A handbook to guide growth
From 2000-2020 Vienna’s population has increased dramatically, putting pressure on the housing market, and necessitating the provision of more homes. As a response, the City of Vienna proposed developing Aspern, the city’s former airfield, into a new neighborhood from the ground up. Based on the officially sanctioned masterplan, Gehl created a planning handbook to guide the layout of public infrastructure and real estate development over time.
By activating the core pillars of the master plan, the handbook ensured a long-term focus on temporary structures and activities, urban furniture, building setbacks, and site recommendations for real estate development. This approach has kept Aspern Seestadt’s development true to its ‘people-first’ ambitions, making it a sought-after neighborhood that demonstrates the many positive impacts of green and healthy public life.
Today, recommendations from the handbook have established the district as a place for everyday life. The green public spaces, diverse building scales, variable ground floor functions, and thoughtful urban features all contribute to a neighborhood with a unique identity. Accessible public transport and streets named after prominent women add to the area’s character, inviting residents and visitors to actively use, play, or linger.
