SDGS & VIENNA
SDGS ARE EVERYWHERE, IF A walking tour of Vienna’s old town highlights many earth-friendly projects, past and present
M any cities have “hidden” walking tours that explore forgotten historical sites, quiet backstreets and overlooked places with unusual stories. The OPEC Fund’s host city of Vienna has plenty of these tours, but it also has a unique offshoot that focuses on the Sustainable Development Goals. We took one such walk led by Austria Guides For Future, which pointed out many of the places in Vienna’s first district that pioneered climate- and social-friendly ideas from the Habsburg monarchy to the present day, all of which help Austria’s capital top most lists of livable cities. Here’s a look at some of our favorite stops.
Neuer Markt For many decades,
parking-lot blacktop and cars shared space with the distinctive Donner Fountain that dominates Neuer Markt, which dates to the 13th century. In 2019, construction began of an underground parking
Stephansplatz
Neuer Markt
garage in an effort to restore the square to its former glory, as well as allowing the city to rebuild with an eye to the future (SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities). The new Neuer Markt is now complete, with light-colored tiles to reflect sunlight and heat, wooden benches, grasses, plants and “XL trees” to keep a once heat-retaining area relatively cool (SDG 13 – Climate Action). These XL trees are not saplings, but decades-old trees shipped in from Germany to provide ready-made shade, rather than wait years and years for saplings to grow large enough to provide adequate shade.
Ringstrasse
Ringstrasse In the mid-1800s, long after the threat of land invasions had receded, Habsburg Emperor Franz Josef decreed the walls circling the inner city should be torn down and replaced by a wide, tree-lined boulevard (SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure). Grand palaces soon lined the Ringstrasse so the city’s elite could present their wealth to those strolling below. Plane trees were initially planted but their sturdy trunks and
dense canopies soon obscured views of the ornate buildings, annoying palace owners. Other species were introduced, yet many provided insufficient shade or required excessive water. The eventual solution was not a single ideal species but a diverse mix of trees. Today, this variety enhances the boulevard’s resilience, shade and biodiversity, contributing to the Ringstrasse's distinctive character (SDG 15 – Life on Land).
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