MATERIAL MANAGEMENT

Seestadt is being developed over decades. This also means that construction never stops. Building sites are

7.5 million

fewer kilometres of truck journeys

not always pleasant for neighbours; however, the disruption to the quality of life in Seestadt and the adjacent districts has been minimised with the help of the ‘intelligent building site’. Measures such as the smart management of materials, washing of truck tyres to reduce dust, regular measurement of noise pollution and digital monitoring of

BEST PRACTICE TECHNOLOGY CENTRE SEESTADT

A model for commercial buildings: the first phase of the Vienna Business Agency’s technology centre Seestadt is an excellent example of a plus-energy building whose sustainability credentials are confirmed by a tQB evaluation (see page 17). the first phase of the building, which was ‘only’ required to receive 750 points, was awarded 974 points and, hence, almost achieved a perfect score. this tale of innovation is continuing in the form of the digital twins of tz2 and of tz3, which is currently on site. these are providing valuable information that is benefitting new projects in Seestadt and beyond.

transport operations, etc., ensure that the impact on both residents and the environment is as low as possible. Wien 3420 is also setting new standards for saving resources thanks to smart logistics and the recycling of materials: The material excavated from building sites normally has to be removed in the form of countless fully loaded trucks. This is not the case in Seestadt, where the vast majority of the material removed during the digging of the lake or the excavation pits for the buildings is stored, reprocessed and reused elsewhere in the district. Even the airfield runways were recycled and reused in the building of the road and path network. To date, this approach has reduced truck journeys and CO2 emissions by around 7.5 million kilometres and 8,400 tons, respectively.

A RANGE OF HOMES AND INDIVIDUALITY

Affordable homes with an unbeatable quality of life: Seestadt achieves this by ensuring that subsidised, affordable apartments make up two-thirds of its housing mix. To date, ten community housing initiatives have also realised uniquely individual projects, in which residents have generally been involved in the detailed design of their own apartments and the communal areas. The range of homes is complemented by over 1,000 privately-financed freehold and rental objects and around 1,000 student apartments. New model forms of combined living and working space are a particular feature of the latest ‘Lakeside Terraces Quarter’.

INNOVATION IN BUILDING STANDARDS

According to a UN report, the construction sector produced 38 percent of global CO2 emissions in 2019. Given the resulting realisation that the sector must take a lead by maximising its contribution to climate protection, high ecological standards and energy efficiency have always been a top priority during the development of Seestadt.

All buildings are evaluated and quality-assured in line with the Total Quality Building (TQB) Standard of the Austrian Sustainable Building Council (ÖGNB). Every project must meet these standards in the areas of ameni-

ASPERN SMART CITY RESEARCH (ASCR)

AScr was set up in 2013 by Siemens Österreich, Wien Energie, Wiener netze and the city of Vienna (Vienna Business Agency & Wien 3420). the basic objective of AScr is to develop innovative solutions for the future energy requirements of urban areas that ensure that the energy system becomes more efficient and environmentally friendly.

In line with the motto ‘using real data to achieve real solutions’, AScr focusses on research into concrete applications that are based on real data from Seestadt. this unique model of cooperation involves over 100 researchers from a range of scientific disciplines. AScr has already developed numerous patents and received international prizes and is playing a leading role in the development of solutions for the future of urban energy that are ‘ready to rollout’. 2024 marks the beginning of its third research period.

ties, technical quality, energy, health and comfort and resource efficiency. Ever since the first developer competition, all buildings in aspern Seestadt have been evaluated in line with the ÖGNB criteria. During the launch phase, buildings had to receive at least 750 out of the 1,000 potential ÖGNB quality points. Due to the experience gained since, the current target is at least 800.

In order to permit key aspects of sustainability to be addressed at an early stage of the design process, Wien 3420 worked with the ÖGNB to develop the web tool ‘aspern monitor’, whose simple, location-specific approach can extend as far as a building evaluation. Starting in 2024, developers are also able to use aspern monitor to subject their building projects to a parallel EU Taxonomy check and establish whether they meet the ‘aspern klimafit’ criteria.

Developed in line with the Smart City Framework Strategy of the City of Vienna, this aspern klimafit building standard defines strict quality criteria for new buildings in Seestadt that will be applied for the first time to a series of upcoming projects. The aim of the new standard is to produce buildings that, by meeting the requirement for greenhouse gas neutrality that will apply in 2040, contribute to the reduction in global warming. These criteria

Quality criteria for the aspern klimafit building standard

Building evaluation in Seestadt: aspern monitor

the spaces below the metro are efficiently used: as part of the park, with its cycle playground and diverse sporting facilities.

define performance targets for efficient energy use, renewable energy supplies and grid-friendly building design. From the second half of 2024, the standard will also work to remove CO2 from the construction process by defining a maximum level of grey (built-in) emissions.

ASCR: TOP-LEVEL ENERGY RESEARCH

Aspern Smart City Research Gmbh, ASCR for short, has been researching in Seestadt for a decade with the help of so-called ‘testbeds’ – buildings of different types – in the areas of smart building, smart grid, smart user and smart ICT, with the aim of developing energy solutions for the city of the future. ASCR is currently cooperating with the Vienna Business Agency and the ‘Digital findet Stadt’ innovation laboratory on a BIM (Building Information Modelling) pilot and demonstration project, in which a ‘digital twin’ of the third phase of the Seestadt Technology Centre was created at the start of the design process. This digital model enables relevant information and data to be collected as a means of simulating the entire building lifecycle. As a result, tz3 has been recognised as a model project for the ‘Vienna Digitalisation’ category of the new ‘Vienna 2030 – Business & Innovation’ strategy. And while tz3 is not yet complete, lessons learned during its design, construction and operation are already being applied by the city authorities and building specialists.

THE SEESTADT MOBILITY FUND

developers of garages must pay a certain amount per parking space into a specially created mobility fund and further payments are generated during the operational phase. this fund finances sustainable mobility in such forms as the ‘Seestadt FLottE’ system of free bike hire, mobility advice for the people of Seestadt, cycle training for children or the provision of shopping trolleys. It also funds mobility research.

MOBILITY CONCEPT: LEAVING THE PRIVATE CAR BEHIND

Seestadt emphasised environmentally-friendly transport from the very start. And the metro connection was in place even before the first residents moved into their homes. Was this a coincidence? Not at all.

Because public transport is the backbone of Seestadt’s mobility concept: Schottenring is just 22 minutes away by metro and Vienna Central Station can be reached by rail in just 18 minutes. ÖBB trains transport passengers to Bratislava in 51 minutes and seven bus routes and two tram routes (which are currently being planned and constructed) integrate Seestadt into the wider area and connect it with the major urban transport hubs.

And parking in public spaces is very deliberately minimised, with private cars being bundled together in neighbourhood garages.

b242 cars

for every 1,000 residents

Public spaces are principally living spaces for people; the cityscape of Seestadt should not be shaped by motor vehicles. This approach reduces both land consumption and the levels of heat absorbed by cars as they stand in the sun. Hence, Wien 3420 has resolutely applied the principle of the neighbourhood garage from the beginning: Car parking spaces are concentrated in these garages that are located up to five minutes by foot or a few hundred metres from each apartment. This distance is intentionally similar to the distance to the nearest bus or tram stop. Why? To ensure a level playing field when people are choosing their means of transport, and to prioritise safe spaces for moving around and relaxing rather than roads and car parks.

With an average of 0.7 spaces per apartment, the parking provision requirements are ambitious – and they work: In Seestadt there are around 242 cars for every 1,000 residents (Q4 2022) – a similar figure to the districts inside Vienna’s Gürtel.

In the first quarter to be built, almost all garages were underground. However, Seestadt soon recognised the advantages of above-ground garages and decided to focus on this concept in future. These are cheaper to build, cost less to operate and reduce anxiety among users due to their more open construction method. And, above all: Above-ground garages will be easier to repurpose or even dismantle when demand falls due to diminishing levels of private car ownership.

Seestadt’s developers have always looked for ways of making the switch from private cars to ‘new mobility’ as comfortable as possible: free shopping trolleys for every household, a system of free rental cycles and cargo bikes, extensive car-sharing options and the appointment of a team from TU Wien that is responsible for advising Seestadt’s residents about their personal transport needs and organising workshops for users of cargo bikes, etc.

‘THE CITY OF SHORT DISTANCES’

In the ‘15-minute city’, which is currently on everyone’s lips, everything that one needs for daily life should be accessible by foot or cycle within 15 minutes. Seestadt enshrined this principle of the ‘city of short distances’ in its master plan as far back as 2007. An intelligent mix of uses and the availability of infrastructure and services right on one’s doorstep – this signifies quality of life and means that many everyday tasks can be carried out by foot or bike.

And this is why pedestrian zones and footpaths – as well as well-structured cycle paths and cycle parking areas – shape today’s cityscape.

THE MODAL SPLIT IN SEESTADT –FICTION OR SOON-TO-BE REALITY?

With its target of 80 percent for the share of journeys made by environmentally-friendly means of transport, Seestadt was an absolute pioneer in the area of mobility, even before the City of Vienna formalised this target in STEP 2025:

How can this target be reached in Seestadt? By allowing residents, researchers, the city government and business to work together on the development of sustainable urban mobility. A key partner in this process is the aspern. mobil LAB innovation laboratory, which is supported by the Ministry for Climate Action and run by TU Wien and has been active in Seestadt since 2017. By participating in a mobility survey that started in 2019, the people of Seestadt are also making a major contribution to ensuring that urban planners understand their journeys and can improve their mobility options even further. The latest trend apparent in the reports of the ‘mobility panel’, which indicate that 78 percent of all journeys are now made using environmentally-friendly means of transport, is extremely promising.

more about mobility in Seestadt from the aspern.

LAB.

GENDER PLANNING

Seestadt is – not only – female! aspern Seestadt is also well-known internationally for the fact that its streets and squares are named after women. This is driving up the share of female street names in Vienna – although male names still dominate.

Further examples of gender-sensitive urban planning, of which there are many in Seestadt, may be less eye-catching but are all the more important.

Gender planning is about sharing the city fairly and addressing gender in terms of not only biological definitions but also the social roles of the people who live in or move around a district. Seestadt is notable for its diverse housing, its excellent accessibility, its simple, short and safe everyday journeys, the density of its public transport infrastructure and the high quality of its public spaces, with their many attractive and consumption-free meeting places.

SEESTADT AS A DYNAMIC BUSINESS LOCATION

Besides being a residential location, Seestadt also stands for economic growth, progress and business innovation in the ‘New Vienna’. Urban manufacturing not only takes

Hannah Arendt, Janis Joplin or Agnes Primocic – Seestadt’s streets are named after great women. the brochure ‘Die Seestadt ist weiblich’ (the Seestadt is Female) tells the stories of the women who have lent their names to the district.

place here, but also generates know-how that is ‘exported’. Numerous R&D facilities and the first biotech companies have already relocated to the district.

The innovation nucleus that gives Seestadt that campus feeling: No facility shapes the profile of Seestadt as much as the Technology Centre of the Vienna Business Agency. The two already completed phases of the growing hub for Industry 4.0, R&D and tech-savvy companies contain 14,000 m2 of usable space; 4,900 m2 of further production and office space will be added when tz3 is completed in 2024 and two further phases are due to follow. Companies that move to Seestadt appreciate the openness to networking and the innovative strength of their new neighbourhood: Institutions currently located in the Technology Centre include the European Institute of Technology (EIT), the Pilot Plant for Industry 4.0 of TU Wien, the Austrian Center for Digital Production CDP, the University of Sustainability and a number of ambitious Austrian tech start-ups.

Another pioneering project is the Gewerbehof of the Vienna Business Agency, a smart building for manufacturing and craft-based businesses, whose approximately 7,500 m2 offer space for 40 companies. This provides ideal conditions for not only workshops but also production-oriented service providers and manufacturers –thanks to, on the one hand, its perfect logistics solutions and, on the other hand, the fact that they can find their customers in the immediate vicinity.

The first major company to move to Seestadt was the international technology specialist HOERBIGER Holding AG. It was followed by the integrative training-based social enterprise wienwork, which, with 700 employees, is now the district’s largest employer. The first well-known biotech company in Seestadt was Biomay, which moved its headquarters to the district while also increasing its production capacity ten-fold. The international biopharma group Takeda is currently realising its high-tech laboratory of the future, which will be a model of maximum sustainability.

B550 companies in 2024

UNIQUE IN AUSTRIA: THE MANAGED SHOPPING STREET

How does one guarantee a sound retail infrastructure from day one that will also grow in an economically stable way throughout many development phases and decades? By creating Austria’s first managed shopping street. The huge advantage of the Seestadt concept: The range of services is not left to chance but adapts in line with demand.

Seestadt has no purely residential quarters. We ensure that the ground floor of every project also contains commercial and non-residential functions. this makes a major contribution to the well-mixed and lively atmosphere. And our managed shopping street also ensures that there’s no need to build a shopping mall on a greenfield site.

MARTIN HESIK Management Board, aspern Seestadt Einkaufsstraßen GmbH

As Seestadt grows, so do the options for eating out. A wide range of cafés and restaurants shape the cityscape and invigorate the shopping street.

aspern Seestadt Einkaufsstraßen GmbH, a joint venture between Wien 3420 and the retail experts of ‘SES Spar European Shopping Centers’, has now overseen the management and operation of the central retail areas in Seestadt for over a decade. The right outlets at the right time in the right location, adapted to meet local needs and expectations – this is the mantra of the shopping street operator, which combines classic expertise from the shopping centre sector with the know-how and vision of our specialists in sustainable urban development.

And this is how it works: The GmbH acts as the general tenant of the ground-floor units in defined core zones, looks for retail and gastronomic partners who reflect the desired sectoral mix and gradually expands the offer in line with demand: This creates a diverse range of neighbourhood supermarkets, drugstores, bakeries and restaurants, etc., and a mix of well-known brands and independents.

The managed shopping street currently covers around 8,000 m2 of retail space, the next development phase will involve a gastro zone of 1,500 m2 on the north shore of the lake and the completed Seestadt will contain up to 30,000 m2 of managed retail space.

30,000 m² of managed retail space upon completion

Alongside this guaranteed range of local shopping and services, Wien 3420 also sees its managed shopping street strategy as a means of pursuing a further objective – namely, as a way of attracting further businesses to occupy the units in the ground-floor zones of Seestadt that are directly let out by developers. And this approach is working: The vacancy rate of less than ten percent for the over 20,000 m² of lettable ground-floor space that is not located on the managed shopping street demonstrates that the base zone of Seestadt is bucking the negative trends associated with the ongoing challenges and structural changes of the retail landscape.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Wien 3420 is also working hard to ensure the diversity of leisure, cultural and entertainment options in Seestadt. And not only because EVA has underlined the high expectations of residents. Even before the very first construction work had started, the development company had introduced a concept of curated use. This aimed to encourage neighbourhood and cultural initiatives while also creating a basic network of events facilities and meeting spaces. As a result, the first temporary open-air zones and spaces for events and artistic interventions were created under the collective label ‘Impulse Spaces’. With the ongoing development of Seestadt into a regional centre, further unusual spaces continue to be added to the list: The ground-floor zones of several above-ground garages are available – sometimes even free of charge –as venues for artistic, cultural and neighbourhood activities.

With its integrated theatre, the Kulturgarage is an excellently equipped location with a capacity of over 400 that regularly hosts cultural events – from cabaret via music to plays and exhibitions. The Kulturgarage is operated by the Volkshochschule Wien.

aspern Seestadt is also energetically growing its share of Vienna’s important visitor economy and positioning itself as an ideal location for fairs, conferences and major events in the B2B and B2C markets. ARIANA, which has space for up to 830 people, is Vienna’s most state-of-theart events location.

the planned project ‘Lil-y am See’ will occupy the largest section of the ‘waterfront’ on the northern shore of asperner See. (competition entry 2023)

WHAT’S NEXT? A PLACE TO HAVE A GREAT TIME!

Enjoying one’s leisure time also means ‘going out’. One upcoming highlight is the strip of waterfront restaurants in the ‘Lakeside Terraces Quarter’ on the northern shore of the lake, which is currently at the design stage. With its arcades and elegant green promenade, restaurant terraces and consumption-free meeting places, it will provide some urban flair, right on the water’s edge.

THREE CHEERS FOR SPORT

From early 2026, Seestadt will be home to the ÖFB Campus, where the new offices of the Austrian FA will be integrated into the national team’s spacious, state-of-the-art training centre, whose facilities will also be available to local clubs. The sports facilities of Seestadt’s schools are also available to local organisations outside school hours.

The five sky soccer pitches of the ‘Soccerbase’ on the roof of one of the above-ground garages are popular meeting places for football enthusiasts of all ages.

With their numerous outdoor sports and training areas, the popularity of Seestadt’s parks stretches beyond the boundaries of the district, which is also well-known for its climbing hall, BMX track and skate park. The wide range of indoor facilities includes the fitness club in HoHo Wien, several yoga and martial arts studios and a pole-dancing studio – to name just a few.

Over the past few years, aspern Seestadt has also established itself as an arena for sporting events such as the Seestadtlauf and a triathlon.

THE REWARD FOR THIS HARD WORK: NUMEROUS ARCHITECTURE AND SUSTAINABILITY PRIZES … AND MORE

The fact that Seestadt works is not only demonstrated by the satisfaction of its residents and businesses – The district’s innovative energy has also been confirmed by many external awards. In 2019, for example, Seestadt received two State Prizes for Architecture and Sustainability from the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism: in the ‘Ensemble’ category for the quarter around HannahArendt-Park and in the ‘New Building’ category for Aspern Federal Secondary School.

The community housing initiative ‘LISA – Leben in der Seestadt Aspern’ received the Public’s Prize of wohnfonds_wien in 2019 and the PopUp Dorms were awarded the FIABCI World Prix d’Excellence in 2019 and the Prix d’Excellence Austria in the ‘Affordable Living’ category in 2018. Further honours include numerous klimaaktiv awards, the presentation of the Immobilienmanager Award to Wien 3420 and the award of the VCÖ Mobility Prize to a number of projects in Seestadt.

However, the highpoint of this stream of prizes to date was the award of the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize 2020 to the City of Vienna. The prize, which is presented every two years by the City of Singapore, honours outstanding performance and contributions to the creation of liveable, dynamic and sustainable urban communities all around the world. aspern Die Seestadt Wiens featured prominently in the report of the prize jury.

A city for the full life. the demands facing Seestadt are very diverse. EVA aims to address them proactively.

the objective of EVA is to provide the team from Wien 3420, together with its owners and partners, with a set of quality management coordinates that can be used until the end of the development phase – so that Seestadt can remain what it always was: not just a strong brand but a source of added value for Vienna. A pioneer and an urban Lab – a place of reflection and learning. At the same time, its findings should be used for fact-based, transparent, external project communication. For us, working on EVA alongside the team from Wien 3420 was a fascinating task. And we have created a tool that can be used as both a stimulus and a model for other urban development projects.

HERBERT BARTIK

Head of Urban Quarters & Real Estate, UIV

JOHANNES LUTTER

Head of Urban Development & Mobility, UIV

EVA IS MEASURABLE

the decision to carry out a critical interim assessment and to use this as the basis for drawing strategic conclusions about the next development phases marked the start of a fascinating journey for Wien 3420. EVA, the evaluation that took place in 2022, led to a new system of objectives in 2023/2024 and to a commitment to constantly monitor and report upon Seestadt’s future achievements.

Wien 3420 commissioned UIV Urban Innovation Vienna GmbH, the climate and innovation agency of the City of Vienna, to provide expert support to this project, which, besides being unique in Austria, also has very few international equivalents. UIV’s role is to promote and implement innovative solutions to urban challenges.

The process of strategic evaluation was based on two pillars – the pillar of empiricism and the pillar of benchmarking.

EVA stands for …

BENCHMARKING

Monitoring + Reporting

EVA

Surveying + Dialogue

the journey to Seestadt’s new system of objectives is presented in this diagram:

The core of the pillar of empiricism was a so-called ‘Deep Dive’, which enabled the various paradigms for development and action and the resulting qualities of Seestadt to be comprehensively examined and analysed by various specialists and stakeholder groups. This process involved over 100 experts, who participated in focus group meetings and 30 individual interviews. The findings of the Deep Dive offer an overview of these experts’ assessment of both Seestadt’s current qualities and the ongoing potential of and challenges to the district.

The pillar of benchmarking will make it possible to improve the objectivity of the project performance vis-à-vis the project objectives and the overarching aims of the City of Vienna. The central output of this pillar is the development of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), on the basis of which the future development of the project will be not only structured but also evaluated and even transparently presented in line with the motto ‘That’s what you should use to judge us’.

The set of KPIs developed during the process is embedded in an overriding system of objectives that accommodates all new challenges and aspirations. To this end, the existing objectives were adapted in line with the findings of the Deep Dive. In addition to this, the evaluation criteria of a selection of other international urban development zones were also studied as a means of enriching Seestadt’s new set of KPIs and providing a basis for international comparison. The information collected during a brand controlling exercise in the run-up to the Deep Dive helped in the formulation of target values for the evaluation of the KPIs.

WHERE TO START?

As a starting point for the interim assessment, the team from UIV analysed the current system of objectives on the basis of over 25 strategy papers, internal documents and publications. This led to the compilation of focal issues and objectives within eight areas of activity that provided content for the Deep Dive that took place in partnership with experts and stakeholders (residents, local businesses, etc.).

The preparation of this Deep Dive also involved the use of many data sources, which were grouped together under the label of brand controlling: One of these was the so-called ‘resident monitoring’ process, a scientific study of satisfaction levels among the residents of the district, which was commissioned for the third time by the City of Vienna and Wien 3420 in 2022 and completed in 2023. Earlier surveys of residents’ opinions about their living situation and the development of Seestadt were carried out by an interdisciplinary team of researchers in 2015 and 2019.

Further information was obtained from a survey of the image and qualities of Seestadt among residents of the district and private individuals and companies from outside Seestadt, which was carried out across Vienna and the wider region in 2022.

The team also studied the results of a media resonance analysis that is commissioned annually by Wien 3420 and of the Business District Survey 2022 for the 22nd District by the Vienna Economic Chamber, MA 21 and the Vienna Business Agency.

The ‘Deep Dive’ involved 116 people: UIV’s experts carried out a total of 30 individual interviews and 11 focus group meetings. These led to the definition of the qualities and potential of and the challenges to Seestadt in each of these eight predetermined areas of activity.

The next step was a detailed discussion of the new system of objectives, which was led by the team from Wien 3420 together with the members of the aspern Advisory Board and several external experts.

Focal issues and objectives were drawn up for these eight areas of activity

URBAN STRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SPACE

QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL ASPECTS

This led to the definition of nine key strategic objectives within the areas of activity, each of which was set out more concretely in a series of ‘sub-objectives’. Indicators (Key Performance Indicators – KPIs) were allocated to these sub-objectives so that the level of success in achieving these targets could be monitored. A monitoring handbook that defines the precise surveying methodology, target values and development path for each KPI permits the standardised periodic control of the system. All future monitoring and reporting by EVA will focus on measuring the level of success in achieving these targets.

SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE

ARCHITECTURE AND HOUSING

Further sources of inspiration and reflection during the development of this bespoke set of KPIs included a selection of international urban development areas, which have taken a similarly ambitious approach to measuring the success of urban district development: London (Olympic Legacy), Paris (Clichy-Batignolles), Copenhagen (Nordhavn), Stockholm (Royal Seaport) and Freiburg im Breisgau (Dietenbach).

The framework is thus in place and survey work is underway. And this will be a long-term process because

transparency and measurability will continue to play a key role. Like Seestadt itself, EVA is conceived as a longterm project and will continue to be carried out every two years.

Hence, this monitoring must be seen as a ‘work in progress’. It has not been possible to measure all KPIs from day one due to the fact that certain indicators explicitly refer to future development phases or to quality requirements that are only due to be ‘passed on’ to future developers.

KPI-BASED MONITORING FOR ASPERN SEESTADT

The following pages illustrate the nine key strategic objectives together with all sub-objectives and KPIs, each set out on a double page. The existing objectives were adapted in line with the findings from the Deep Dive. Some of the KPIs explicitly refer to the next development phase and some to the overall development of Seestadt.

The selection of the KPIs was guided by such criteria as the S.M.A.R.T. method: Specific – Measurable – Achievable – Relevant – Time-Bound. In situations where strategic objectives or sub-objectives cannot be directly measured, we have selected ‘proxy-indicators’ that allow us to draw at least indirect conclusions about development trends and desired objectives.

the detailed measurement and evaluation of urban development: unique in Austria in terms of its scope and aspirations, EVA is also one of few first movers worldwide.

EVA ESTABLISHES NEW OBJECTIVES

1

the public spaces are full of quality, climate-resilient and interact with the private spaces.

1 The public spaces in aspern Seestadt are inclusive and designed to a very high quality; people like spending time in these public spaces.

2 The design of the public spaces reduces heat islands.

2

aspern Seestadt offers an excellent quality of life to everyone who lives and works here and enables them to shape their everyday lives in a fulfilling and comfortable way.

1 The residents enjoy living in Seestadt.

2 aspern Seestadt offers a pleasant working environment for all forms of work.

3 Seestadt offers an environment that supports good health. 4 Housing in aspern Seestadt is diverse and affordable.

As a model climate district, aspern Seestadt demonstrates how Vienna can meet its climate targets while fulfilling the requirements for a sustainable lifestyle and treating resources with care.

1 aspern Seestadt is notable for its careful approach to the use of land.

2 All quarters and buildings in Seestadt are in a position to meet Vienna’s Smart City Climate Targets and the climate protection requirements of EU Taxonomy. The aspern klimafit standard sets the rules for new buildings, while existing buildings are constantly being upgraded and improved.

3 aspern Seestadt provides a model for adapting to climate change and maintaining biodiversity.

3 aspern Seestadt stands for the ability to dismantle and recycle buildings and materials in public spaces.

4

1 aspern Seestadt embodies the successful combination of urbanity and nature.

2 Seestadt demonstrates a high level of ecological resilience against the effects of climate change.

3 The proactive design of Seestadt means that all its population is protected against excessive heat levels.

5

aspern Seestadt is dynamic and urban and notable for the high architectural quality and diversity of its cityscape.

1 A professional culture of building and design competitions ensures a high-quality cityscape.

2 A functional mix and flexibility of use are basic principles of the structure of Seestadt.

9

7

6

aspern Seestadt is a business location that inspires and stands for progress, innovation and the pioneering spirit.

1 aspern Seestadt offers a dynamic environment to companies in every phase of development.

2 Seestadt is an attractive location for life sciences and Industry 4.0.

aspern Seestadt guarantees low-co2, city-friendly, comfortable and safe mobility.

1 aspern Seestadt and the surrounding area are well integrated into the Umweltverbund.

2 Commercial and business traffic in Seestadt will largely be CO2-free by 2030.

3 Journeys in Seestadt are safe journeys.

4 Car parking is optimised in the spirit of the Umweltverbund.

8

aspern Seestadt is a mixed-use district that is integrated into its urban and regional context and has an impact well beyond its borders.

1 aspern Seestadt is a key district centre within Donaustadt and offers a broad range of services.

2 Seestadt is an attractive destination for the people and businesses of the Marchfeld.

aspern Seestadt enjoys local and international recognition as a model city that has the courage to experiment.

1 With its distinctive strengths and high visibility, aspern Seestadt is an unmistakeable brand and the Urban Lab for Smart City Vienna.

2 Seestadt is an attractive events location and a place that inspires visitors.

3 Co-creation contributes to the shaping of identity.

Notes: Public spaces include all public open spaces (streets, paths, squares and parks but not building plots). ‘Public circulation spaces’ refers to streets, paths and squares but neither parks nor building plots. The Umweltverbund is the collective term for all forms of green or eco-mobility, from public transport, car-sharing and taxis to cycling and walking.

URBAN STRUCTURE AND PUBLIC SPACE

In 2019, the pioneering district of Seestadt won two State Prizes for Architecture and Sustainability – one for the ensemble around Hannah-Arendt-Park and one for Seestadt Federal Secondary School, which was realised by BIG.

Strategic Objective the public spaces are full of quality, climate-resilient and interact with the private spaces.

Sub-objective the public spaces in aspern Seestadt are inclusive and designed to a very high quality; people like spending time in these public spaces.

KPI Subjective awareness of the quality of the public spaces

Sub-objective the design of the public spaces reduces heat islands.

KPI Degree of hard surfacing of public circulation spaces

KPI Shading of all important routes in public spaces

KPI Amount of cover provided by mature trees in public circulation spaces

Seestadt’s public spaces are the starting point for all planning processes – and their high quality is central to the Seestadt brand. By commissioning Gehl Architects to draw up the ‘Score for Public Space’ immediately after the conclusion of the master planning process, Wien 3420 underlined its new approach to urban development. It consciously scales public spaces according to use –from generous urban squares, via broad barrier-free pavements that are treated as shared spaces, to more intimate, semi-private courtyards. And one very special place is asperner See – right at the heart of the district.

ted Vienna as a whole: From the sense of security and equality that is the right of all users of public spaces, via the district’s short distances, to the creation of a centre with a strong sense of identity.

Seestadt’s developers have set high standards for the quality and vibrancy of its public spaces from day one. They defined a range of instruments for achieving this quality, including a sophisticated combination of functions and scales (that is reflected in the architecture), the diverse use of ground-floor zones, a focus on short journeys thanks to the quality of local services and the high level of appropriability, flexibility and adaptability of the streets, squares and parks.

As Seestadt has evolved, Wien 3420 has reflected intensely in order to assess the achievement of its objectives and learn the necessary lessons. This has led to, for example, a reduction of street widths and a smaller-scale approach to the design of the district’s public squares.

One key conclusion of the Deep Dive is that Seestadt is definitely a success – the scale of the success, however, will be determined by the next few phases of development.

According to experts, the standards developed here have improved the quality of urban development and benefit-

While Seestadt has met all its obligations in this area of activity, the Deep Dive also generated suggestions for further improvements. One key question, which is shared with other areas of activity, is how to achieve the perfect variety of functions. Proposed solutions range from the well-known approach of open-use design, via models for the cross-funding of desired functions or a quality handbook for urban planning, to the creation of special landmarks. Similarly, intermediate uses could be experimentally introduced on vacant plots. For all of these ideas, however, it is vital to avoid the over-orchestration of their implementation.

Given the scale of climate change it is clear that these new districts must move away from creating oversized and functionally flexible spaces and focus on climate-resilient open spaces that are also pleasant to use in an overheated city. Wien 3420 has long recognised the need for this shift and integrated it into its preparatory work and competitions for several years. It is currently working on public spaces in the north of the district that will once again be exemplary (for Austria).

ANNA DETZLHOFER President of the ÖGLA (Austrian Society for Landscape Architecture)

QUALITY OF LIFE AND SOCIAL ASPECTS

2

Strategic Objective aspern Seestadt offers an excellent quality of life to everyone who lives and works here and enables them to shape their everyday lives in a fulfilling and comfortable way.

Sub-objective the residents enjoy living in Seestadt.

KPI Residential satisfaction

KPI Quality of communal life

KPI Sense of security

Sub-objective aspern Seestadt offers a pleasant working environment for all forms of work.

KPI Overall impression of Seestadt of all those who work here

Sub-objective Seestadt offers an environment that supports good health.

KPI Places for play, movement and sport that are available to all residents and visitors

KPI Registered doctors and other medical service providers

KPI Opportunities for urban gardening

Sub-objective Housing in aspern Seestadt is diverse and affordable.

KPI Proportion of total living space that is categorised as affordable housing

KPI Special residential typologies that have been realised

KPI Diversity of residential typologies

Seestadt is planned as a fully-fledged urban district – with a high-quality social infrastructure for all ages and a broad range of services that meets their day-today needs. It should offer a high quality of life and enable all its residents to live together in peace and security.

Y93 %

of the people of Seestadt enjoy or really enjoy living here

The Deep Dive confirmed that key qualities are already firmly anchored in Seestadt: It is seen as an innovative, affordable and safe place to live. And as a cooperative community that successfully initiates and accompanies participative processes and has established a wide range of sharing programmes. It is often described as having an atmosphere of ‘relaxed urbanity’

The most important opportunities and possibilities mentioned by respondents were:

• More space for young people – outdoors and indoors – based on such existing spaces as the youth centre or the lakeside terraces in the summer months.

• Co-creative events as a driver: The creation of spaces and opportunities for co-creation and neighbourhood activities should be pushed further.

• A testbed for social innovation: Seestadt is also rated highly in this area. And there is potential for further strategic developments such as the implementation of innovative sharing models or multi-generational residential models.

In 2022/2023, a programme of ‘resident monitoring’ took place in Seestadt for the third time. This is a comprehensive study of residential satisfaction carried out by a scientific team made up of researchers from the Institute of Sociology of the University of Vienna and the Competence Centre for Social Work of FH Campus Wien in cooperation with the Seestadt Neighbourhood Management Office. As in 2015 and 2019, the study showed that a large majority of the people of Seestadt enjoy living in the district.

One fascinating aspect of the study was the extent to which the residents think about and, indeed, take an active interest in the image of Seestadt.

Many residents take a real interest in the image of and media reports about the district. When such reports appear in Vienna’s daily newspapers, they can trigger emotions and reactions in social media, reactions that can be seen as expressing the identification of residents with their district. When these reports are negative they defend Seestadt. the reporting on Seestadt is naturally affected by the economic situation. certain subjects, such as the need for local shops and services, return whenever new people move into new parts of the district. during the early settlement phase of the Pioneer Quarter, reports focussed on the design of the district and the issue of new development zones. Since 2017, this focus has moved towards subjects like urban heat and green landscaping, Seestadt as a Model Smart city and the community housing initiatives. Media reports of the IBA positioned Seestadt as an innovative urban district that could act as a flagship for urban development across Vienna.

CORNELIA DLABAJA

Endowed Professor for Sustainable Urban Tourism at FH Wien der WKW

SUSTAINABILITY AND SAVING RESOURCES

Strategic Objective

As a model climate district, aspern Seestadt demonstrates how Vienna can meet its climate targets while fulfilling the requirements for a sustainable lifestyle and treating resources with care.

Sub-objective aspern Seestadt is notable for its careful approach to the use of land.

KPI Land consumption per resident

Sub-objective All quarters and buildings in Seestadt are in a position to meet Vienna’s Smart city climate targets and the climate protection requirements of Eu taxonomy. the aspern klimafit standard sets the rules for new buildings, while existing buildings are constantly being upgraded and improved.

KPI Actual final energy consumption of the buildings

KPI Annual energy production from photovoltaic plant on buildings

KPI Energy generated from renewable sources for the heating and cooling of buildings

KPI Grey CO2 and grey energy in buildings

(for current/future projects: target values and methodology of data collection to be agreed with statutory authorities, researchers and developers)

Sub-objective aspern Seestadt stands for the ability to dismantle and recycle buildings and materials in public spaces.

KPI Ease of repurposing, dismantling and recycling buildings and materials

KPI Proportion of recycled and reused materials in new buildings

(for current/future projects: target values and methodology of data collection to be agreed with statutory authorities, researchers and developers)

Given the growing importance of the area of activity of ‘Sustainability and climate’, it has been assigned two strategic objectives. Emboldened by the Smart climate city Strategy and the Vienna climate roadmap, Wien 3420 is continuously developing instruments that will enable it to reach Vienna’s climate targets and constantly setting new standards (for itself). during the deep dive, experts labelled Seestadt’s buildings, all of which have been certified by the ÖGnB since 2011, as ‘future-proof’. this alone ensures that Eu taxonomy compliance is as good as guaranteed.

Uland consumption per capita

Saving resources has always been a focus of Seestadt. This begins with an economical approach to land use that can be traced back to the original master plan and is also seen in the district’s intelligent management of excavated material, the high levels of recycling on its building sites and the smart energy solutions that are developed and tested in Seestadt by ASCR. Meanwhile, the importance of building materials and building itself continues to grow. For example, the factors addressed by the latest aspern klimafit building standard include the reduction of emissions across the entire building lifecycle.

By deciding to deploy district heating across Seestadt, Wien 3420 met the demand for a long-term decarbonised energy supply from day one of the development process. While all buildings have always been realised to meet (or almost meet) passive house standards, some that are being realised today – such as ROBIN Seestadt – can be largely heated and cooled autarkically due to their intelligent construction and their use of renewable energy. In the Quarter Workshop in the next district in the north of Seestadt, the Seecarré, developers and energy suppliers are working together on a local ‘anergy grid’ that will de-

liver renewable heating to multiple plots.

According to the experts involved in the Deep Dive – and the development company itself – these successes are only the beginning. All the data generated by energy researchers and by the ÖGNB’s obligatory TQB Monitor will be gathered so that more lessons can be learned. Wherever possible, district heating should be replaced by renewable energy. In line with the circular economy, the repurposing and recycling of buildings and materials will become even more important. Open-use buildings, whose floor heights and constructional methods give them a high level of functional flexibility, have been realised in Seestadt for years. Every square centimetre of every plot is fought over with the aim of minimising land consumption. At 66 m² per resident, the figure for Seestadt is already extremely low.

A potpourri of sustainability strategies in Seestadt provides active climate protection. the district is known for its efficient use of energy. But less is known about its exemplary success in limiting consumption of the valuable resource of land. despite the fact that it already has many of the facilities that are still lacking elsewhere as well as an impressive amount of commercial space. this success is partly due to the fact that the developers think in several dimensions. the stacking of functions within buildings and cars within neighbourhood garages ensures that Seestadt remains compact. As does the cooperative, multi-plot planning approach, which ensures that certain functions aren’t duplicated in the quarter and others aren’t forgotten. other benefits include the focus on multifunctional spaces and short distances and the excellent public transport network. For many, this is already much more attractive than owning a car, despite the fact that Seestadt is hardly downtown. Vienna’s new urban development zones are building on all that Seestadt has tested, developed and successfully applied during the past decade.

ROBERT LECHNER Vienna Climate Council

CLIMATE SENSITIVITY AND RESILIENCE

Strategic Objective aspern Seestadt provides a model for adapting to climate change and maintaining biodiversity.

Sub-objective aspern Seestadt embodies the successful combination of urbanity and nature.

KPI Proportion of green space in aspern Seestadt (streets, squares, parks, developed building plots and green corridors)

KPI Proportion of green and open space on the building plots

Sub-objective Seestadt demonstrates a high level of ecological resilience against the effects of climate change.

KPI Proportion of areas that enable rainwater to seep away or be collected for irrigation purposes

KPI Diversity of species in areas accessible to the public

Sub-objective the proactive design of Seestadt means that all its population is protected against excessive heat levels.

KPI Buildings with external solar protection

KPI Amount of cover provided by mature trees in public circulation spaces

KPI Shading of all important routes in public spaces

KPI Accessibility of high-quality greenery in public spaces

KPI Degree of hard surfacing of public circulation spaces

Earth is getting hotter. Extreme summer heat and long periods of drought interspersed with ever more serious rainfall events are creating problems for people worldwide. And while cities can make a huge contribution to climate protection, they are also particularly exposed to its impact. due to its geographical location, Vienna is one of the regions of central Europe most affected by global warming. In other words, the reasons behind the second strategic objective in the area of ‘Sustainability and climate’ are not specific to Seestadt. But the response certainly is.

j19.5 hectares

current area of lake and parkland

Seestadt aspires to be a model of climate adaptation and the preservation of biodiversity and is working hard to achieve this. Given the serious criticism of recent years regarding excessive soil sealing and the failure to create enough green space, this aspiration may appear foolhardy. However, the figures gathered for EVA demonstrate that Seestadt is on the right track.

Seestadt is not cutting corners in the creation of green space. Despite a target of 35 percent green space, the current figure – for the almost 120 hectares already developed – is a very high 46 percent. Green courtyards, the greenery lining Seestadt’s streets and the district’s parks all support biodiversity.

By the first quarter of 2024, almost 1,700 trees had been planted in public spaces alone (streets, squares and parks). Around 1,500 further trees can be found in areas looked after by the MA 49 Department (woodland and green corridors). These do not include trees on building plots – in courtyards and other private open spaces. However: it will take many years, and a certain amount of luck, before these trees can provide effective shade and cool-

ing, because heat, drought, disease and pests are making life hard for many species of tree, however well they are looked after. And these problems have severely reduced the variety of trees on Vienna’s streets in recent years. Cities across Europe are looking for and checking the resilience of new species of urban tree. And Seestadt is testing ways of helping them to survive and flourish.

The Environmental Impact Assessment prescribed that at least 20 percent of the public circulation spaces (streets and squares) in the north of Seestadt must be naturally shaded. According to current plans, this figure will be much higher in some areas – even up to 40 percent – when the trees planted on streets and squares reach maturity. The development plan for the next phases of Seestadt also envisages the greening of street fronts. The sponge city principle, in which rainwater is stored in basins alongside the roots of trees, will make a major contribution to their healthy growth. Importance is also attached to the seepage of rainwater – with extensive consideration being given to creating ‘rain gardens’ and seepage basins and to minimising the area of courtyards with hard surfacing or basements.

the impact of climate change can be felt very clearly and is changing the demands on urban planning. this is why Wien 3420 cannot and does not want to stand still when implementing its standards. one key adaptation strategy is the expansion of the green infrastructure, the range of nature-based solutions that reduce overheating by helping to cool the city. With its rules for the amount of green and open space that were developed as part of a joint research project, Wien 3420 shows how to implement such solutions. thanks to this new instrument, Seestadt is providing a model for a standard that should go on to apply to the whole of Vienna.

FLORIAN REINWALD

Institute for Landscape Planning, Vienna University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

ARCHITECTURE AND HOUSING

Strategic Objective

aspern Seestadt is dynamic and urban and notable for the high architectural quality and diversity of its cityscape.

Sub-objective A professional culture of building and design competitions ensures a high-quality cityscape.

KPI Proportion of building plots that, at the time of sale, is subject to urban planning guidelines, a location-related quarter profile and/or a binding quality manual

KPI Proportion of building plots whose quality is ensured by competitions (or similar) on the basis of guidelines, quarter profiles or quality manuals

KPI Proportion of projects whose project objectives can be monitored by the aspern Advisory Board

Sub-objective A functional mix and flexibility of use are basic principles of the structure of Seestadt.

KPI Proportion of non-residential uses on building plots with housing

KPI Realisation of special forms of housing

ominimum level of commercial functions in urban buildings

the architecture of Seestadt should be aesthetically diverse and of the highest technical quality. Buildings in Seestadt are functionally flexible and combine spaces with different requirements, all under one roof. they aspire to accommodate a variety of changing uses over a long lifecycle. By responding to their surroundings they contribute to the creation of dynamic public spaces. A central objective is to provide affordable and high-quality living space for a range of lifestyles.

Two-thirds of the homes in Seestadt will eventually be subsidised or affordable. This target has already been achieved by the three quarters realised so far. The architecture has generally been received very positively, even if it is sometimes considered to be more (arbitrarily) homogenous than architects and urban planners would like. A further widespread view of the architecture to date is that it has a small-scale quality that makes it both versatile and interesting.

According to the Deep Dive, projects and structures in Seestadt are simply well built. The reasons for this include the binding rules for minimum ceiling heights, communicating ground-floor zones and flexible and multi-use architecture that are widely defined in the quality management process, together with the rule that has been in place since the Lakeside Crescent Quarter that at least 20 percent of every project must consist of non-residential space. A key role is also played here by the neighbourhood garages.

Attention was also drawn to the high levels of care and cooperation on the building site. These are largely the result of cooperative planning processes involving developers, designers, Wien 3420 and its multidisciplinary advisory board and Vienna City Council.

the people of Seestadt are happy with their apartments. 85 percent are satisfied or very satisfied. (Percentages have been rounded)

According to all those questioned, which potential projects could come to the fore during future phases of development?

Some favour the creation of further landmarks, although these do not necessarily have to be buildings. Public squares or other elements that foster a sense of identity can also be landmarks. Wien 3420 has already pre-empted this wish with its plans for spectacular high-rise ensembles on the waterfront and the broad Seestadtpromenade in the north of the district. In other words, new landmarks are already planned from around 2027 – and others will follow.

Small-scale functional diversity creates dynamic cities. This led to a recommendation that the mix of uses should be even more radical. Firstly, in the commercial districts that are currently being developed in the south. And, secondly, in the urban blocks, which should bustle with life 24/7 thanks to their apartments and offices, educational and sporting facilities and shops, etc., – a bustle that can already be felt today in some parts of Seestadt.

the multidisciplinary aspern Advisory Board supports Wien 3420 in its pioneering urban development work. this work consists, on the one hand, of the incredibly solid foundation provided by a range of preliminary work, standards and guidelines. on the other hand, however, there is pressure to combine this sense of responsibility with support for extraordinary, courageous and visionary solutions. this aspiration can naturally lead to inspiring, controversial and sometimes heated – but always constructive – discussions. At the end of the day, imagining and building cities is a collective task. Many ideas that were drawn up and tested in aspern die Seestadt Wiens have now become standard urban development solutions.

ANDREAS KLEBOTH Architect, urban planner and Chair of the aspern Advisory Board

PRODUCTIVE CITY AND INNOVATION

Strategic Objective aspern Seestadt is a business location that inspires and stands for progress, innovation and the pioneering spirit.

Sub-objective aspern Seestadt offers a dynamic environment to companies in every phase of development.

KPI Around 20,000 jobs and training places will have been created when construction is complete

KPI The number of national and international relocations

Sub-objective Seestadt is an attractive location for life sciences and Industry 4.0.

KPI Number of sector-specific corporate relocations

s5,000 jobs by 2024

Seestadt is a district with many different functions beyond housing. ‘Work’ underpins half of its core brand. Attracting future-fit businesses and creating an innovative ecosystem has been a central objective of Wien 3420 and one of its parent companies, the Vienna Business Agency, from the very start.

When the master plan was adopted in 2007, the development company for the new district was given many tasks: One very concrete and much repeated number is the total of over 20,000 jobs and training places that should be created. Seestadt is to become a first-class location for office buildings and a living lab for innovative Smart City solutions. Despite the high cost of developing the location, the public spaces and the building plots, attention should be paid to affordability. And incoming companies should enjoy the greatest possible room for manoeuvre – not least in order to convince research bodies and corporate R&D facilities to relocate here.

How much of the above has already been realised? According to the Deep Dive – a lot! Key among the qualities already in place are the metro and railway connections. These explain why experts reject any labelling of Seestadt as a ‘peripheral location’ and underline the opportunity to act as a bridgehead between the Twin Cities of Vienna and Bratislava and as a key location in the CENTROPE Region.

Further advantages include the perfect conditions in the Vienna Business Agency’s two ‘hubs’:

∙ The first is the Seestadt Technology Centre, which, together with the Pilot Plant for Industry 4.0, plays a key role as an interface between science and industry (the role in Seestadt’s international strategy already played by the EIT is explained below in the chapter ‘Functional Mix and Regional Context’);

The second is the Gewerbehof, a new location for manufacturers, which particularly appeals to craftbased SMEs and small businesses who are looking to rent space.

In addition to this, the generally mixed-use buildings of Seestadt contain many smaller spaces for manufacturers and other businesses – as envisaged in the master plan.

Seestadt was a climate pioneer long before the reality of climate change was fully recognised. Such pioneering work requires courage – and the city of Vienna showed this courage by realising this project. driven by this vision, we built the first technology centre as a flagship plus-energy building that is unique in Austria. thanks to the high demand, two further phases followed. the hybrid Gewerbehof, which lies at the heart of a residential area, is a concrete example of a space-saving land-use solution. Seestadt demonstrates how urban development works and offers something that major cities often lack: space for business that is rooted in climate-friendly principles.

GERHARD HIRCZI

Managing Director, Vienna Business Agency

Today the district is recognised not only as a ‘testbed and living lab’ for innovative Smart City solutions, such as those developed by the energy researchers of ASCR, but also as an R&D and production base for many sectors. Universities that have set up research and teaching operations in Seestadt include TU Wien, University of Sustainabilty (formerly Charlotte Fresenius Private University) and Schloss Seeburg Private University.

One of the declared objectives of Wien 3420 in this area of activity is to establish itself as a location for life sciences and Industry 4.0, not least due to its successful track record of corporate relocation and its many links with these two sectors. Both are notable for their huge potential growth rates and need for highly qualified employees.

MOBILITY

Strategic Objective aspern Seestadt guarantees low-co2, city-friendly, comfortable and safe mobility.

Sub-objective aspern Seestadt and the surrounding area are well integrated into the umweltverbund.

KPI Modal split of the residents

KPI Degree of motorisation of the residents

KPI Differentiated sharing options per resident

KPI Number of cycle parking spaces

KPI Accessibility of Seestadt from the surrounding area and vice-versa by cycle and public transport

Sub-objective commercial and business traffic in Seestadt will largely be co2-free by 2030.

KPI Proportion of new ‘Seestadt companies’ with over 20 employees that have implemented a corporate mobility management strategy

KPI Proportion of new companies in Seestadt that have implemented measures for CO2-free logistics

KPI Area covered by white label parcel boxes

Sub-objective Journeys in Seestadt are safe journeys.

KPI Victims of road traffic accidents

KPI Accessibility in public spaces

Sub-objective car parking is optimised in the spirit of the umweltverbund.

KPI Number of permanent parking bays in public spaces

KPI Number of innovative pilot projects for (nearly) car-free living

It should be possible to live in Seestadt without owning a car. And car ownership in the new district is indeed not only very low compared with the surrounding area, but also continues to fall. Energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly means of transport dominate, as shown by the latest figures for the modal split from the mobility panel of aspern.mobil LAB.

Several factors had to come together to make this possible in Vienna’s largest district:

excellent public transport connections from day one ∙ barrier-free, comfortable and safe footpaths, cycle paths and cycle infrastructure easy-to-use sharing services

a conscious reduction of the number of parking bays in public spaces combined with the concentration of parked vehicles in neighbourhood garages and strategic requirements for parking provision

a growing everyday infrastructure such as local shops and services, medical and educational facilities and leisure options

a growing number of local jobs

continuing information and consciousness-raising work such as the mobility advice from the dedicated team from TU Wien, free cycle training for children in the cycle park, ideas competitions and similar initiatives funded by the aspern Mobility Fund

Scientific studies, such as the latest study carried out by TU Wien in 2023, show that the target modal split, in which 80 percent of journeys involve environmentally friendly means of transport, has almost been achieved. The parameters for maintaining this figure continue to be closely controlled and managed by several KPIs.

According to participants in the Deep Dive, however, this is no reason for Seestadt to rest on its laurels, because the actual target is to reduce the proportion of CO2-generating private traffic as much as possible. This is why Seestadt

iof 29 planned neighbourhood garages

continues to raise its mobility targets. At the same time, the constant arrival and creation of new companies is steadily increasing both levels of commercial traffic and the commuting options enjoyed by local people. This is particularly important due to the fact that a growing number of companies cite Seestadt’s public transport connections as a key reason for moving here and want more environmentally-friendly transport solutions.

This is why Wien 3420 is working with the mobility advice team to strengthen its focus on corporate mobility management. And detailed work is also being carried out on a logistics hub solution that will make the so-called ‘last-mile’ of the parcel delivery process as environmentally- and neighbourhood-friendly as possible.

With its key performance indicators, Seestadt is setting itself some ambitious targets. Meeting these will involve a lot of persuasion. And Seestadt will have to continue following a path that may be uncomfortable but is also essential and has enormous potential: In the medium term, all cars should be parked in neighbourhood garages. By 2030, the public circulation spaces will only offer multifunctional areas that will serve as temporary loading areas and meet the needs of disabled road users. this strategy not only offers huge potential for cutting co2 emissions. It will also improve road safety, open up more green and leisure spaces – and surely encourage people to walk, cycle and use public transport more and leave their cars in the garage as they realise that the alternatives are more attractive than they imagined. For me as a transport planner, Seestadt has been a mobility laboratory from day one – and demonstrates what we can achieve if we want to.

ANDREA WENINGER

Transport planner and Managing Director of Rosinak & Partner

FUNCTIONAL MIX AND REGIONAL CONTEXT

Strategic Objective

aspern Seestadt is a mixed-use district that is integrated into its urban and regional context and has an impact well beyond its borders.

Sub-objective aspern Seestadt is a key district centre within donaustadt and offers a broad range of services.

KPI Sectoral mix and local shops and services in aspern Seestadt

KPI Footfall at selected locations

KPI High retention of purchasing power within the district

KPI Vacancy rate

Sub-objective Seestadt is an attractive destination for the people and businesses of the Marchfeld.

KPI Employees who come from the wider region (Floridsdorf, Donaustadt and adjacent districts in Lower Austria)

KPI Clients who come from the wider region (Floridsdorf, Donaustadt and adjacent districts in Lower Austria)

From the very start, Wien 3420 has sought to successfully embed Seestadt into its immediate surroundings and integrate it into the wider area. In the medium and long term it should not only ‘service’ this area but act as a dynamic business location within the cEntroPE region.

cle paths to the east in line with the master plan. The construction of pedestrian and cycle routes across the eastern rail link towards the older and newer parts of the district to the north is also being intensely prepared together with the relevant departments of Vienna City Council and the ÖBB.

Seestadt is evolving into the new regional centre of Donaustadt on the development axis of the U2 metro line. This makes it a key component of Vienna’s strategic vision of becoming a poly-central city that consumes fewer resources while enjoying higher levels of quality of life and economic power. The new district should fulfil this new central function without reducing the purchasing power of established centres. The process is much more about upgrading the entire region and creating jobs with the overriding objectives of retaining purchasing power and reducing individual car use with the help of excellent infrastructure, high-quality businesses and an appropriate and targeted mix of retail and service facilities.

According to the participants in the Deep Dive, Seestadt is well on the way to fulfilling its role as the ‘first urban docking station’ in a suburban and partly rural region. The quality of the projects realised in the first three quarters is so high that they have attracted much interest from non-residents of Seestadt. A key driver of this trend has been and continues to be the ‘managed shopping street’, which has been run by Wien 3420 in a joint venture with SES Spar European Shopping Centers since 2015.

Important opportunities and potentials named in the Deep Dive are becoming increasingly achievable in the context of the latest developments.

For example, integration into the wider neighbourhood and the demolition of the long unused freight siding of the former Opel (now Stellantis) plant have enabled Wien 3420 to push ahead with the creation of footpaths and cy-

Seven bus routes already connect Seestadt’s quarters and other parts of Donaustadt with its two metro stations. New public transport links with the wider area such as tram route 27 from Floridsdorf, which is scheduled to open in autumn 2025, will improve connections with neighbouring districts. Its reverse loop at Aspern Nord station is currently under construction.

As soon as the train line to Bratislava has also been fully electrified on the Slovakian side, the Slovakian capital will be just 30 minutes away. This means that it is high time to deepen the relationship with Vienna’s Twin City. One excellent starting point for this in the R&D field is the growing CLC East network of EIT Manufacturing – the CEE production hub of the European Institute of Technology – which is active in Seestadt.

the buzz of the managed shopping street acts as a stimulus for the entire local business community, not least because companies pay close attention to the local shopping and gastronomic options that are available to their employees – and also because these increase footfall for other businesses. this is clearly demonstrated by the excellent sectoral mix and the level of occupation of the ground-floor zone, despite the widely-mentioned retail crisis, the difficult situation facing restaurants right across Austria and the general hesitancy among start-ups caused by the economic climate. Seestadt clearly cannot ignore such factors – but it has a holistic concept that is enabling it to energetically counter the trend.

ALEXANDER ECK

Chief Development Officer, SES Spar European Shopping Centers

IDENTITY AND VISIBILITY

Strategic Objective aspern Seestadt enjoys local and international recognition as a model city that has the courage to experiment.

Sub-objective With its distinctive strengths and high visibility, aspern Seestadt is an unmistakeable brand and the urban Lab for Smart city Vienna.

KPI Positive connotations of Seestadt

KPI Positive image in the media

Sub-objective Seestadt is an attractive events location and a place that inspires visitors.

KPI Visitor groups in Seestadt

KPI Events in Seestadt

Sub-objective co-creation contributes to the shaping of identity.

KPI Identification with Seestadt as a place where one can realise one’s ideas

KPI Provision of co-creation spaces

High visibility, strong city branding and the creation of an identity and a community have been priorities since the establishment of Seestadt. Its aspirations: to be seen as a location for research, innovation and development and as an ‘urban Lab’, to stimulate positive discussion in Austria and abroad and to develop an identity based on participation.

On this basis, and as part of the discussions with experts and stakeholders during the Deep Dive described in this chapter, the following potentials have been identified as being particularly important for the future of Seestadt: Establish a position as the ‘gateway to the city’: Seestadt can use this role to strengthen its profile within Vienna and increase its attractiveness in adjacent regions.

Take full advantage of the opportunities of the visitor economy: ‘Urban landmarks’ such as excellent architecture, cultural and scientific institutions and meeting points (‘civic landmarks’) make the district fascinating for regional, national and international visitors.

Wien 3420 and the team from Urban Innovation Vienna have translated these recommendations into the following sub-objective: With its distinctive strengths and high visibility, aspern Seestadt is an unmistakeable brand and the Urban Lab for Smart City Vienna.

A benchmark for achieving this objective was based on the findings of the 2022 Brand Controlling exercise among private individuals from Vienna and the Vienna Region (excluding Seestadt). Here, Seestadt achieved 37 percent brand recognition among unaided respondents (where no brands were named) and 92 percent among aided respondents and an average image value of 2.9 using the school marking system. For the image item ‘innovative/ forward-looking’, Seestadt scored 2.3 on a scale from 1 (completely true) to 5 (completely untrue).

innovative/forward-looking

during the 2022 Brand controlling exercise, Wien 3420 asked private individuals and companies in Seestadt and Vienna and the Vienna region how much they associated the named characteristics with Seestadt. the result: the more informed the respondent, the more positive the average image of the district.

As a comparison: The people of Seestadt gave their district a score of 1.9 for image and 1.5 for innovation. The obvious conclusion is that people become more positive about Seestadt the better they get to know it.

At the same time, interest in the urban development zone and its achievements – above all in the fields of housing and urban planning, mobility, energy research, landscape planning, saving resources and climate protection – remains high. In 2023 alone, the Visitor Management Team from Wien 3420 that specialises in expert tours guided 225 groups (with 5,700 people) through Seestadt – from international delegations of politicians, administrators or researchers, via business delegations to school pupils and students. And, in addition to this, countless visits are organised by tourist guides.

the city of Vienna can and wants to appeal to tourists with more than just the historic flair of its city centre. this is why the Vienna tourist Board introduced a new decentralised concept entitled ‘Heartbeat Streets’. With its sustainable approach to urban development and its Smart city image, together with the holiday feeling that is also frequently mentioned by its residents, Seestadt stands for an extremely dynamic ‘new’ Vienna, which one can literally see growing before one’s eyes. Because the next steps made by Seestadt will be the development of spectacular architectural projects on its future waterfront.

DANIELA KOLESA Director of Destination Management, Vienna Tourist Board

Imprint

Publisher Wien 3420 aspern development AG www.aspern-seestadt.at

Editors

Ingrid Spörk, Marianne Imre (both Wien 3420), conny derdak

Translation rupert Hebblethwaite MBA MA dipArch (cambridge)

Design & Layout

Maria Lechner

Project Management communication matters GmbH

ronald Goigitzer, ivalu

Proofreading

Gunther natter

Printing

Wograndl druck GmbH Vienna, June 2024

List of sources

transport Master Plan 2003

StEP 2025

Smart climate city Vienna ongoing Master Plan

ÖroK, Flächeninanspruchnahme und Versiegelung in Österreich (2022)

Score for Public Space

Sponge city Principle

2020 GLoBAL StAtuS rEPort For BuILdInGS And conStructIon aspern monitor aspern klimafit

Austrian Sustainable Building council

AScr

BIM Pilot and demonstration Project

‘Vienna 2030 – Business & Innovation’ aspern.mobil. LAB

Brochure ‘die Seestadt ist weiblich’ resident Monitoring 2022

Brand controlling 2022

Credits

Wien 3420 (p. 1, 10, 11, 14, 44), Luiza Puiu (p. 8, 16, 20, 21, 22, 24, 26, 31, 32, 36, 38, 42), daniel Hawelka (p. 6, 7, 12, 18, 27, 28, 29, 30, 34, 40, 46), claudia Kozàk (cover illustration), Ludwig Schedl (p. 3), christa reicher/Michel Kitenge (p. 4), Stadt Wien PId Gregor Kuntscher (p. 5), david Bohmann (p. 5), 3:0 Landschaftsarchitektur (p. 15), Patricia Bagienski (p. 23, competition project 2023)