Graz demands creative ideas: survey to empty rooms starts

Graz demands creative ideas: survey to empty rooms starts

In Graz there are more and more empty shop areas that once housed pulsating life. The emigration of traditional shops and the increasing trend of online shopping have made many of these ground floor surfaces into a shadow of themselves. But that could change soon: a new survey could pave the way for a creative revival of these rooms.

The Welocally platform and the city laboratory have initiated a survey to determine the special requirements of local entrepreneurs, artists and initiatives. "Leaving offers the opportunity to realize innovative concepts and support local creators," explains Mirjam Mieschendahl , the founder of Welocally. The goal is clear: to find out how these empty areas can be used to promote creative and economic projects in Graz.

determination of needs for creative use

The survey focuses particularly on one-person companies as well as cultural workers and associations. This targeted approach should determine the actual needs. What kind of rooms do these actors need, and what are the challenges of renting? With this information you want to create the basis for a sensible use of the vacancies.

Due to the change in retail, many sales areas have remained unused. Increasing rental prices and the influence of e-commerce have also reinforced the scenes that can be felt here. The survey wants to evaluate this situation and draw a clear picture of the need for premises so that future possible uses can be better designed.

targeted measures for vacancy activation

The data collected flow into the "Crowd2 room" research project. This project aims to actively revitalize vacancies with local actors and to develop innovative usage concepts. The survey takes a first step to create concrete framework conditions that are beneficial to revive the urban rooms in Graz.

The commitment of Welocally and city laboratory shows how important it is to find solutions for unused sales areas. The hope is that these vacancies not only offer economic opportunities for sole proprietorship and artists, but also strengthen the cultural exchange and the local community. More information and the survey itself are available on the Welocally platform.