Green turn in Währing: Trees, bike paths and citizen participation are booming!

Green turn in Währing: Trees, bike paths and citizen participation are booming!

The continuing green policy in Wäring shows significant success. Silvia Nossek has been running the 18th district as the district manager since 2015 and has initiated significant changes during this time. Under her direction, Währing has developed into one of the greenest districts of Vienna and has the highest density of street trees in the city. Over 200 new trees have been planted since taking office, which significantly increased the quality of life of the residents. Successful projects such as the renovation of the Pötzleinsdorfer Allee and the greening of Lindenallee in Oberen Kreuzgasse are just a few examples of their initiative.

Another important concern of your team is to improve the cycling infrastructure. In addition to the promotion of cargo bikes, Nossek is also committed to creating Grätzlreffpoints. She pays special attention to citizen participation and social integration in order to increase the quality of life for all residents. Before Nossek's taking office, the ÖVP was dominant in the district from 1946 to 2015, led by Karl Homole, who was district manager for 25 years.

Votes and political landscape

In the last election five years ago, the Greens in Wäring received 38.70 %of the votes, followed by the ÖVP with 27.48 %, the SPÖ with 17.86 %, the NEOS with 8.07 %and the FPÖ with 2.74 %. These election results reflect the consent to the Green Initiatives and show the trust of the population in the changes that Nossek and their team have brought about. The district representative is distributed over 40 seats, which shapes the political landscape of Wärings.

As part of the nationwide strategy for the green infrastructure, the importance of urban green infrastructures is becoming increasingly clear. The federal concept for the Green Infrastructure (BKGI) pursues the goal of integrating existing specialist concepts and thereby improving nature conservation and landscape maintenance. This initiative is supported by fundamental data and information that enables central areas and rooms to identify for nature conservation. The preservation and improvement of biodiversity in urban rooms is of central importance. The direction of development is particularly clear in cities: Green infrastructure helps to return urban habitats a healthy and sustainable piece of nature in order to meet challenges such as climate change.

Role of the urban green infrastructure

The concept for the urban green infrastructure is a basis for attractive and sustainable urban development. It is discussed in a comprehensive brochure of the Federal Office for Nature Conservation, in which goals, planning principles and implementation options for municipalities are presented. This documentation underlines the need to secure, plan and manage green areas accordingly.

In Währing, these goals are already being actively worked on. The measures associated with the concept should contribute to increasing the quality of life of the residents and use the natural resources better. The successful cooperation between various actors, including the German Garden Office Manager Conference and the BUND for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany, is a step in the right direction. The sustainable integration of these green infrastructures into urban planning is considered crucial in order to make the urban space more livable.

For the upcoming elections, the Greens are expected to continue to be set up in the district through these successes. The development under the green leadership could thus serve as a model for other districts and cities that want to master similar challenges.

The creation and care of urban green infrastructures is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity to significantly improve the quality of life in our cities. The examples from Währing show that the integration of nature into the urban area promotes both biodiversity and well -being of the citizens.