This is a feature from Issue 13 of Charitable Traveller.
The urban garden centre in the Rudolfsheim Fünfhaus area in the 15th District is one of several wonderful regenerative tourism initiatives that Selin Altan Huber has shown us on her tour of sustainable Vienna as part of Austria Guides for the Future.
The building that used to stand here was demolished in March 2020. When Selin and her colleagues heard that there was no budget to build a replacement building, they stepped in to develop the garden centre, which is basically a squat – they only pay for the water. Selin and her seven-year-old son have a small plot of land in which they grow vegetables – chilli, aubergine, basil, pumpkin and courgette. Elsewhere there is a bar, and at weekends they have a flea market.
It is a fantastic example of community involvement, regenerating an area which has become run down, or in this case, forgotten, and creating something living and most importantly green. In June the urban garden centre won a Smart City Vienna award.
A great example of the district’s ambitious approach to green urban regeneration is Sponge Street; on the surface a nondescript street but under it water is captured as if with a sponge and used to feed the trees. Along the street are small gardens, where residents plant herbs and flowers to encourage biodiversity in a form of city rewilding. Selin explains that originally the urban gardeners receive a grant from the authorities, but after that the cost of maintenance is the responsibility of the residents – creating a win-win situation.
Part of the transformation of the area was due to the arrival of IKEA, which opened a store in the district in September 2021. The IKEA Building is the only one in the world, according to Selin, with no parking spaces – customers have to walk, bike or take public transport. IKEA planted 160 trees, mainly on its roof with spectacular views of the city, which has made a substantial benefit to the local environment.
Some of the trees have even been adopted by local primary school kids. Around the centre, on local streets, parking has been converted into green spaces as the whole area is being greened. The area also has one of the greenest hotels in the world. The Stadthalle Boutique Hotel has been zero energy since 2009. The hotel is the first urban hotel to have a zero-energy balance, which it achieves through a combination of photovoltaics and solar energy.
Selin showed us around the beautiful internal green courtyard with its living walls. If you’re staying in the hotel, I recommend booking a room with a view of the lavender roof garden, which is apparently very popular with the local bee and butterfly population.
Mark Bibby Jackson is the founder of Travel Begins at 40, a website for people over 40 who want to travel responsibly and imaginatively.
This is a feature from Issue 13 of
Charitable Traveller.
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