Starting point / motivation

Existing neighbourhoods play a key role in achieving climate neutrality in cities. At the same time, they are particularly demanding in terms of the need for refurbishment, social mix, technical infrastructure, design challenges and governance processes. With "KPQ goes NEB", a pilot process is being launched for the first time for an existing neighbourhood that integrates the principles of New European Bauhaus (NEB).

The Roseggersiedlung offers ideal conditions to ensure broad transferability for comparable neighbourhoods. The instruments and processes developed in the process are to be made available to municipal institutions and other cities and stakeholders in sustainable urban development in the long term.

Contents and goals

The main objective is to develop a consensus-based and transferable overall concept for the climate-neutral transformation of the Roseggersiedlung, taking into account the NEB principles. Specific packages of measures are to be defined, an integrated mission statement developed and a modular FIT4NEB toolkit created, which contains methods, checklists, typologies and design guidelines for use in other existing neighbourhoods.

To this end, a NEB criteria dashboard will be developed that integrates qualitative and quantitative sustainability goals. The focus is on participation, social inclusion and affordable housing. Innovative financing models (e.g. energy communities, user bonds) are also being examined.

Innovative content

The project goes beyond the current state of urban development, as it is the first time that a systematic development process is applied to an existing inner-city neighbourhood.
Innovative are

• The operationalisation of the soft NEB criteria in the context of existing structures and their combination with hard sustainability indicators,
• the integrative governance model, which involves key urban players, the ownership structure and local stakeholders in a targeted manner through co-design formats and low-threshold participation programmes,
• the expansion of the NEB criteria catalogue to include mobility aspects to underline the holistic character of neighbourhood development.

Intended results and findings

The central result is a publishable integrated implementation plan for the Roseggersiedlung, including a vision, mission statement, strategies, bundles of measures, time and financing plan as well as specific implementation tools. The FIT4NEB toolkit is intended to serve as a standardised transfer instrument for other cities.

Findings on socially inclusive redevelopment strategies, innovative governance and participation processes as well as urban planning and architectural recommendations for the application of NEB criteria in existing neighbourhoods will achieve broad applicability and impact - both locally in Graz and throughout Austria.

Project management

Graz – state capital of Styria

Project or cooperation partners

• AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies (AEE INTEC)
• Katharina Hohenwarter
• verkehrplus ZT GmbH
• StadtLABOR Innovationen für urbane Lebensqualität GmbH
• Graz University of Technology
• smartwärts e.U.

Graz – state capital of Styria
DI Kai-Uwe Hoffer
Tel.: +43 (316) 872-3503
E-Mail: uwe.hoffer@stadt.graz.at