WHAT I OFFER
My preferred set-up for teams includes local experts and staff working together with viennese and international experts to deliver unique solutions.
- Advising & Consulting
- Developing & Designing
- Steering & Managing
- Training
SMART STRATEGY & AGENDA
Smart Strategies for world class cities reach far beyond managed urbanization. Strategic urban development perceives and uses urban growth as an opportunity for ecological, economic and social transformation.
Efficient land use, designated areas for future urban growth, protection of forested and agricultural land reserves, transformation of former brownfield-areas, comprehensive criteria for the design for new urban quarters as well as urban renewal areas , integrated energy and mobility planning, strategic flexible integration of smart technologies are only the basics.
Teaming up with local experts I analyze and build an understanding of the challenges at stake and the local specifics.
In the tradition of Social Urbanism we identify barriers, design connections, involve and empower communities, create long-term plans and shared commitment.
Read more on the focus and contents of Urban Transformation Strategy and Urban Agenda of Transition Policies.
URBAN DESIGN
„Forget about corporate design; this is not about creating another global city. The ambition is to create a local city with global appeal“
New Urban Quarters and small or large-scale Urban Renewal projects are always an opportunity to introduce smart transformative urban design and trigger transition processes locally and beyond. We support the transformation of brownfield-areas into lively, green & inclusive urban quarters as an opportunity for improvement for their entire vicinity or the city as a whole. We offer advice on design quality criteria for masterplanning and the preparation of collaborative planning processes or competitions, citizen involvement, modular development processes, long-term process and quality monitoring.
Transforming the already built city entails redesigning neighborhoods for children and families, introducing gender-sensible urban design, redesigning public spaces and rethinking local streets focusing on the creation of walkable cities, inviting to healthy life-styles, opportunities for child play and myriads of ways to enjoy outdoor life.
Urban greening plans aim at gradually creating a network of green and open spaces, connecting parks and squares with linear green boulevards, integrating vertical greening, green roofs and accessible inner/backyards and transforming urban life quality.
Preferably I combine Viennese and international renowned expertise with local experts and practitioners and artists, integrating or reinterpreting traditional methods.
GREENING – CLIMATE AGENDA
I build expert teams with a focus on three major areas of urban intervention to develop policies and solutions corresponding to the city’s decision powers and resources and promote the climate agenda (climate neutrality and adaptation) combined with new potential for local economies, strengthening social inclusion and improving general life quality. We integrate risk management in all approaches, planning for resilient urban systems disposing of diverse local solutions and reducing dependance from large centralized systems and infrastructures. We provide advice on sustainable funding and financing solutions.
Buildings: Energy efficiency policy including municipal services and infrastructures (e.g. municipal LED-lighting), retrofitting neighborhoods, passive architecture, hybrid structures and use of sustainable local methods and materials, testing and prototyping, heating & cooling with renewables, supporting local cooperatives, local energy storage solutions
Waste and Water Management: Energy transition strategy integrating waste and water management, integrated energy planning and zoning in all new developments and regeneration projects, hybrid energy and local/regional storage solutions, identifying local potential and introducing local circular economy concepts.
Greening: Responding to floods and land-slide risks or extreme heat, „repairing“ urban heat islands, protecting and expanding the „Urban Forest“: urban greening plans aim at gradually creating networks of green and open spaces, connecting parks and squares with linear green boulevards, introducing water elements, integrating vertical greening, green roofs and accessible inner/backyards, bringing nature back to the city and transforming urban life quality, supporting community projects.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Vienna is the world capital of housing affordability: Today 62% of the Viennese live in public housing or subsidized social housing units – a world record.
Vienna´s social housing tradition combines affordability with highest quality and constant innovation. Drawing from the city´s century-long experience in affordable housing & active land policy I provide expertise and support for the development of affordable housing agendas, innovative projects (including community housing models), models for sustainable re-financing and new subsidy schemes tailored to the needs and specific background of each city.
GREEN MOBILITY
Vienna’s 365€ annual public transport ticket, a globally best known, amazingly successful solution for increasing the share of public transport use in only one example of urban solutions from Vienna currently under consideration or implementation in cities worldwide. I offer advice for the adaptation and adoption of the 365€ annual ticket provided directly from the „original“ pioneering team in Vienna. We support the development of green mobility strategies and comprehensive masterplans aiming at the reduction of private car dependency and rapid increase in the use of green transport modes . We design and manage transition processes including lighthouse projects and „quick-wins“. We offer advice ranging from targeted improvements of public transport systems, increasing walkability, quick and efficient creation/improvement of cycling networks to innovative or improved uses of other, individually relevant modes of transport. We design tailored parking policies, sharing schemes and e-mobility strategies for cities. We organize and steer stakeholder platforms facilitating the design and implementation of innovative urban logistics (Distribution hubs, green last-mile delivery concepts etc.)
GOVERNANCE INNOVATION
Wide-scale urban transitions – as systemic change of all types – require thoughtful and innovative transition management. Smart cities across the globe experience the importance of smart governance innovation as one of the most crucial parts for the success of transformational strategies. Drawing from Vienna´s experience as a city of continuous, thoughtful and sustainable innovation I offer advice in transformative governance processes and structures. From bottom-up involvement and broad stakeholder management to local and regional platforms, modular process design and risk management – from PPPs and outsourcing in flexible municipal agencies/companies to effective process and quality monitoring – from democratic decision making to project delivery within time and budget frames. Managing the delivery of large-scale transformation Projects is the most complex and challenging „Project“ of all that can not be „translated“ in a a series of consequent consultancies. It most often requires experienced, skilled teams working on-site with local staff, long-term technical capacity building as well as short-term training and transfer of know-how. Teaming up with experts we steer organizational development processes towards a flexible and multidisciplinary cooperative culture within administration.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
„If we apply/involve local cultures to create new design we will end up with innovative design that has the power to change/innovate culture“
Transforming cities not only results in but also requires social and cultural transformation. Community driven social innovation is one of the most powerful drivers (if not a precondition) for sustainable change. Early citizen involvement regularly leads to better results and shared commitment, yet it requires thoughtful and skilled management. It also requires adequate structures and resources, which many cities currently lack. Starting with capacity building (setting up standards and structures, building and training teams, selecting or developing methods) we offer advice or organize ( in cooperation with local practitioners and staff) citizen and community activation, the triggering and managing of co-creative processes, community empowerment agendas and community grants schemes leading shared policies and a rapid spread of action.
I believe in triggering local creativity and bottom-up innovation, combining local excellence and craftsmanship with international experience and best practices to produce unique results and sustainable innovation.
INSPIRATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Inspiring and leading cultural shift within administration means opening up and involving, empowering and sharing, daring and innovating. Its about thinking out of the box and overcoming antagonism and old-silo-politics. It ́s about establishing a culture of collaboration and the magic word is „together“!
Inspiration is a gift of people born with the power of envisaging and a strong will to make things happen. Sharing inspiration with others and forging joint action is the only way to turn vision into reality. This is what leadership training is about.
I provide personal mentoring and leadership training by experienced professionists and city leaders in form of individual counseling, advisory meetings or peer-to-peer counseling (and with a special but by no means exclusive focus on young or female urban leaders).
Yet inspirational leadership only begins at the top. Changing the mindset and rituals of an organization is a different story: It may entail supervision and training for leading teams, steering organizational development processes for departments or reseting entire administrations.
Drawing from Viennas experience I grant special focus to equity, offering special programs for talent scouting (young urban leaders programs) and systematically supporting women in leading positions.