Journal of Landscape Architecture

ISSN: 1862-6033 (Print) 2164-604X (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjla20

Back on the Street: Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich,

and Rotterdam in focus

Jürgen Furchtlehner & Lilli Lička

To cite this article: Jürgen Furchtlehner & Lilli Lička (2019) Back on the Street: Vienna,
Copenhagen, Munich, and Rotterdam in focus, Journal of Landscape Architecture, 14:1, 72-83,
DOI: 10.1080/18626033.2019.1623551

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/18626033.2019.1623551

Published online: 05 Jun 2019.

Submit your article to this journal

View Crossmark data

Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rjla20
Back on the Street:
Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich, and Rotterdam
in focus

Jürgen Furchtlehner and Lilli Lička University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, BOKU Vienna, Austria

Abstract Introduction
The paper presents a comparative study on neighbourhood streets in the Many European cities are being confronted with rapid population growth,
densely populated cities of Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Munich, and Vienna. producing a need for more housing and infrastructure. Also Vienna, a city
First, urban development is contextualized in a brief history of alternative that has been praised as the best city in the world in terms of quality of
street development approaches. Then, the current measures and strate- life for ten years in a row,1 is faced with an ongoing cycle of rapid growth,2
gies to transform streets into sufficient public spaces for a growing num- which needs to be tackled. Densification in the built urban fabric and as a
ber of people are investigated. The analysis of street sections in the four social factor is putting significant pressure on the cities’ remaining open
cities revealed significant differences in the existing street layout but also spaces. Within (re)densification processes, drastic changes are required in
similar planning strategies, a similar approach to the appropriation, and open space and building structures. The UN-Habitat report suggests that
an aesthetics of informality in certain cases. Discussing the cities’ poli- urbanization is a transformative force per se.3 However, there are still some
cies towards this reclamation, the paper shows how contemporary meas- specific measures to be taken to transform and adapt the existing urban
ures go beyond the simple recovery of traffic lanes for cyclists or creating fabric in order to mitigate the danger of social degradation and to provide
pedestrian walkways. A conclusion is drawn that top-down building and liveable habitats in terms of environmental quality, functional satisfac-
design measures are merging with bottom-up or activated civic engage- tion, and aesthetics.
ment and although the streets observed are in good condition, barrier- In order to compensate for the lack of traditional public spaces such
free, and well-maintained, improvements for streets as living environ- as squares or esplanades in the densified urban environment, streets may
ments are at an early stage. prove to be a key factor in keeping (or making) cities liveable and lively in
the near future. Today’s focus on this fundamental type of urban space is
Street design / densification / neighbourhood streets / based on three main considerations: it creates social spaces, provides struc-
appropriation / tactical urbanism tural resources, and has important environmental functions. Recent pub-
lications have advocated healthy streets that are walkable and playable,
a greenery-based model that offers microclimatic improvements, social
encounter, and a lively atmosphere. Terms like ‘friendly’ and ‘liveable’ are
re-emerging from the discourse of the 1960s and 1970s.
Although there is a long history of reclaiming streets from cars in (Euro-
pean) cities, some of them have been more successful than others. In inner
cities in particular, streets have always been more than connectors, consti-
tuting a multifunctional public space for transport, meeting, and trading.4

72 Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1-2019

 The networks of streets form the everyday environment for city dwellers. Improvements for pedestrians and non-motorized traffic became institu-
Vikas Mehta, a scholar of urban design who emphasizes the all-embracing tionalized when they were integrated into legal traffic regulations in many
aspect of this urban element, explains how they ‘represent a significant European countries from as early as the 1960s and 1970s onward. At that
part of the public space in urban areas and cater to our functional, social time, there had already been individual examples in planning and design
and leisure needs’.5 Balancing these multiple functions, however, is a plan- of space being regained from cars_for instance, in 1951, when the City of
ning and political challenge that is still unresolved. Rotterdam decided to rebuild its war-ravaged city centre with a car-free
Within this context, the article focuses on processes of transforming core as an outdoor shopping mall, the Lijnbaan. Still, the Lijnbaan was
streetscapes into more holistic public spaces. The paper will review the built during the euphoria for modernist segregation of urban functions,
history of several movements that have been active since the last century resulting in an isolated urban fragment made for shopping. In contrast,
to reclaim and/or green streets and make them more people-friendly. It former city-centre roads in historical mixed-use surroundings were trans-
then presents the results of a study that was undertaken to understand formed into the first pedestrian zones in the following years. Copenhagen
the development and current status of streetscapes in four densely popu- was a pioneering city at that time. The main street Strøget was turned into
lated cities in Europe: Vienna, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, and Munich. The a pedestrian street as early as 1964. In Germany, Kassel was the first city to
starting point for the comparative study was Vienna, the capital of Aus- open a pedestrian street, followed by other cities like Munich, just in time
tria, which is among the fastest growing cities in Europe with all the con- for the opening of the Olympic Games in 1972.12 Plans for the first pedes-
sequences stated. trian zone in Vienna, proposed by architects Wihelm Holzbauer and Traude
The population is set to increase by about 30,000 inhabitants a year to and Wolfgang Windbrechtinger, date back to the year 1974.13 Even Victor
over 2 million by 2030 from 1.87 million today.6 The population density is Gruen, architect, immigrant to the USA from Austria, and pioneer of the
approaching 20,000 people per square kilometre in several areas. This is American shopping mall, pleaded in his late years for historical city centres
putting growing pressure on public spaces, which need to be balanced on to be redefined as car-free, mixed urban surroundings in order to survive
both a social and urbanistic level. City planners strive to compensate for the competition from the evolving mass of shopping malls.14
this by creating small public gardens, green spaces, and squares. However, Pedestrian streets have since become an established measure, especially
the municipal administration has realized that the largest resource left is in the core, economically healthy areas of cities. Improvements for pedestri-
the streetscape_especially in the existing and densifying areas. ans and non-motorized traffic have been an essential part of making Euro-
As our study examples show, in Vienna one third of the city surface pean city centres more attractive for visitors. However, these measures were
is public space, almost 90 per cent of which consists of streets. The exam- selective improvements that left large parts of the cities dominated by cars.
ples further show that at present, two thirds of the streets are occupied by Streets have always been a scene of the ‘conflict, between living and
motorized traffic. In this regard streets can potentially complement the access, between resident and traveller, between street life and the threat
overall structure of the open space of the city. of death’, wrote Donald Appleyard, rather dramatically, in 1981 in Livea-
ble Streets, one of the first comprehensive publications to build upon the
Regaining streets for public life: a historical journey assumption that city life is street life.15 It still took a longer period of time
Streets are ubiquitous spaces in a city. By definition, an urban street is a and a change in social and political habits before the general dominance of
‘longitudinal open space . . . which_as a caesura between building blocks_ motorized traffic was opposed by a core group of city residents. Jane Jacobs,
fulfils a connecting function for transport and communication’.7 Streets an inspirational figure for Appleyard, too, remained a key reference point
traditionally have a basic function as pathways for movement. They bring for activist groups, students, and professionals.
everyone from A to B. But despite an original emphasis on transport, streets Fighting against motorized traffic became part of a larger agenda of
are accredited for their role in public life. Jane Jacobs specified as early as resistance_one element in the struggle against destructive industrial pro-
1961 that ‘streets and their sidewalks, the main public spaces of the city, duction_and coincided with a rising awareness of environmental threats.
are its most vital organs’.8 The German publication Grün in der Stadt (Green in the city) by Michael
While Jacobs demanded more rights for pedestrians, covering the issues Andritzky and Klaus Spitzer was produced in 1981 by the Deutscher Werk-
of safety and promoting the free movement of everyone, including children, bund, whose president at the time was Lucius Burckhardt. The book was
in New York in the 1960s, Danish architect Jan Gehl, a follower of Jacobs, subtitled Von oben, von selbst, für alle, von allen (Top down, of its own accord,
became a strong advocate for public life in Europe in the years that fol- for all, by all).16 People and neighbourly activities were at the centre of
lowed. His book Life between Buildings, first published in 1971, has served as attention in the move to create liveable cities. Designed urban landscapes
a reference for students and professionals for decades.9 Jacobs commented and open spaces were required for free use.17 Unlike Jacobs, Andritzky and
that Gehl’s commitment to liveable streets was ‘thoughtful, beautiful, and Spitzer concentrated more on climatic improvements achieved through
enlightening’.10 Following Gehl, this liveliness is dependent on people and greenery and vegetation and on social models of appropriation. In design
their activities.11 terms, an informal language prevailed. The illustrations in the book pre-

Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1- 2019 73

Back on the Street: Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich, and Rotterdam in focus Jürgen Furchtlehner and Lilli Lička

G r ä tzloase W ien , C hristian F ü rthner

Figure 2 One of around forty parklets in Vienna in
2018_car parks redefined as a working and meeting
space: such activities are promoted and supported by a
Local Agenda 21 initiative to enhance participation.

Figure 1 Private and informal pavement use as

pioneered in 1987. Photograph by Roland Günter,
in Andritzky and Spitzer, Grün in der Stadt, 1986

sented streets as spaces for individual and alternative actions, showing large areas dominated by cars. Secondary or tertiary streets, which form
private furniture on the pavements, flowerpots, recycled materials_and the lion’s share of street space, have still not directly benefited from these
many children. They are strikingly similar to contemporary pictures that transformation processes. There, changes for the reuse of the street were
promote more life on the street (Figs. 1 & 2). pursued by legal regulations rather than building measures. In the process,
In this way, streets should be interpreted and perceived as spaces for peo- a number of new terms were coined for the street: ‘playing streets’, ‘living
ple. This movement continued up to the 1990s, when Burckhardt encour- streets’ (woonerven), ‘home zones’. These terms underline a slow, larger-
aged students to physically visualize the amount of space in the streets scale functional shift away from transport and traffic towards the street
by walking along them carrying windscreens in front of their eyes. Car as a place in which to linger.
parks were used for purposes other than parking cars; crossing locations Activating street life ran parallel to the demand for a greener city. Streets
were freely chosen and marked with a large Zebra strip. All over Europe, became important sites for all kinds of temporary and permanent addi-
urbanites were involved in actions to create an atmosphere in those streets tions: trees, shrubs, planters, flower beds, and plant pots. The contempo-
that was intended to foster social engagement, neighbourly relations, and rary demand for greened streets is thus nothing new. What is new, however,
communal occupations. Hermann Knoflacher, a progressive Austrian traf- is their application as a means to reduce the effects of urban heat islands,
fic planner, built car-sized frames to be carried on the street by pedestri- improve the microclimate, and reduce pollution. Moreover, improvements
ans to show how much of the street is dedicated to cars and motorized in microclimatic conditions and the amount of green are closely linked to
traffic (Fig. 3). the degree of comfort achieved. As surveys consistently highlight, trees and
Since then, European cities have taken a large number of actions to vegetation are the most important attractors for streets.18
create a more inviting atmosphere in their streets, starting with allowing Besides more greening, construction measures have changed the street
temporary activities such as parties, festivals, or markets to be held on the sections in European cities in the last decades_pavements have been
streets. These activities were gradually acknowledged by publicly funded enlarged and lowered at crossings to provide barrier-free movement and
planning bodies and local support groups such as urban renewal offices in smooth curves introduced to reduce driving speed. It is a continuous devel-
Vienna or neighbourhood centres in the Netherlands. Despite the efforts of opment towards the design of ‘shared spaces’ of the 2000s, a term for mixed-
reinterpretation, most measures were still happening only in certain parts use streets coined by Dutch traffic planner Hans Monderman, whose goal
of the city, with broader, more permanent improvements mainly taking was to strip streets of any kind of traffic control and leave it to the actors
place in prestigious urban centres. These measures were selective and left involved to get along. This negotiation-based model aims to minimize the

74 Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1-2019

G ü nter E mberger

L illi L ička
Figure 3 Making space consumption by cars visible: Figure 4 Mariahilfer Straße: shared space implemented
Hermann Knoflacher carrying a car-sized frame in Vienna in 2015

segregation between traffic modes. The design has since spread through- people in activities, design comfortable spaces, and create sociable places
out Europe and worldwide and is now implemented in many countries’ where people encounter each other.26 In a time of growing cultural diversity
national regulations (Fig. 4).19 caused by migration, the social role of street spaces is coming to the fore.
For example, Austria’s Begegnungszonen (zones of encounter), based on
shared space principles, were introduced in 2013. Since then, dozens have Today’s streetscapes: a comparative study of European cities
been dedicated countrywide. An inviting design, clear layout, barrier-free The scarcity of open space caused by densification, the urge for continu-
surface, and supporting furnishing are essential with this type of street, as ous social cohesion in public spaces, and the impact of climate conditions
it is directly linked to and dependent on people’s appropriation of the space. all suggest a thorough evaluation of the existing streetscape as a starting
The idea is that it creates acceptance among all actors and promotes mutual point for improvements to public open spaces. The City of Vienna is aim-
respect. Mariahilferstraße is one of the latest examples of a Begegnungszone ing at physical_that is, design_changes, as well as measures to support
in Vienna, redesigned by B+B Urbanism and Landscape Architecture in 2015. appropriation, encounter, and social cohesion.
These changes show a shift on the streets in Europe’s cities from ‘neces- In order to initiate amelioration, the city council of Vienna commis-
sary’20 activities to social and leisure activities. Sociable streets as ‘streets . . . sioned the Institute of Landscape Architecture to carry out a comparative
that support active and passive activities and behaviours throughout most study. The study was designed in a pragmatic manner to serve as a starting
of the day and week’21 are promoted. Various (contemporary) developments point for further investigations: forty street sections were isolated in the
strengthen the role of streets as public open space. ‘Pedestrianizing’ (giv- urban fabric of four large cities: Vienna, Austria; Munich, Germany; Rot-
ing priority to pedestrians by closing areas for individual traffic) or ‘walk- terdam, the Netherlands; and Copenhagen, Denmark. Each of the cities is
ability’22 are keywords promoting the idea of healthier surroundings and highly ranked in terms of quality-of-life indices, is progressive in its plan-
a more balanced use for all actors. Complete streets23 are being promoted, ning strategies, and has a high standard of living. They each have a similar
and guidelines for holistically designed streets have emerged,24 facilitated growth dynamic and a layout that is typical of European cities in general.
by compact city structures. The study focused on so-called secondary or tertiary streets_that is,
Tactical Urbanism25 as a global bottom-up movement also focuses on var- neighbourhood streets_rather than central pedestrian areas and prestig-
ious ways of improving conditions for pedestrians or cyclists_for example, ious boulevards. The examples were chosen at fairly constant intervals along
by installing pop-up parks or temporary bike lanes. Another contribution to a straight corridor perpendicular to the main river of the city in question
the discourse is ‘placemaking’, which seeks to provide accessibility, engage in order to get a mixed range of urbanistic situations as well as a number

Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1- 2019 75

Back on the Street: Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich, and Rotterdam in focus Jürgen Furchtlehner and Lilli Lička
Copenhagen Vienna
Rotterdam
• Kleiweg
• Rodenrijsestraat
• Zwart Janstraat
• Walenburgerweg
• Jonker Fransstraat
• Meent
• Van Oldenbarneveltstraat
• West Kruiskade (additional)
• Nieuwe Binnenweg
• Frans Bekkerstraat
• Utenhagestraat
1km
Figure 6 Location of study cases within the corridor
area in Rotterdam and Munich
of different social environments with different significance in the city. To
ensure comparability, all the examples are drawn from densely built-up
areas with mainly perimeter block development and have a width of approx-
imately 18 m. The set of cases was analyzed during on-site surveys in terms
of physical appearance, traffic organization (layout), function and usage,
and the equipment installed. Interviews with executives and decision mak-
ers provided insights into the design and construction process, and the cit-
ies’ various development programmes were compared so that conclusions
could be drawn about how they intend to handle, develop, and improve
traffic organization, street design, and street life in general (Figs. 5 & 6).
Design of street sections
The zoning, sections, equipment, and uses in each case were inventoried,
documented, and subjected to graphic analysis including their dimensions
and proportions. Along a segment of 400 m, spatial potentials, structural
features, pedestrian friendliness, relevant design elements, and equipment
were examined and a length of 50 m was looked at in closer detail (Fig. 7).
As an important positive quality, all the observed streets in all four
cities are well-maintained and have an overall high level of accessibility.
Average sections for each city show that the zoning and functions of the
76 Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1-2019
Figure 5 In four cities, study cases were
chosen within a corridor to gain a variety
of samples
Rotterdam Munich
Munich
• Guldeinstraße
• Tulbeckstraße
• Blutenburgstraße
• Goethestraße
• Dachauer Straße
• Türkenstraße
• Liebigstraße
• Thierschstraße
• Fraunhoferstraße
• Preysingstraße (additional)
• Breisacher Straße
• Pasing (additional)
1km
streetscapes are similar. However, there were some very obvious differences:
Rotterdam, Copenhagen, and Munich are greener than Vienna, often with
trees on both sides of the street (in Rotterdam eight out of ten observed
street sections were planted; in Vienna, three out of ten, with the other cit-
ies lying in between).
As prominent bicycle-friendly cities, Rotterdam and Copenhagen have
more separate bike lanes with large portions of the streets set aside for
pedestrians and cyclists_up to 50 per cent of the street space. Munich and
Vienna dedicate a much smaller portion of their city streets to this active
mobility. Here, in the examples chosen, it amounts to only 35 per cent and
30 per cent for walking and cycling, respectively. In contrast, more space is
provided for cars in these two cities (Figs. 8 & 9).
Parking space for cars in Vienna consumes up to 30 per cent of space
owing to the practice of angle or perpendicular parking in ordinary streets,
which other cities tend to avoid. This large share of space for motorized
traffic leaves little space for greening. In Munich, car parking amounts to
around 20 per cent of the street space, while in Rotterdam and Copenha-
gen the figure is only 15 per cent. In Copenhagen, there is a growing num-
ber of streets where parking is restricted to small sections of the available
space or completely prohibited.
 Falkoner Alle
Copenhagen

micro open spaces

lle
rA
ne
l ko
Fa
50m

equipment and furniture

plan

concrete/cobble
pavement
asphalt
cycle lane
asphalt
car parking

asphalt
driving lanes

asphalt
car parking
asphalt
cycle lane
concrete/cobble
pavement

H
in fo rm al in fo rm al in fo rm al
0 2m

width of pavement: 2,4 m

functions

floors: 3-5
in total

ground floor: business, residential use

+ vegetation: partially tree line (Quercus sp. ), crossings w. trees

24% 20% 36% 19% 1%

Figure 7 Example of a street section in Copenhagen,

showing spatial proportion, zoning, equipment,
and functions

Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1- 2019 77

 Vienna Copenhagen

driving lanes driving lanes

asphalt asphalt
car parking car parking
mainly asphalt mainly asphalt
pavement cycle lane (partly separated)
mainly asphalt, partly cobble mainly asphalt, coloured
pavement
concrete paving, cobble

Rotterdam Munich

Figure 8 Rotterdam, Vienna, Munich,

driving lanes driving lanes
asphalt, clinker asphalt and Copenhagen in comparison:
cycle lane (partly separated)
clinker, asphalt, partly coloured
car parking
mainly asphalt, partly cobble
average section of the different study
car parking green lane cases generated by the average share
concrete paving, clinker pavement
pavement concrete paving, cobble of functional spaces
mainly concrete paving

Rotterdam
tree line in 8/10 streets ~ 48% space for
pedestrians and bicycles
3%
34%

42% 6% 37% 15%

Copenhagen
~ 46% space for
tree line in 5/10 streets pedestrians and bicycles
2%
36%

32% 14% 38% 16%

Munich
~ 36% space for
tree line in 5/10 streets
pedestrians and bicycles

36% 39% 21% 4%

Figure 9 Average street zoning:
in Rotterdam, Copenhagen, and Munich
the space for pedestrians exceeds that
Vienna in Vienna; Rotterdam and Copenhagen­
~ 30% space for
tree line in 3/10 streets dedicate almost 50 per cent to non-
pedestrians and bicycles
1,5%
38,5% motorized (bicycle and pedestrian)
30% 40% 28% 2%
transport

78 Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1-2019

 Back on the Street: Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich, and Rotterdam in focus Jürgen Furchtlehner and Lilli Lička

Copenhagen
Rotterdam
Munich
Vienna

Figure 10 Specific characteristic surface materials create recognizable images

Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1- 2019 79

Back on the Street: Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich, and Rotterdam in focus Jürgen Furchtlehner and Lilli Lička
Transforming road crossings has proved to be an effective way of improv-
ing the street for pedestrians. In Copenhagen, crossings have increasingly
become spaces for public life: if planting trees along the street is not pos-
sible, the city uses crossings to provide trees and benches and create small
squares, as the study shows. At these crossings, shade is provided by the tree
canopies above the seating. These square-like crossings form small nodes
within the network of the lively streetscape.
In addition to these upgraded crossings, micro-spaces along the course
of the street play an important role. The study has further shown that there
is unused potential in almost every street in all of the cities investigated. In
their linear sections, micro-spaces such as niches and enlarged pavements
add possibilities to spend time and linger. Existing micro-spaces are either
in (semi-)private use, such as sidewalk cafés, or_more rarely_have been
designated by the municipal administration as areas that should encourage
people to linger. In dense cities this is an attempt to mitigate the negative
effects of the scarcity of spatial resources even on a micro-scale.
Street furnishing is a key design area in landscape architecture and
the related product market. Public seating without obligatory consump-
tion is provided in Copenhagen by the city in eight of the ten street sec-
tions examined, closely followed by Rotterdam. Generally, equipment is a
means of furthering and determining activities, but it can also impede cer-
tain uses. That is to say, in confined locations the space itself is the essen-
tial prerequisite for uses of all kinds: a good balance between empty and
equipped and between commercial and non-commercial activities needs
to be negotiated.27 Furthermore it is not only a question of numbers, the
placement of seating is crucial.
To provide for individual users, public equipment is augmented by pri-
vate, and in some cases informal, items. Some of these serve economic pur-
poses_including advertising, displays, outdoor restaurants_while others
are completely private but mostly open for public use, be it a chair, a bench,
a flowerpot, or a private cycle stand along the façade. A minimum passage
width of 2 m is obligatory in all four cities (and up to 2.5 m in Vienna), and
in general this is adhered to.28
Looking at the streets’ surface, the study has shown that some of the cit-
ies have a specific characteristic paving. Whereas Vienna’s streets typically
have asphalt on both the road and the pavement, the other cities often use
paving stones in different variations on their pavements (clinker in Rotter-
dam, concrete paving stones in Munich, and in Copenhagen a combination
of granite and concrete cobblestones, which creates a characteristic feel).
Here soil structure, maintenance, and building traditions in each region
are critical factors. However, different laying patterns and the use of pav-
ing instead of asphalt create a specific atmosphere and give the streetscape
a recognizable image (Fig. 10).
Activating appropriation
Transport and movement (going shopping, going to work, running an
errand, etcetera) are necessary activities that happen regardless of the spaces’
quality, as Jan Gehl argues.29 Liveliness, however, is created by people also
spending their leisure time there doing recreational activities. Gehl calls
for high-quality design to create spaces that encourage optional activities
such as strolling, sitting, drinking coffee, playing, or reading. These activ-
ities are not merely furthered by equipment but depend on spatial quali-
ties for appropriation. Different street furnishing and activities observed
80 Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1-2019
in the study cases can be seen as part of a tactical, incremental, or even DIY
urbanism on site, which has been implemented in different ways and by a
range of social groups over the last decades (Fig. 11).30 In contrast to strate-
gic top-down measures that are implemented according to an overall devel-
opment plan, these activities pop up in response to spontaneous needs and
the urge for appropriation, appearing in front of shops, offices, or commu-
nal amenities as well as in residential areas. In Vienna, the neighbourhood
streets turned out to be the least lively compared with the other cities sur-
veyed, despite recent attempts by the municipal administration to support
various kinds of appropriation, such as installing temporary Spielstraßen
(where the road is closed to provide space for playing children), providing
digital services outdoors, and supporting sharing options, especially with
the well-established city bikes implemented in 2003. The initiative Grätzl-
oase31 (neighbourhood oasis) calls on citizens to play an active role, plant-
ing tree pits and temporarily reusing parking spaces in the form of park-
lets, or initiating other neighbourhood activities, with financial support
from the city.32 In Vienna, as in other places, appropriation is now being
promoted politically as a first step towards reinterpreting the street. DIY
initiatives are supported by public renewal offices, and publications and
brochures like Do It Yourself: Stadtanleitung (DIY: city manual) or Belebte
Freiräume (Lively open spaces) are offered for download by the municipal
administration (Fig. 12).33
Our observations determined that the strategy ‘inform_allow_sup-
port’ is a first step in initiating individual and collective uses of public space.
More expensive design measures gradually follow to improve safety, zon-
ing, and atmosphere.
Talking about informal furnishing in the street space, the study has
shown that there are either privately placed items of seating equipment
(chairs, benches) or planters in front of the buildings in all observed streets
in Rotterdam: an interesting fact, since these bottom-up measures contrib-
ute to a very characteristic image. In Copenhagen and Munich, too, more
than half of the observed streets contained informal furnishing.
In the streets of Rotterdam and Copenhagen, unlike in Vienna and
Munich, residents have generally been allowed for decades to make private
use of a strip of up to 80 cm along their building_Andritzky and Spitzer
referred to these strips as ‘sidewalk gardens’ back in 1986. These non-com-
mercial uses take place at the same time as commercial exploitation through
outdoor restaurants and cafés on pavements (Fig. 13).
Design guidelines and development goals
With the help of leading urban designers and landscape architects, city
councils are promoting sustainable environments in their planning doc-
uments, which all describe a similar approach. The cities that were stud-
ied commit themselves to inner densification in similar ways. This should
go along with the provision and improvement of public spaces. People
should be encouraged to walk or cycle more, drive less, and spend more
(playful) time outside. In the study, the leading planners in the city coun-
cils of Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Munich, and Vienna were interviewed, and
their development plans and strategies were compared. Their aims were
congruent, albeit with a slight shift in emphasis.
All four cities have general design guidelines for public space. The state
of the built street design differs, but the documents, development plans,
and strategic statements share a common attitude, certainly on the more
 J o H loch for kampolerta
Figure 11 Viennese activist group kampolerta drawing
attention to hardly usable street spaces in 2011

J ü rgen F urchtlehner

Figure 12 Cover of the information

leaflet produced by the City of Vienna
to encourage lively streetscapes.
Magistrat der Stadt Wien, Magistrats-
abteilung 28 – Straßenverwaltung und Figure 13 Pavement in Copenhagen with the city’s
Straßenbau, Belebte Freiräume, 2015 distinctive sett paving: the strip along the façade is
open to individual private interpretation and can
be put to various uses.

Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1- 2019 81

Back on the Street: Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich, and Rotterdam in focus Jürgen Furchtlehner and Lilli Lička

general level: the cities argue for a change in mobility, an enhanced living Although in all the cities covered in the study the streets are generally in a
environment, and for environmental measures to improve climate condi- good condition and offer barrier-free crossings, measures to improve the
tions. Changes designed to enhance the quality of time spent outdoors are street’s role as an inviting public space are at an early stage. Copenhagen
based on the planning paradigm that streets should be part of the living and Rotterdam are leaders in this respect, even adding new functions such
environment rather than a purely functional and technical aspect of urban as surface rainwater management on a larger scale.
infrastructure. The policy documents state that streets are to become pleas- Moreover, it became obvious that the cities differ in the share of space
ant space for general use. For example, Copenhagen’s pedestrian strategy, allocated to pedestrians, bicyclists, and other users on the pavements as
‘More People to Walk More’, says: well as in terms of street greening and the amount of furniture provided.
A metropolis for people is a great city to walk in. . . . It offers us the Additionally, the impact of different materials used for the surface paving
opportunity to use our senses, to go on a voyage of discovery and to (design) became visible. While the use of asphalt for both vehicle lanes and
meet other people. Walking is urban life. . . . Copenhagen invites you pavement creates a homogeneous atmosphere, differentiated paving can
to walk_in greater comfort and safety, and with less congestion.34 emphasize the zoning layout and variety.
Even the city’s planning credo ‘Consider urban life before urban space. Through the introduction of appropriate design measures and the pro-
Consider urban space before buildings’35 is a strong statement on how to motion of activities, public administrations enhance and encourage indi-
deal with the space between buildings in a dense city. vidual uses and appropriation. Bottom-up initiatives, such as the alterna-
It is remarkable how much detailed consideration planning documents tive interpretation of car parks, the use of private furniture on the street, or
give to social and environmental challenges. There is, however, quite a individual greening measures, are being institutionalized today. The use
large variance in the degree to which these ideas are accomplished in the and design of streetscapes make the general development obvious: there is a
different cities. merging of civic engagement and (the often hidden) political agenda. In the
One major finding of the survey of streetscapes and related documents secondary and tertiary street network, in the neighbourhood streetscapes
in these four thriving European cities is that public awareness of current of dense European cities, the two seem to pull together. The study showed
urban challenges has reached a very high level among administrative offi- that cities are encouraging the use of the streetscape through publications,
cials. Future challenges are addressed and measures are described; some leaflets, and online guides, following a three-step strategy of information,
are put into practice. In other strategic plans, which primarily address cli- enablement, and support.
mate issues, the streetscape is strongly affected. The ‘Copenhagen Climate As a large portion of the transport network was not examined in this
Plan’36 and the ‘Waterplan 2 Rotterdam’37 rely on the street and its surface study, it is not possible to extrapolate from these cases the citywide effect
to tackle rainwater run-off or increase areas for percolation. of the paradigm shift from transport to pedestrian spaces. Still, in the
Similar statements can be found in Vienna’s latest official planning dense city it will be the street that forms the everyday environment and
documents.38 However, the radical shift from the street as a monofunc- will essentially add to the quality of life.
tional transport means towards a linear open space for everyday life has
not taken place extensively. It is a continuous struggle, taking small meas- Acknowledgments
ures at a modest pace. The studies were carried out at the Institute of Landscape Architecture,
Department of Space, Landscape and Infrastructure, University of Natu-
Conclusion ral Resources and Life Sciences, BOKU Vienna, and were commissioned by
The growing density of the compact city produces another level of open-space two departments in the city council of Vienna: Urban Development and
shortage. Spatial scarcity is currently drawing attention to the streetscape, Planning, and Architecture and Urban Design:
its design, usage, and function in each of the four cities investigated. This is Lilli Lička, Jürgen Furchtlehner, and Andrea Schratzberger-Schinde-
a response, over several decades, to the general demand for a more human- lar, Vienna’s Specifics (Vienna: Institute of Landscape Architecture, 2014);
centred approach in the planning of streets, adding additional benefits. Lilli Lička, Jürgen Furchtlehner, and Paul Neuninger, Vienna’s Everyday
Public authorities aim to provide sufficient public space to cater to health Streets: International Context (Vienna: Institute of Landscape Architecture,
and social pursuits and to keep residents in the city, where they can enjoy 2016); Lilli Lička, Jürgen Furchtlehner, and Georg Bautz, Simply Decide!
leisure activities without increasing traffic volumes. Also, future demands Criteria to Assess Interventions in Public Spaces (Vienna: Institute of Land-
on public space and new forms of mobility need to be kept in mind when scape Architecture, 2017); Lilli Lička, Jürgen Furchtlehner, and Anna Stau-
programming streets. As one of the basic layers of a city, the street has to ber, Potentials for Uses in Public Open Spaces (Vienna: Institute of Land-
be a strong backbone but flexible in its layout so that it can be adapted to scape Architecture, 2017).
changing user needs over time.
One aim of the study was to identify possible improvements for Vienna’s
street space. While observing the state of streets in different cities, a gen-
eral trend became obvious: cities focus on the street’s potential as a struc-
tural resource to complement the overall network of open space. There is a
further focus on its role as a social space and its potential to tackle environ-
mental issues, as development plans in all four cities show. Another com-
mon ambition proved to be the encouragement of non-motorized traffic.

82 Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1-2019

N OT E S
1 ‘Vienna Tops Mercer’s 20th Quality of Living Ranking’,
Mercer, 20 March 2018, www.mercer.com/newsroom/2018-
quality-of-living-survey.html, accessed 23 October 2018.
2 Magistrat der Stadt Wien, Magistratsabteilung 23–Wirt-
schaft, Arbeit und Statistik (ed.), ‘Statistisches Jahrbuch der
Stadt Wien 2017’ (Stadt Wien, 2018), 98, www.wien.gv.at/
statistik/pdf/menschen2017.pdf, accessed 6 February 2018.
3 UN-Habitat (ed.), State of the World’s Cities 2012/2013: Prosper-
ity of Cities (New York: Routledge, 2013), unhabitat.org/books/
prosperity-of-cities-state-of-the-worlds-cities-20122013/,
accessed 25 May 2018.
4 Jan Gehl and Lars Gemzøe, New City Spaces
(Copenhagen: The Danish Architectural Press, 2006), 10.
5 Vikas Mehta, ‘Look Closely and You Will See, Listen Care-
fully and You Will Hear: Urban Design and Social Interaction
on Streets’, Journal of Urban Design 14/1 (2009), 29–64.
6 Magistrat der Stadt Wien, ‘Statistisches Jahrbuch’,
op. cit. (note 2), 98.
7 Simone Hain, ‘Stadtstrasse’, in: Vittorio Magnago Lampug-
nani, Ronstanze Sylva Domhardt, and Rainer Schützeichel
(eds.), Enzyklopädie zum gestalteten Raum: Im Spannungsfeld
zwischen Stadt und Landschaft (Zurich: gta Verlag, 2014), 441.
8 Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities
(New York: Vintage Books, 1961).
9 Jan Gehl, Life between Buildings: Using Public Space
(Washington, DC: Island Press, 2011 [1987]).
10 Ibid.
11 Gehl and Gemzøe, New City Life,
op. cit. (note 4).
12 Muenchen.de—Das offizielle Stadtportal, ‘50 Jahre
Beschluss zur Einrichtung der Fußgängerzone’, www.
muenchen.de/aktuell/2016-02/50-jahre-beschluss-einrich-
tung-fussgaengerzone.html, accessed 25 October 2018; Anna
Günther, ‘Jubiläum der Fußgängerzone: 60 Jahre und ein biss-
chen öde’, Süddeutsche Zeitung, 8 November 2013, www.sued-
deutsche.de/leben/jubilaeum-der-fussgaengerzone-jahre-
und-ein-bisschen-oede-1.1814062, accessed 25 October 2018.
13 Magistrat der Stadt Wien, Magistratsabteilung 28 –
Straßen Wien, ‘Geschichtlicher Hintergrund_FußgängerIn-
nen-Zone City Wien_realisiertes Bauvorhaben (Archiv)’,
www.wien.gv.at/verkehr/strassen/archiv/grossprojekte/
kaerntnerstrasse/geschichte.html, accessed 26 February 2018.
14 Victor Gruen, Das Überleben der Städte
(Vienna: Molden Verlag, 1973).
15 Donald Appleyard, Livable Streets
(Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1981), 1.
16 Michael Andritzky and Klaus Spitzer (eds.),
Grün in der Stadt: Von oben, von selbst, für alle, von allen
(Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt, 1986).
17 Lucius Burckhardt and Gerhard Ullmann, ‘Niemands-
land: Stadtbrachen und wilde Gelände im Wohnbereich’, in:
ibid., 110–115.
18 Andreas Roloff, Bäume in der Stadt (Stuttgart: Ulmer, 2013), 19.
19 Cornelius Bechtler et al. (eds.), Shared Space: Beispiele und 36 City of Copenhagen, ‘Copenhagen Climate Adaptation Plan’
Argumente für lebendige öffentliche Räume (Bielefeld: Heinrich (Copenhagen, 2011), en.klimatilpasning.dk/media/568851/
Böll Stiftung, 2010), 10 ff. copenhagen-adaption-plan.pdf, accessed 10 August 2018;
City of Copenhagen, ‘Copenhagen Climate Resilient Neigh-
20 Gehl, Life between Buildings, op. cit. (note 9).
bourhood’, www.klimakvarter.dk/wp-content/2013/03/
21 Vikas Mehta, The Street: A Quintessential Social Public Space klimakvarter-ENG-low.pdf, accessed 25 October 2018.
(London: Routledge, 2013), 24.
37 Municipality of Rotterdam, ‘Waterplan 2 Rotterdam:
22 Victor Dover and John Massengale, Street Design: The Secret Working on Water for an Attractive City’ (Rotterdam, 2007),
to Great Cities and Towns (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2014), 36. www.rotterdam.nl/wonen-leven/waterplan-2/Waterplan-
2-samenvatting-Engels.pdf, accessed 10 August 2018.
23 Ibid., 41.
38 Magistrat der Stadt Wien, Magistratsabteilung 18-
24 NACTO—National Association of City Transportation
Stadtentwicklung und Stadtplanung (ed.), Fachkonzept:
Officials, Global Street Design Guide (Washington, DC:
Öffentlicher Raum (Vienna: Stadt Wien, 2018).
Island Press, 2016).
25 Mike Lydon and Anthony Garcia, Tactical Urbanism: Short-
Term Action for Long-Term Change (Washington, DC: Island B IO G R A P H I C A L N OT E S
Press, 2015); The Street Plans Collaborative, ‘Tactical Urban-
Jürgen Furchtlehner, MSc, studied landscape architecture and
ist’s Guide: To Materials and Design’, December 2016, tacti-
landscape planning at the University of Natural Resources and
calurbanismguide.com/, accessed 25 October 2018.
Life Sciences, BOKU Vienna, and at the University of Copen-
26 Project for Public Spaces, www.pps.org, hagen. He graduated in 2012 and has worked for landscape
accessed 18 October 2018. architecture and traffic engineering offices. Since 2013 he has
been a lecturer and research assistant at the Institute of Land-
27 Herbert Bork, Stefan Klinger, and Sibylla Zech, Kommer-
scape Architecture at BOKU, involved in various projects deal-
zielle und nicht-kommerzielle Nutzung im öffentlichen Raum
ing with contemporary public space, with a particular focus
(Vienna: Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, 2015),
on streetscapes and active mobility. He is a member of the
39; Udo W. Häberlin and Jürgen Furchtlehner, ‘Öffentlicher
Austrian Association of Landscape Architecture (OEGLA) and
Raum für alle?’, in: Thomas Hauck, Stefanie Hennecke, and
responsible for the international biennial OEGLA design com-
Stefan Körner (eds.), Aneignung urbaner Freiräume (Bielefeld:
petition for alumni and students.
Transcript, 2017), 184.
Professor Lilli Lička is a Vienna-based landscape architect
28 Magistrat der Stadt Wien, Magistratsabteilung 18–
who graduated from BOKU Vienna before examining urban
Stadtentwicklung und Stadtplanung (ed.), Fachkonzept:
green spaces in the Netherlands and collaborating with B+B in
Mobilität_miteinander mobil (Vienna: Stadt Wien, 2015), 86.
Amsterdam. She was principal of koselička from 1991 to 2016
29 Jan Gehl and Birgitte Svarre, How to Study Public Life and founded LL-L landscape architecture in 2017. Lilli Lička
(Washington, DC: Island Press, 2013), 15. has been heading the Institute of Landscape Architecture
at BOKU since 2003. Her research includes the public realm,
30 Emily Talen, ‘Do-It-Yourself Urbanism: A History’,
streets, squares, housing, and corporate landscapes. Further
Journal of Planning History 14/2 (2015), 135–148; and Elke Krasny
projects are Nextland: curated online-collection and publica-
(ed.), Hands-On Urbanism 1850–2012: Vom Recht auf Grün
tion of contemporary Austrian landscape architecture, LArchiv:
(Vienna: Turia und Kant, 2012).
Archive of Austrian Landscape Architecture of the 20th and
31 Grätzloase Wien, www.graetzloase.at, 21st century; she is a member of communal design boards,
accessed 9 February 2018. juries, and scientific commissions.
32 Ibid.; Häberlin and Furchtlehner, ‘Öffentlicher Raum
für alle?’, op. cit. (note 28) 185–186.
c o n t ac t
33 Magistrat der Stadt Wien, Magistratsabteilung
Jürgen Furchtlehner
25—Stadterneuerung und Prüfstelle für Wohnhäuser (ed.),
Institute of Landscape Architecture
Do It Yourself: Stadtanleitung (Vienna: Stadt Wien, 2016),
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
www.gbstern.at/fileadmin/user-upload/GB061415/Pro-
BOKU Vienna
jekte/DIY-Stadtanleitung/DIY-Stadtanleitung-2016-web.pdf,
Peter-Jordan-Straße 65
accessed 6 February 2018; Magistrat der Stadt Wien, Magis-
1180 Vienna
tratsabteilung 28—Straßenverwaltung und Straßenbau (ed.),
Austria
Belebte Freiräume: Öffentlicher Parkraum und alternative Nutzung
+43 1 47654 85231
(Vienna: Stadt Wien, 2015), www.streetlife.wien/wp-content/
juergen.furchtlehner@boku.ac.at
uploads/sites/4/2017/03/2015-belebte-freiraeume-Folder-
MA28.pdf, accessed 18 September 2018. Lilli Lička
Institute of Landscape Architecture
34 City of Copenhagen, Technical and Environmental Admin-
University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences
istration, ‘More People to Walk More’ (Copenhagen, 2011), 5,
BOKU Vienna
fussverkehr.ch/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/
Peter-Jordan-Straße 65
944-kJ1jmWQff0.pdf, accessed 14 October 2018.
1180 Vienna
35 Tina Saaby, ‘City of Copenhagen: Systems, Innovations & Austria
Start-ups’, cfsd.org.uk/site-pdfs/si14/presentations/1230%20 +43 1 47654 85200
Saaby.pdf, accessed 25 October 2018. lillil.licka@boku.ac.at
Journal of Landscape Architecture / 1- 2019 83