Biotope City Wienerberg

1. General information

Location and description of the intervention

City or FUA

Vienna (FUA)

Region

Europe

Native title of the NBS intervention

Biotope City Wienerberg

Short description of the intervention

Biotope City Wienerberg is located in the southern part of Vienna on a 5.4-hectare site that once housed a Coca-Cola factory. It lies at the edge of the Wienerberg recreational area, surrounded by business parks and tower blocks to the west and predominantly detached houses to the east (Ref. 1).
The project embodies the concept of an "urban biotope" (Ref. 2), grounded in the principle that nature's mechanisms of self-regeneration are essential for mitigating the challenges of urban living and climate change. By integrating urban and natural spaces, Biotope City fosters both human-nature connections and social interactions through activities like community gardening. The project’s centerpiece is its extensive green infrastructure, including trees and green roofs, which serve to cool the microclimate, purify the air, enhance water retention, and create carbon sinks while providing habitats for local wildlife. These green spaces aim to improve physical health through cooling effects on hot days and support mental well-being with their calming influence (Ref. 1; Ref. 2).
Biotope City encompasses:
Around 980 flats, including 400 subsidized flats and 200 SMART flats
A school, a kindergarten, and 2,000 square meters of children's and youth playgrounds
600 square meters of community gardens and 3,850 square meters of ground-floor gardens
250 trees, 8,900 square meters of meadows, and 13,600 square meters of green roofs
2,200 square meters of façade greening
The inner courtyards and roof areas are designed for gardening, while façades are greened, and balconies are equipped with integrated plant troughs. Even the spaces between buildings are climate-effective, featuring unsealed catchment and seepage areas to manage water sustainably (Ref. 1).
The project’s implementation took 18 years and involved collaboration among various stakeholders. The concept was initiated by the Biotope City Foundation and funded by eight different investors (Ref. 2).

Website of the intervention

https://www.wien.gv.at/stadtplanung/biotope-city-wienerberg

Principal problems

Climate-Related Hazards

Urban flooding (stormwater)

Heat stress & Extreme temperatures

Degradation of carbon sinks

Environmental Degradation

Biodiversity loss

Air pollution

Land use and Socio-economic change

Unequal availability and access to public green spaces

Health, Well-being and Social cohesion

Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)

Mental health issues (stress, anxiety)

Inadequate access to recreational opportunities

Disconnection from nature

Social fragmentation and isolation

Implementation area characterization

Climate

Continental (Cold-summer humid continental, Cold-winter dry continental, Cold-summer dry continental)

Ecosystem

Urban or built environment

Address

Ottokar-Fischer-Gasse 3
1100 Wien
Austria

Location

The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).

Area boundary (map-based)

NBS area image

Source of NBS area image

https://www.iba-wien.at/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/005_Schlusspraesentation/Abrissplaene/englisch/IBA_Abrissplan_Biotope_City_EN_A3.pdf

IBA Vienna

Total area

52000.00m²

Area description

Urban (main city)

Type of area before implementation of the NBS

Industrial

Timeline of intervention

Start date of the intervention (planning process)

2015

Start date of intervention (implementation process)

2017

End date of the intervention

2021

Present stage of the intervention

Completed

2. Objectives of the intervention

Objectives of the intervention

Goals of the intervention

Create an urban biotope that integrates nature and urban features in co-existence (Ref. 2)
Contribute to climate mitigation by creating carbon sinks through the implementation of green spaces (Ref. 2)
Contribute to climate adaptation by reducing the heat stress for flora and fauna and humans (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)
Fostering biodiversity by creating habitats via trees, shrubs and other plants (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)
Creation of accessible green spaces to the public through the integration of green areas into the building and neighbourhood design (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)
Intelligent rainwater management to prevent flooding (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)
Improve air quality for physical health through the sequestration of fine particulate matter by trees (Ref. 2)
Fostering physical and mental health by integrating nature with its positive effects on human well-being as a fundamental aspect of the neighbourhood's design (Ref. 2)
Promoting social interaction by creating spaces for recreation and providing spaces for communal gardening and activities (Ref. 2)

Key Priorities

Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)

Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)

Social Justice and community

Sustainability challenge(s) addressed

Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)

Climate change adaptation

Climate change mitigation

Environmental quality

Air quality improvement

Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)

Green space creation and/or management

Habitat and biodiversity restoration

Regeneration, land-use and urban development

Promote natural styles of landscape design for urban development

Water management (SDG 6)

Flood protection

Stormwater and rainfall management and storage

Health and well-being (SDG 3)

Creation of opportunities for recreation

Improving mental health

Improving physical health

Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)

Social justice and equity

Social interaction

Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect

Implement green walls or roofs to lower indoor temperature and provide insulation

Implement sustainable urban drainage schemes to manage stormwater

Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?

Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)

What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?

Species-focused

What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?

Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems

Mental health and well-being objectives

Mental balance and healing

Mental health and well-being activities

"Nature as an essential part of life with its positive effects on mental balance and healing" (Ref. 2)

Implementation activities and NBS focus

Implementation activities

The planning of the Biotope City on the former Coca Cola factory site started in 2015 and was followed by a research project throughout the complete planning phase (Ref. 6). To implement the design ideas by the Biotope City Foundation, an interdisciplinary team of planners, property developers, consultants and municipal departments drew up a detailed catalogue of qualities. Eight different property developers have developed, planned and realised the Biotope City Wienerberg (Ref. 7). In May 2017, the exhibition ‘Biotope City - The City as Nature’ took place at a municipality office in Favoriten, presenting the principles of Biotope City, initial results of the research project and plans for the future development. (Ref. 1) Construction started in 2017 and finished in 2021.
The project comprises several playgrounds and 600 sqm of community gardens, which provide opportunities for social interaction and community creation. 3,850 sqm of ground floor gardens, 289 trees and 8,900 sqm of meadows, 13,600 sqm of green roofs and 2,200 sqm of façade greening were implemented that all constitute green spaces for carbon and fine matter sequestration, cooling of the surrounding, habitat creation for wildlife and rainwater retention. The physical benefits to air quality and reduced local temperature support physical health and by providing accessible green space, the project offers space for recreation and relaxation for mental balance and well-being. (Ref. 2)

Type of NBS project

Creation of new green areas

Creation of green roofs and walls

Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments)

Creation of any other green urban spaces

Transformation of previously derelict areas

Post-industrial site regeneration

Strategy, plan or policy development

Creation of eco-district plans

3. NBS domains, ES and scale

NBS domain and interventions

Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented

Community gardens and allotments

Community gardens

Grey infrastructure featuring greens

Alley or street trees and other street vegetation

House gardens

Nature on buildings (external)

Green roofs

Green walls or facades

Balcony greens

Parks and urban forests

Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces

Amenities offered by the NBS

Playgrounds

Swimming areas

Please specify other amenities offered by the NBS

Community garden

Design elements for well-being

None of the above

Services

Expected ecosystem services delivered

Regulating services

Local climate regulation (temperature reduction)

Air quality regulation

Carbon storage/sequestration

Flood regulation

Habitat and supporting services

Habitats for species

Cultural services

Recreation

Mental and physical health and wellbeing

Social and community interactions

Scale

Spatial scale

Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level

Beneficiaries

Demographics in implementation area

The Biotope City is located in the 10th district of Vienna - Favoriten. In 2023, 116.800 people with Austrian citizenship, 29.500 people with EU citizenship and 72.00 people from non-EU countries lived in the district. The average age is 40,2 years old (2023) with 25% of the residents having completed an apprenticeship and 16,6% having graduated from university (2021). 141 people were unemployed in 2022. In 2021, the average income was approx. 21.500€ per month. (Ref. 5)

Socio-economic profile of the area

Unknown

Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts

Unknown

Non-government actors

Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches

Private sector/Corporate/Business

Primary Beneficiaries

Citizens or community groups

Young people and children

Other

Please specify "other primary beneficiary"

Elderly people

Specify primary beneficiaries

The project benefits citizens and children and elderly people are being highlighted as beneficiaries by some measures: "Outdoor space for activities and meeting place for residents, especially for children and the elderly, but also with the unknown neighbor." (Ref. 2)

Marginalized groups

Unknown

Other beneficiaries

Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)

Ecosystem services (e.g. improved air quality, water purification)

City infrastructure (e.g., reduced flooding, improved water quality)

Public health (e.g. increased physical activity opportunities, reduced stress)

4. Governance and financing

Governance

Governance arrangements

Led by non-government actors

Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative

The project began with a model developed by the Biotope City Foundation. The planning was carried out in a collaborative process, involving three architectural offices, planners from various disciplines, various municipal departments, the Foundation Biotope City, investors and representatives of the district. The project was financed by 8 different investors, most of them social housing corporations. The research project ‘Biotope City - building instructions for the green city of the future’ accompanied the planning and implementation process and was led by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and companies involved in the planning process. The Caritas Vienna neighbourhood work team, which was commissioned by the property developers to manage the Biotope City neighbourhood, worked together with the research team to support the communication of the measures and develop a guide for residents. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)

Key actors - initiating organization

Local government/municipality

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Private foundation/trust

Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)

Local government/municipality

Non-government organisation/civil society

Researchers/university

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)

Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)

Taskforce groups

Dissemination of information and education

Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")

Unknown

Land owners

Private sector or company

Real estate developer

Policy drivers

NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan

Unknown

NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan

Yes

Please specify the "local regulation/strategy/plan"

The basic compatibility of the project for the location was clarified following structural and technical framework conditions, already presented in urban development plans of the City of Vienna. Furthermore, the project area was rezoned from a "commercial area" to a "residential area" in order for the project to be in accordance with the spatial planning and purpose. (Ref. 1; Ref. 8)

Relevant strategy or plan

Urban redevelopment plan

Mandatory or voluntary intervention

Voluntary (spontaneous)

Enablers & Barriers

Type of enablers

NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation

NBS research project (e.g., H2020, Urban Living Labs, national research projects)

Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.

The research project ‘Biotope City - building instructions for the green city of the future’ accompanied the planning and implementation process. (Ref. 1) The University of Agricultural Sciences and Green4Cities together with the Foundation Biotope City had been given financing to research the whole process of planning and realization and to accompany it. (Ref. 2)

Governace and decison-making instruments

Legislative and regulatory instruments (e.g. laws, strategies, regulations or restrictions)

Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs)

Arrangements for governance cooperation

Formal coordination mechanisms to oversee project implementation and decision-making (e.g., multi-stakeholder steering committees, working groups)

Task forces or commissions (e.g. group of multi-disciplinary experts)

Barriers

Unknown

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Please specify total cost (EUR)

Unknown

What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?

n/a

Source(s) of funding

Corporate investment

Insurance firms

Type of fund(s) used

Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Co-finance for NBS

Yes

Co-governance arrangement

Unknown

Entrepreneurship opportunities

Unknown

Business models

Green densification model

Vacant space model

Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?

Private for-profit actor (e.g. firm, insurer)

Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)

5. Evaluation and learning

Impacts, benefits

Environmental impacts

Climate change

Lowered local temperature

Achieved lowered local temperature

Enhanced carbon sequestration

Achieved enhanced carbon sequestration

Water management and blue areas

Improved stormwater management

Achieved improved stormwater management

Green space and habitat

Increased green space area

Achieved increased green space area

Description of environmental benefits

Lowered local temperature: "Up to 2.2°C cooler air temperature on a typical heat day compared to before" (Ref. 3); "Up to -28°C cooler surfaces" (Ref. 3); "Climbing plants are also planted on the facades wherever it was possible and could comply with the strict rules of fire protection – with devices such as ropes and poles for climbing varieties and directly into the ground for those climbing plants that are self-attaching, such as the varieties of Wilden vine. The great advantage of greening facades is also a very practical one: greened facades are up to 28 degrees cooler at night than those on which the sun can beat down during the day – especially important in the so-called tropical nights, when the temperature does not drop below 24 degrees throughout the night." (Ref. 8)
Enhanced carbon sequestration: "CO2 storage in the extent of 23.923 filled balloons" (Ref. 3); "more than 2x CO2 sequestration per hot day" (Ref. 3)
Increased green space area: "nearly 18ha leaf area of the total vegetation" (Ref. 3); "289 new trees representing an area of 2 hectare natural forest - many are already planted as large trees & thus develop their effect directly" (Ref. 3)
Water retention: "rain water retention (regular) to the extent of 134.872 full bathtubs - excess rain water flows into the adjacent Wienerberg pond" (Ref. 3)

Environmental impact indicators

Total number of vascular plant species protected or introduced

289 trees planted

Green space area created (in ha)

approx. 2.5

Total area of habitat restored (in ha)

21.540 sqm of green roofs and walls created

Air cooling (°C)

2.2

Other indicators

-40% unsealed area compared to before (Ref. 3)

Economic impacts

Unknown

Description of economic benefits

Unknown

Social and cultural impact indicators

Surface area of accessible green spaces (in ha)

6.8

Area allocated for sustainable food production (ha)

600 m² community gardens

Mental health benefits

Restoration and relaxation

Evidence for use of assessment

Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process

Yes

Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts

Non-government organisation/civil society

Researchers/university

Private sector/corporate actor/company

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Type of indicators

Input indicators

Progress indicators

Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports

Yes

Link to monitoring/evaluation reports

https://www.nachhaltigwirtschaften.at/de/sdz/projekte/biotope-city.php

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

Name of any specific impact assessment tools

Unknown

Link to the output of assessments

https://greenpass.io/references-cpt/biotope-city-wienerberg/

Use of GIS in mapping impacts

Yes

Link to GIS monitoring data

https://www.wien.gv.at/flaechenwidmung/public/start.aspx?lang=de-AT&bookmark=Xx…

Cost-benefit analysis

Unknown

Transparency

Meetings with stakeholders’ representatives

Inclusion of diverse stakeholders in project governance processes (e.g. planning, implementation, monitoring, etc.)

Online disclosure of technical reports (e.g. project documents, reports, or data)

Justice

Community satisfaction

Unknown

Description of locals satisfaction with the project

Unknown

Trade-offs & Negative impacts

Unknown

Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement

Affordable housing provisions or rent control measures

High-quality & Transformative NBS

Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)

Yes

Goal setting and impacts delivery

Yes, from the planning phase the project aimed to address issues in these three key priority areas and it also delivered benefits across these three areas.

Reaching original project goals

Most of the project goals were achieved

Please specify the achievements of the project goals

Climate action and biodiversity:
Lowered local temperature: "Up to 2.2°C cooler air temperature on a typical heat day compared to before" (Ref. 3); "Up to -28°C cooler surfaces" (Ref. 3); "Climbing plants are also planted on the facades wherever it was possible and could comply with the strict rules of fire protection – with devices such as ropes and poles for climbing varieties and directly into the ground for those climbing plants that are self-attaching, such as the varieties of Wilden vine. The great advantage of greening facades is also a very practical one: greened facades are up to 28 degrees cooler at night than those on which the sun can beat down during the day – especially important in the so-called tropical nights, when the temperature does not drop below 24 degrees throughout the night." (Ref. 8)
Enhanced carbon sequestration: "CO2 storage in the extent of 23.923 filled balloons" (Ref. 3); "more than 2x CO2 sequestration per hot day" (Ref. 3)
Increased green space area: "nearly 18ha leaf area of the total vegetation" (Ref. 3); "289 new trees representing an area of 2 hectare natural forest - many are already planted as large trees & thus develop their effect directly" (Ref. 3)
Water retention: "rain water retention (regular) to the extent of 134.872 full bathtubs - excess rain water flows into the adjacent Wienerberg pond" (Ref. 3)
Social justice and community:
--Achieved improved access to urban green space/--Achieved increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces: "The first residents are currently moving into the Biotope City. Life in a Biotope City is one of the central themes in the research project. Since the residents play a decisive role in the success of the project, the commitment of the residents (e.g. their willingness to look after their planters accordingly) is of central importance for the effectiveness and long-term existence of the Biotope City Wienerberg." Ref. 7)
--Achieved improved mental health: " Nature as an essential part of life with its positive effects on mental balance and healing" (Ref. 2)

Long-term perspective

Unknown: No information about the project's long-term sustainability.

Cost-effective solutions

Yes

Equitable impacts

A. All stakeholders benefit fairly from the project

Transformative capacity

Social change (e.g. social relationships, networks and dynamics within them)

Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)

Technical change (e.g. built infrastructure of cities and their parts, roads, buildings and so on)

Systemic change (the NBS caused changes across the social, ecological and technological dimensions)

Magnitude of change

Reformist: by focusing on addressing underlying drivers of change but failing to address the problem structurally or systemically

Application of lessons learned

The NBS has been shared or used as a good practice to trigger transformative change

The NBS has informed policy and regulatory processes

Perception of Environmental Change

Unknown

6. Sources

References

City of Vienna (n.d.). Biotope City Wienerberg. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Fassbinder, H. (n.d.). A Biotope-City-Quartier for Vienna. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

greenpass (n.d.). Biotope City Wienerberg. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Stadt der Zukunft (n.d.). Biotope City - Bauanleitung für die grüne Stadt der Zukunft. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

City of Vienna (n.d.). Favoriten in Zahlen. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Gary, G. & Z+B Magazin (n.d.). Biotope City Wienerberg. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Dr. Reinwald, F. & Ring, Z. (n.d.). Biotope City Wienerberg. Ein neuer Stadtteil für Wien mit einem neuen Leitbild.. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Fassbinder, H. (n.d.). The example of Biotope City Wienerberg: The green city at the crossroad of disciplines, investors and authorities. Accessed on October 2, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];

Comments and notes

Comments

There are tow different reports relevant for section 5:
1. An impact assessment (Ref. 3)
2. A monitoring report that was mentioned also in the Implementation Activities and Actors Section (Ref. 4)

Additional insights

Biotope City Wienerberg is the world’s first official climate-smart and greenpass platinum-certified urban district. Greenpass has been involved in the project from the beginning, providing a status-quo and scenario comparison and assessing the environmental impact. (Ref. 3)

Local regulations: Vienna had already incorporated climate targets into its urban development plan and government program. This potentially provided a supportive policy framework for the project but it is not clarified in how far this has influenced the project or which strategies/regulations were at play. (Ref. 8)

Public Images

Green spaces between the buildings

Biotope City

View of a roof on green roofs, facades and trees

View of the roof over the different green features of the Biotope City

Biotope City