The landuni Drosendorf is an educational cooperation between the TU Wien and the federal province of Lower Austria, with the aim of conducting practice- and project-oriented research in rural areas for rural areas. Its focus lies on adressing regional challenges, future issues, trends and technologies. The project is the result of an initiative of the Faculty of Architecture and Spatial Planning. The pilot region is Drosendorf in the northern Waldviertel (district Horn), which is also home to the Drosendorf Castle, the main anchor point and location of the landuni. With its prominent topographical location on a rocky spur in a loop of the Thaya River, with its enclosed town wall and a rich history, the town offers an ideal environment in which researchers and students can learn, get input and give added value back to the region.

The focus of landuni is to bundle practice- and project-related research and teaching on the rural space and this especially locally – in and with the rural space. The landuni Drosendorf creates an environment that makes the location attractive for researchers and attracts both young scientists and internationally renowned researchers. The goal is to strengthen and expand research activities and sustainably promote young scientists. The project started its pilot phase for five semesters in March 2022. TU Wien contributes teaching and research, while the Province of Lower Austria supports the educational and research cooperation.

Project duration: 03/2022 to 08/2024 (with option for extension).

Research funding project, funded by the province of Lower Austria.

Further information: Project database, opens an external URL in a new window | Website, opens an external URL in a new window | Project page of the future.lab, opens an external URL in a new window

The Soil Walks project is investigating the contribution that the Walk & Talk format, developed together with five pilot municipalities and regions, can make to sustainable and broadly effective awareness-raising on the topics of land utilisation, sealing and inner development. The Soil Walks are a method for initiating public dialogue and preparing participatory planning processes. Current challenges and opportunities relating to land use in general and specifically for the municipality are discussed together with the population and interested parties. The resulting findings can be the starting point for forward-looking planning measures in the municipality/region and should be incorporated into further projects.

The method will be prepared in the form of training videos so that awareness-raising walks can be self-organised in all Austrian municipalities and regions by local planners, municipal administrators, those responsible for building culture, vacancy managers, land officers, teachers and many more. To support this, a data dashboard is being developed to visualise key figures on land use and sealing in Austria's municipalities and regions, which includes the new ÖROK land monitoring data.

Project duration: 09/2023 to 03/2025

Contract research project in cooperation with the Austrian Umweltbundesamt and Wallenberger & Linhard Regionalberatung KG, funded by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Regions and Water Management.

Further Information: Project database, opens an external URL in a new window | Project website, opens an external URL in a new window

As part of this project, scientific support is being provided for the development of a concept for spatial energy planning for the municipality of Sankt Poelten (Lower Austria). Concepts for focus areas are being developed in order to drive forward the energy transition in the state capital.

Project duration: 10/2024 to 09/2025

Contract research project, in cooperation with the Municipality of St. Pölten, Department of Urban Planning

Further information: Project database, 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