Designing for Gender Equality

Investigating the Aspern Neighbourhood of Vienna.

1. Aspern Urban Lakeside: Health + Leisure | aspern Die Seestadt Wiens (aspern-seestadt.at)

© Daniel Hawelka

Aspern Seestadt, translated as ‘Lake Town,’ is a unique and sustainable community in the suburbs of Vienna. The design process commenced 20 years ago, and construction will continue until 2028. In 2002, the former airfield site of 240 hectares was earmarked for one of the largest urban development projects in Europe.

Aspern will provide housing for 20,000 people and workplaces for thousands of people too. It has a unique design strategy set out in the ‘Score of Public Space’1 which illustrates overarching design principles such as: the city of short distances, priority to pedestrians and cyclists, high-capacity public transport, a network of paths linking to the surrounding areas and a circular boulevard or ‘ringstrasse’ as it is known in Vienna.

2. Ringstrasse Concept – Aspern Die Seedstadt Wiens, Partitur Des Offentlichen Raums (Score of Public Space) Gehl Architects, page 44/54, 2009.

What sets this development apart is that gender equality has been considered throughout the design process, through enabling local people to participate in the design process, to naming all the streets after eminent female figures such as the singer Janis Joplin and the architect Zaha Hadid. This sets a clear identity for the community from the start which is confirmed by the developer’s brochure stating that ‘Aspen Seestadt has a female face.’2 It is these considerations of gender equality in the design of outdoor spaces that have so often been overlooked in the past but are crucial to the success of developments and for the inclusivity of all the population.

3. Ringstrasse Concept – Aspern Die Seedstadt Wiens, Partitur Des Offentlichen Raums (Score of Public Space) Gehl Architects, page 44/54, 2009.

Aspern is currently in Phase 2 of construction, with Phase 3 starting in 2023. To date, the project has created a masterplan that, in the words of Johannes Tovatt, ‘creates streets and public spaces that are fundamentally public, human, lively, intimate and secure.’3 The development has fulfilled the brief by delivering housing, offices, commercial areas, business, research facilities and a new train station, all of which combine to provide the ideal work/life balance for residents. Living space and jobs for all generations sit side by side, with city living viewed through the lens of gender. The result is a cohesive, well-designed place with prestigious open spaces, where it’s not noticeable that gender mainstreaming exists, but if it did not, then it would be clearly apparent.

The success of this development must be partly attributed to the ‘Smart City Vienna Framework Strategy,’4 Vienna’s strategy for sustainable development based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by the authorities in 2014. Vienna is seen as a global pioneer in city development involving input from residents and innovation from businesses, technology, and research communities. The key objective of the strategy is the best quality of living for all people in the city. The strategy states as part of the Smart City concept ‘Vienna belongs to women and men, and all groups of society take part in shaping it. This calls for the promotion of women, gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting.’5 This strategy underpins and sets the focus for successful and equitable developments like Aspen. Several other European cities have now adopted this model including Barcelona, Copenhagen, and Berlin.

Post 2028, when Phase 3 of Aspern is completed, the long-term objectives of the development will be to provide an attractive vibrant city with all the amenities of urban life carefully and sensitively planned to facilitate healthy and quality living.

Half of the entire area will be devoted to public open space, along with a 50,000m2 lake as a centre piece. This is a ‘model city within a city’6 where the public space provides for mobility, commerce, culture, leisure, and recreation. It is also proving attractive to investors and businesses who are recognising the adaptable and multifunctional nature of the spaces and buildings, this is demonstrated by the total investment figure of 5 billion Euros. It is a sustainable solution for business needs and will provide a total of 20,000 workplaces. Together, all aspects offer a holistic solution reflecting market and lifestyle trends to provide a robust and attractive mixed-use development.

As a Smart City, Aspern has achieved detailed but flexible planning, which will support the growing demand for city housing in Vienna with homes for over 25,000 residents.

As a Smart City, Aspern has achieved detailed but flexible planning, which will support the growing demand for city housing in Vienna with homes for over 25,000 residents. In 2005, the City of Vienna advertised a two-stage tender process for drafting a masterplan following an EU-wide advertisement. Tovatt Architects & Planners in collaboration with N+ Objektmanagement were commissioned to design the masterplan following an intensive evaluation process with 15 International experts. The masterplan was accepted by Vienna City Council in 2007. A separate public space design strategy was developed by the Danish urban design consultancy Gehl Architects, culminating in the ‘Score for Public Space’ which identified the important and harmonious role of outdoor space at Aspern.

Aspern Die Seedstadt Wiens, Partitur Des Offentlichen Raums (Score of Public Space, Gehl Architects), page 76, 2009.

In 2012 the detailed designs were produced by the masterplanning team for the northern section of Aspern, these informed the land use and zoning plan, road construction and the Environmental Impact Assessment. There have been several Landscape Architect firms involved in the open space detail designs and delivery over the years, along with a development corporation providing innovative project review, and a project committee supporting ongoing consultation work and overarching quality control for the project.

Underpinning this commissioning approach is the challenging work achieved by the forward-thinking City planning team since the early 1990’s. Undergoing rapid expansion at this time, the City was awarding many contracts, and notably no women had been invited to pitch for the work. Eva Kail of the City’s Strategic Planning Unit was concerned that ‘only men were defining the new structure of the city’6. In response to this, Kail invited only women architects to submit ideas for a social housing project where designing for the everyday needs of women was a prerequisite design principle. This was to demonstrate that accounting for gender within the design process resulted in improved outcomes for the whole community. Several pilot projects ensued to demonstrate gender mainstreaming which culminated in the ‘Gender Sensitivity Guidelines’7 that have been applied to all parks across the city since 2005. These principles of gender mainstreaming now appear in everyday policy with sanctions imposed on those that do not comply. Aspern is a clear example of where the tool of gender mainstreaming has been considered throughout the commissioning and design process to deliver exceptional and inclusive public realm as part of a sustainable and innovative development appealing to all.

Amelia Russell CMLI

Amelia Russell CMLI

Amelia Russell CMLI is a Landscape Architect and Environmental Scientist working for the Environment Agency. She is a sustainability expert with wide ranging experience in consultancy, local government, and charitable organisations.

References

1 The Score of Public Space, Gehl Architects 2009 Partitur des öffentlichen Raums | aspern Die Seestadt Wiens (aspern-seestadt.at)

2 Aspern development business hub website ‘Public Spaces: Strong Women and Street Names’ Public spaces | aspern Die Seestadt Wiens (aspernseestadt.at)

3 Aspern development business hub website, ‘masterplan’: Johannes Tovatt, master planner for Aspern Seestadt Master plan | aspern Die Seestadt Wiens (aspern-seestadt.at)

4 Smart City Vienna Framework Strategy, Smart City Wien Framework Strategy 2019-2050 - Vienna’s Strategy for Sustainable Development

5 Smart City Wien - Framework Strategy Page 14, July 2014, Vienna City Administration.

7 Gender sensitivity guidelines, Manual “Gender mainstreaming made easy” (wien.gv.at)

Research links

• The aspern+Seestadt Wien places emphasis on play • Playground@Landscape (playground-landscape.com)

• City with a female face: how modern Vienna was shaped by women | Cities | The Guardian

• How Vienna built a gender equal city - BBC Travel

• Landscape Journal Spring 2022: Whose landscape is it? by Landscape, the journal of the Landscape Institute - Issuu

• Public spaces | aspern Die Seestadt Wiens (aspernseestadt.at)

• “Gender dimensions of product design” (un.org)

• Gender-focussed design and planning: building an inclusive public realm | Turley

• Smart City Wien Framework Strategy 2019-2050 Vienna’s Strategy for Sustainable Development

• Smart City Wien_Framework Strategy.pdf (interindustria.hu) ref page 9 smart city quote