Meeting point Nelson-Mandela-Platz. Urban planner Andreas Kleboth and gender planning expert Eva Kail discuss the planning, social, economic, and transport-related demands and challenges in developing a new city center.
Cities are places of constant movement. They are systems that, due to their spatial, demographic, social, economic, and ecological complexity and dynamics, require interconnected structures to function. But how can a city be designed to be successful, attractive, and future-proof at the same time? How can a public space enable urban diversity with new ideas? How does a shopping mile fit with our changing shopping habits? And where is space needed for future concepts? As an architect and urban planner, Andreas Kleboth has been dealing with urban development issues like these for over 25 years. A key point is people's mobility behavior. “For this, transport hubs need to become attractive again,” he immediately points out at our meeting.
“Good planning can reflect the goals and values of the community in public spaces, create identity, and promote social cohesion.”
Andreas Kleboth
Architekt & Gestaltungsbeirat
Together with Eva Kail, gender planning expert for the City of Vienna, he has been involved in the Seestadt project for a long time. The current focus is on the central planning process for the public space in the north of Seestadt. “The entire Seestadt area, with around 240 hectares, is one of the largest urban development projects in Europe, and the south is already a prime example of urban innovation,” says Kleboth, who has been a member of the aspern expert team since 2019. Now it is about taking the next step and concretizing the design of the public space in the still largely undeveloped north, which accounts for about two-thirds of the overall project. “The most important element is already in place and functioning: the station at Nelson-Mandela-Platz as a future main transport hub for Donaustadt,” says Kail. “The connection via public transport brings the urban mobility and centrality that will make Seestadt and its neighborhood a sustainable city of short distances.”
The City of Short Distances
To meet all these requirements, the Jane Jacobs Bridge connects the “Am Seebogen” quarter with the Seeparkquartier as a bicycle and pedestrian crossing over the lake. “True to its namesake, the bridge provides quick access to the subway, buses, or rental bikes,” says Kail. “It leads to supermarkets, the school, or the sports fields under the subway, to the library and youth center, and in the future to the restaurants in the arcades along the waterfront. Past the popular skate waves and the pop-up bar by the lake.” What matters is that all genders and age groups feel represented in the space and can get around easily. “During the competition, I paid particular attention to the so-called walking lines,” notes Kail. “The paths should offer both shopping and strolling opportunities, but also function as linear movement spaces.” This is especially important, for example, in the station area of Nelson-Mandela-Platz, where a pleasant waiting situation should be created.
In addition to good public transport connections, the square should not only function at ground level as a starting point for cultural and commercial opportunities, but also appear inviting from the upper floors of the surrounding buildings. “Of course, the design must also consider places that are sunny in spring, autumn, and winter and provide shade in the summer months,” says Kail. This is particularly important due to the increasing heat periods. “We know the best air conditioning in public spaces is trees, but they have a hard time in the city,” says Kail. The sponge city principle in Seestadt gives the planted trees enough water and space for their roots to grow. “Good microclimatic conditions are especially relevant to gender, as heat waves particularly affect young children, women, and the elderly,” says the expert. Where trees are not possible, the already mentioned arcades around Zaha-Hadid-Platz offer good protection from heat and rain and also provide comfort.
“The mix of offerings on the co-creative mile and its attractive public space will make Seestadt the hotspot of this part of Donaustadt,” explains Kail. “Especially the shopping street between the train station and Zaha Hadid Square by the lake will become a place with diverse social infrastructure.” The key to a vibrant neighborhood is its public space. If it is safe and well-designed, it enables equal social encounters. “This is not a new concept; Jane Jacobs already recognized this,” Kail explains. The New York activist described in her 1961 treatise “The Death and Life of Great American Cities” how cities function, develop, and why some fail. The “aspects of mixed-use neighborhoods and their vibrancy at different times of day” that she introduced also inspired the concept for Seestadt, Kail says. Jacobs praised wide sidewalks and public spaces where people move equally and without cars. She also knew that for positive social control, spaces with “social eyes” are important, providing safety for everyone and located at ground-floor level.
“Safety is created not only by good lighting at night, but above all by the mix of shops, restaurants, and apartments where lights are on even after business hours.”
“The lighting must be sufficient to recognize a face from ten meters away,” she explains. When selecting competition entries for the design of the new mile, Eva Kail paid attention to gender-sensitive priorities. “As a juror, I tried to put myself in the shoes of different users and understand their needs from their perspective,” she says. For a city district, she asks questions such as: From when can my child go to school alone or ride a bike? Can I shop on the way from the subway—and will I meet acquaintances there? How far is it to the nearest public transport? Are the paths suitable for wheelchairs and strollers?
That’s why a lot of preparations are currently happening in and around Seestadt at the same time: The preliminary work for the construction of the tram loop at the station will soon have to be literally put on track. Franz Reschke, the winner of the planning competition for the Rote Saite Nord, is working intensively on this. At the Aspern Nord transport hub, express and regional trains run to Hütteldorf and Bratislava, the U2 line, several bus lines, and from autumn 2025 the new tram line 27, which will connect Floridsdorf via Kagran with Donaustadt.
Looking a bit further ahead: Tram line 25, which will run from the south past the lake through the shopping street. “The frequency here is already surprisingly high and will increase significantly,” says Kleboth. “Because with around 20,000+ jobs and college places planned and over 25,000 residents, Seestadt is not only a dynamically growing business location, but also a new regional center.” He emphasizes that the clear focus on public, sustainable mobility does not change the fact that the U2-Donaustadt development axis also needs a high-capacity road as part of the overall concept: “In the area around Seestadt and here in the north, around 60,000 people are expected to find forward-looking housing. The establishment of businesses and jobs will not be possible without road infrastructure – even though the conditions here are otherwise perfect.”
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