5.1 The built environment as a decisive factor
Vienna demonstrates that circular planning and construction are ecologically, socially and economically sound - a guiding principle that preserves value and ensures long-term affordability and quality of life.
Vienna has always built with foresight. As a metropolis of historical and cultural significance and influence, the city has experienced numerous phases of urban development - always shaped by the people who live and work here. Buildings, infrastructure and the way we design them influence the quality of life of everyone in Vienna: as a living environment with the highest quality standards, affordable housing, and a location for education, local recreation, culture and strong companies. Vienna includes Gründerzeit neighbourhoods (late 19th-century historic quarters) and the Danube Island just as much as Wohnpark Alt-Erlaa and Seestadt Aspern. The City is proud to have one of the most modern public transport networks in the world, which continues to be expanded.
Vienna has always been characterised by a careful approach to what already exists, combined with a strong commitment to new construction. Making use of inner-city development potential is essential in Vienna. As a result, the existing city is being refurbished, densified and complemented by structurally sound, high-quality building stock. At the same time, forward-looking living environments are being created in modern urban development areas to meet the needs of a growing population.
Vienna as a city that remains liveable over the long term
In 2024, Vienna’s population exceeded the two-million mark for the first time since 1910. More than one fifth of Austria’s total population lives on just 415 square kilometres (which corresponds to only 0.5 per cent of Austria’s national territory).
In 2022, Vienna’s approximately 177,000 buildings comprised a usable floor area of more than 142 square kilometres – equivalent to 72.5 square metres per person living in Vienna. Despite this growth, residents of Vienna account for comparatively low land take in relation to population size when compared with the other federal provinces. While the Austria-wide average land take per person amounted to 629 square metres in 2022, the comparable figure for Vienna was 127 square metres per person – around one fifth of the national average. In comparison with other major European cities, this figure is significantly below the average.
Circularity as the building programme of the future
Vienna has ambitious plans: to continue providing affordable, high-quality housing for a growing population, to deliver high-quality and resilient infrastructure, to become independent of fossil energy by 2040, while reorganising public space and adapting it to climate change. Achieving all of this requires responsible planning and design. The ongoing need to convert, adapt and further develop the city is among the most material- and emission-intensive activities in Vienna (see also Chapter 1). At the same time, this field holds enormous circular potential that has so far not been fully exploited. A new approach to existing and future resources therefore represents a major opportunity - one that the City of Vienna is determined to seize.
Facts on waste generation and material use in Vienna’s construction sector
- Construction and demolition waste, construction site waste, concrete demolition waste, iron and steel accounted for more than 60 per cent of all waste generated in Vienna in 2020.
- The majority of this construction waste is suitable for material recovery. However, its high-quality reuse is still the exception. As a result, the additional material demand required each year for construction activities remains very high.
- The material footprint (MF) of the construction sector (buildings and infrastructure) amounted to 6.1 million tonnes in 2019 and, together with biomass (6.2 million tonnes), is a decisive contributor to Vienna’s overall material footprint (https://www.wien.gv.at/umweltschutz/abfall/nicht-gefaehrliche-abfallmenge.html, accessed on 5 May 2025; cf. Eisenmenger, Nina et al.: MOCAM – Monitoring der CO₂-Emissionen und des Materialfußabdrucks für Wien. Vienna 2022).
Vienna positions itself as a model construction city for Europe in the fields of climate protection, climate adaptation and the circular economy. This is pursued in collaboration with research and development, architects and architectural professionals, and specialist planning experts, as well as in close cooperation with craft businesses and digitalisation professionals from companies based in Vienna. Together, they create a wide range of future-oriented employment opportunities and strengthen Vienna as a business location by making it more resilient and more independent.
The City of Vienna and its city-owned companies support the achievement of these objectives by establishing targeted, integrated planning and decision-making instruments, implementing pilot and roll-out projects, and embedding the circular economy in procurement, funding and regulatory frameworks, while also considering it in an integrated manner within the energy and mobility transitions.