urban and energy utopia on Lake Vienna

A few years ago, a new city, Aspern, began to emerge on the outskirts of Vienna, which by all parameters can become a good example of a city of the 21st century.

This new city within the city is located on everything 25 km from the center of Vienna on an area of ​​about 240 hectares, and is planned as the most innovative energy efficient city in Europe. By 2028, when construction is scheduled to be completed, Aspern should have 20,000 inhabitants. The city is fully planned integral, as evidenced by its functionality and spatial diversity.

Lake from 5 hectares is the main feature of this city. Along with the lake, the image of the city is formed by a network of public spaces that contributes to the quality of life of existing and future residents. According to the city development plan as much as half of Asperna’s surface is occupied by public spaces. There are plateaus, squares, squares, parks, gardens, promenades and streets.

Today, there are 200 underground lines from the center of Asperna to the center of Vienna on the U2 line.

The design of Aspern began in 2002, when it was decided at the city level that the former airport zone would become a new settlement. For the next ten years, planning encompassed series of surveys, workshops and surveys, in order to adopt a master plan according to the project of the Swedish bureau in 2012 Tovatt Architects and Planners.

Development of a new city

As early as 2013, the expansion of the metro and public transport systems, as well as the entire infrastructure, began, which Aspern immediately did well connected to the center of Vienna. Today, there are 200 underground lines from the center of Asperna to the center of Vienna on the U2 line. By 2019, most of the housing stock has been built, and now business facilities are under construction, which will contribute to the complete permeation of functions between Aspern and the center of Vienna.

The idea with which the city is planned is that he constantly developing and improving, so he became a living urban laboratory for the whole of Vienna. Examples of state-of-the-art architecture, technology and infrastructure can be found right here. The facilities use renewable energy resources and the devices are operated by telephone. While all of this sounds like something that could be compared to science fiction, Aspern is oriented toward residents and their needs, to which the components are “smart city“Fully customized.

All roads are at the same time maximally safe and maximally functional.

All facilities in Aspern are equipped with modern infrastructure, so it is complete carbon dioxide emissions to a minimum, and in residential units it is possible to control all devices and systems remotely, via mobile phone, which is why there is no additional consumption of time and energy. In that way, it was achieved that the city is constantly in the service of its inhabitants and that there is no possibility of endangering the environment.

Viewed from the angle of the morphology of the city, it can be noticed that the Asperna matrix itself combines different ones utopian principles. Around the lake and the center, a circular road was formed – “Sunny Boulevard”, characteristic of garden cities, which separates the socio-economic center from residential units. The road plan is designed to exist gradation in “public” and modalities street use, so that they are all maximally safe and maximally functional.

The female part of the population had a great influence on the design solutions.

In addition to gradation in traffic, a similar approach has been applied to the planning of public urban spaces. They are strategically positioned urban pockets, squares, plateaus, semi-private atriums, and other areas, which unfortunately in our urban practice are usually reduced to one word – square. This gradation of space and their types precisely indicates the need to be within Asperna resident interaction bring it to the highest possible level, as well as to adapt the spaces to as many different social groups as possible.

Gender-sensitive planning to utopia for all

During the participatory planning process, he had a great influence on the design solutions the female part of the population. Therefore, in accordance with the principles of gender-sensitive planning, accessible, safe public spaces have been designed, with wide sidewalks and gathering places adapted to the daily activities of women.

According to the Viennese urbanist Eve Kail, gender-sensitive planning solves not only the issue of safety and functioning of women in settlements, but also the entire population, because the spaces become better designed, easier to master, more transparent and encourage community creation.

In addition to designing the space in accordance with the needs of women, the specificity of Asperna is reflected in the fact that all public spaces and streets are named after famous women, so in the city center there are trg Zahe Hadid, park Hane Arent, Simon de Beauvoir Square…

All public spaces and streets are named after famous women: Zahe Hadid Square, Hane Arendt Park, Simon de Beauvoir Square…

In addition to Aspern, Vienna is currently being implemented through 60 gender-sensitive projects. Their goal is to improve the quality of life in public spaces, which, like the entire Asperna project, can be a positive example of urban planning that could be realized in our country.

On the examples of creating smart utopias, such as Aspern, one can analyze how much users are ready to switch to “Digital life”, that is, is a really smart city adapted to everyone? To solve this problem, an educational center has been set up in the city center to train residents to use smart technologies, but the question remains whether older residents or people who prefer “analog life” can they use all the facilities of the city unhindered?

An example for others

With 240 acres, of which 50% are public spaces, natural environments around the lake on over 5 hectares, 16 parks and 11 squares, 40,000 users, fully digitized 11,000 housing units, and with by reducing the use of motor vehicles to 20%, Aspern can indeed be seen as an example of realized utopia and a guideline for design in the 21st century.

When you are already here…