After successful completion of the course, students are able to appreciate the complexity and relevance of urban systems and to develop urban design approaches accordingly. A focus of the design studio lies is on settlement structures and the idea of the city of short distances. This leads to the question of which infrastructural components are relevant in current “everyday life” and in which spatial distances they should be located.
Vienna’s north-west is characterized by the valleys formed by little streams coming down from the “Wienerwald” alpine foothills. These valleys have developed into settlement axes and sought-after residential areas with different densities over the last two centuries. To this day, the protected landscape of the “Wienerwald” woodlands forms the upper end of these finger-like settlement ribbons.
In this course, students will develop spatial visions for the transformation of these "Viennese valleys". In three chapters, we will spend about a month each on one settlement corridor. Based on the historical morphology of linear settlements (Straßendörfer and Angerdöfer) and landscape features (topography, water, woods, agriculture and viticulture, etc.), new ribbon- and network-like urban structures will be developed that may re-characterize the urban fabric of Vienna's northwest. Under the guiding principle of the "15-minute city" or the "city of short distances", we will expand on a wealth of topics, ranging from polycentricity, the creation of new pathways or re-densification to landscape design.
This course is conceived as research-led teaching. Parts of the students’ analyses and design approaches may be incorporated into the further research process. In addition to the cooperation with the "Driving Urban Transitions" research project EMC2 - The Evolutive Meshed Compact City. A pragmatic transition pathway to the 15-minute City for European metropolitan peripheries. The design studio is also held in connection with the seminar “Wiener Täler/Viennese Valleys” (the two courses can be attended independently!). In June, a joint two-day workshop will take place where participants of both courses will discuss and exchange their findings.
Joint kick-off workshop 5.3.2024
Final symposium 20.-21.06.2024
Inputs from experts on specific planning topics
