SDGS & VIENNA
YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK By Nicholas K. Smith, OPEC Fund
Stephansplatz St. Stephen’s Cathedral stands at the heart of Vienna, a monument to sustainable building (SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production). The cathedral evolved through three successive versions, each reusing materials from earlier structures, much as the ancient Romans once did on the same site. The two front towers date from the second church; today, four honey-producing beehives sit between them (SDG 12 and SDG 15 – Life on Land). On one side stands the Archbishop’s Palace, featuring 80 square meters of photovoltaic panels (SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy). On the other is the site of St. Stephen’s civic school, founded in the 13th century (SDG 4 – Quality Education). Nearby, Eugenie Schwarzwald pioneered girls’ education, opening Austria’s first school where girls could sit university entrance exams (SDG 5 and SDG 10).
Stadtpark
Stadtpark The Vienna River is barely a trickle today as it sits several meters below in a wide, concrete channel (and impacted by a steaming hot summer). In the mid-1800s, the city built “cholera canals” on either side of the river to keep sewage out of the waterway, lowering the risk of infection (SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation). The high walls of the river embankment through Stadtpark are designed to safely channel water out of the city and into the nearby Danube Canal in the event of heavy rains and flooding, like the one that occurred most recently in 2024, from becoming the devastating force they used to be since the Middle Ages (SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13 - Climate Action).
The Reward After an exhaustive and exhausting tour, here is an insider tip: A few steps away from Neuer Markt on Spiegelgasse you will find Vienna’s undisputed finest ice cream at “Gelato Carlo”. Seeing the lengthy queue, you will realize it is not much of a secret anymore. But you will understand why.
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