From EVAluation to the Future of Seestadt

It has been ten years since the first residents moved into Seestadt. By the 2030s, one of Europe’s largest and most innovative urban development areas is set to be fully completed. Around 11,500 housing units for at least 25,000 residents will be built, along with spaces for shops, restaurants, businesses and production, education, culture, and sports. With space for around 20,000+ jobs and college places, living and working will be brought closer together.

The development of the new regional center in Donaustadt is taking place in stages, or quarters. Three of these — Pionierquartier, Seeparkquartier, Am Seebogen — already exist, and 12,000 Seestadt residents currently live here. Around 5,000 people already work in the district. Preparations are now underway for the next construction projects in Seecarré on the lake’s northwest shore. Time for an interim review. But it wouldn’t be Seestadt if it weren’t about more: it aims to get even better.

EVA — initially just an abbreviation for Evaluation — is the largest internal project since the founding of the Seestadt development company Wien 3420. It took just over two years. The idea behind it: to critically review what has been achieved in order to be best prepared for the next stages of development.
Together with a scientific advisory team from Urban Innovation Vienna, the city’s climate and innovation agency, Seestadt was put to the test, an interim review was conducted, and the decision was made to define a set of target areas with KPIs — Key Performance Indicators — for further development. The first step has been taken: the 2024 report “EVA — Evaluation, Interim Review and Target System foraspern Seestadt” is now available. Wien 3420 is already working on the next step, because after this pilot monitoring, regular reporting will take place, with the first comprehensive KPI report in 2025.

What EVA can contribute to the success of the overall project, why creating reliable quality data is important, and the significance of teamwork and image building are explained in the interview by the board members of Wien 3420aspern Development AG. The managing directors of wohnfonds_wien discuss the role of developer competitions in district development and what to expect from the next quarter, Seecarré.

There still seem to be obstacles, for example the controversial completion of the Stadtstraße with the Ost junction, which is necessary for the further development of Seestadt in the north due to an EIA requirement.

Gerhard Schuster: Unfortunately, it’s difficult to fight against the dogmatic attitude of some people who believe that not a single meter of road should be built, even in the region with the highest population growth. The fact is, we need a minimum of additional road infrastructure to continue expanding Seestadt as planned. The western junction of the Stadtstraße is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, after which settlement of the Seecarré quarter and several other projects can begin. The remaining buildings in the north, however, are tied to the completion of the so-called S1 link and the second junction.

Robert Grüneis: A district is like a body with a brain and heart, but also with arteries and veins for the flow of energy into and out of the city, meaning for inbound and outbound traffic. But let’s rather talk about all the other measures we’re taking in terms of transport infrastructure to keep private motorized traffic as low as possible.

Which are?

Robert Grüneis: The key elements of our mobility concept are excellent public transport connections — see U2 and S80 and soon tram line 27 — as well as active forms of mobility, such as cycling and walking. Our targeted modal split for local transport in Seestadt is: 40 percent cycling and walking, 40 percent public transport, and only 20 percent car traffic. To achieve this, we’re implementing many measures, such as optimizing city logistics with concepts and ideas from TU Wien, collaborating with Wiener Linien, car-sharing offers, rental systems for e-bikes, bikes, and e-cargo bikes, and building collective garages to create more public space for pedestrians and cyclists. We also reduce traffic-related pollutants with our construction logistics and environmental management concept. Excavated materials are largely stored and reused on site. So far, we have saved around 7.5 million km of truck transports, equivalent to about 8,400 tons of CO₂!

Gerhard Schuster: By the way, we were able to document with EVA that we’re on the right track. Traffic counts can measure and prove that we are doing excellently in terms of modal split and reduction targets for private motorized traffic. One figure as an example: the low car rate of 242 cars per 1,000 residents. With our new KPIs, we’re also making further improvements.

Is one of Wien 3420’s goals also the positive external image of Seestadt?

Ingrid Spörk: Of course, image is important to continue bringing life to a new district. Interestingly, Seestadt residents have a very positive view of their neighborhood — in the satisfaction survey, 93 percent of respondents were “very satisfied” or “satisfied,” while outsiders are more critical of Seestadt. The same applies to business owners. The better you know Seestadt, the more positively you perceive it. In this sense, we want to bring people to Seestadt so they can see it for themselves. And as already mentioned, we need to communicate facts even better to dispel prejudices. For example, Seestadt is perceived as “too far outside Vienna,” but the fact is, you can reach the city center at Schottentor in 25 minutes by U2, and the main train station in about 20 minutes by train. Others talk about a high degree of soil sealing. We can counter this with concrete figures on green space and the number of trees planted, and above all, an incredibly low land consumption.

Robert Grüneis: In addition, we will create even more cultural, sports, and social attractions in the future — people should get to know Seestadt.

Gerhard Schuster: Which brings us back to the meaningful contribution of EVA. It’s about reliable quality descriptions, to both improve future processes and convey an accurate image of Seestadt.