Start: 04/2015, ongoing

Prof. Arthur Kanonier has managed the Law Collection (Rechtssammlung) of the Austrian Conference on Spatial Planning (ÖROK) along with members of the Research Unit for many years. This is updated on the ÖROK website (www.oerok.gv.at, opens an external URL in a new window) every six months (April and September). In view of the very diverse nature of spatial planning law, the ÖROK Law Collection on spatial planning aims to provide an overview of the currently applicable versions and make it easier to navigate the various legal standards relevant to spatial planning. The complex allocation of powers and the nine different legal frameworks mean that the legal principles are diverse and not clear from the outset. 
 
A short summary gives an overview of the most important changes and innovations in spatial planning law over the past six months, as well as an overview of recent case law of the highest courts (Austrian Constitutional Court, Supreme Administrative Court).

The Law Chronicle (Rechtschronik) is available online at: www.oerok.gv.at/raum/daten-und-grundlagen/rechtssammlung/rechtschronik, opens an external URL in a new window

Over 40% of Austrians live in rural areas. Rural regions and small towns are becoming increasingly important as a place of residence and business. However, being mobile in rural areas involves a high degree of self-organisation, which is reflected in a comparatively high affinity for cars. This situation simultaneously harbours great potential for innovative mobility services that focus on sharing rather than owning.

As a regional mobility laboratory for rural areas, land.mobil:LAB addresses these challenges. Based in Waldviertel (Lower Austria), the LAB focuses on specific areas (including flexible public transport) and supports innovation projects on their way to realisation. The establishment of a mobility laboratory specialising in rural mobility offers a special opportunity to support mobility innovations that arise from the specific needs of the population in the focus region.

With the RU7 department of the state of Lower Austria and the Interkomm Waldviertel association, the land.mobil:LAB has important strategic partners for administrative innovation and the transfer of mobility solutions to relevant stakeholders. The state of Lower Austria is currently focussing on the nationwide roll-out of on-demand transport ("Flex-ÖV") in coordination with "classic" scheduled services. This top-down approach by the public sector is combined with the strong self-organisation potential of rural communities through the LAB’s processes.

The research landscape on rural mobility lags far behind that in urban areas. The aim of land.mobil:LAB is to close the gap between research and practice and to act as an instrument for research-led mobility innovations in rural areas. The analytical and planning procedures in the LAB follow a multi-method approach: a mobility panel enables the mobility behaviour of residents to be researched. Accessibility analyses can be used to identify priority areas with high transformative impact potential in the mobility sector and define requirements for innovation projects. land.mobil:LAB accompanies innovation projects from project genesis to implementation and evaluation. The projects are localised along three innovation perspectives that were developed with stakeholders in the exploratory phase: (a) New mobility modes, (b) Dynamic mobility purposes and (c) Actors with innovation potential.

On the one hand, land.mobil:LAB supports the implementation of complementary mobility offers that have already been tested and can be replicated, and on the other hand, it actively contributes to the transfer of findings from its own activities in the Waldviertel pilot area to other regions in Austria. The land.mobil:LAB therefore sees itself (a) as an accelerator of the mobility transition in rural areas, (b) as an incubator for innovative mobility solutions and (c) as a multiplier of ideas and findings.

Project duration: 08/2024 bis 07/2029

Research funding project, funded by the FFG, in cooperation with the state of Lower Austria and the association Interkomm Waldviertel.

Further information: Website, opens an external URL in a new window

Start: 1 April 2026, ongoing

Start: January 12^th 2026, ongoing