Last updated: November 2024
The Leopold-Rister park, named after a former district officer, is located in the Margareten district in Vienna and was renovated in 2023 based on the community's wishes for recreational opportunities. The park is surrounded by residential buildings and featured a playground for children, some greens and a football pitch. (Ref. 1) On the initiative of the city government, local residents and people using the park were surveyed on their preferences and needs for a potential redesign of the park. (Ref. 8) Within a year, the park was remodelled, featuring the wished for elements by locals, and was opened in 2024. Spaces for recreation like playgrounds, benches, and gaming tables were increased or installed. To reduce the heat stress of the urban environment, trees were planted that provide shadow and water play for children to cool down were implemented. Already existing lawns and greens were restored, and new shrubs were added to provide habitats for different local insect and bird species. (Ref. 1; Ref. 6) The project was initiated and financed by the City of Vienna and presents one of many greening activities that the city pursues to adapt to climate change. (Ref. 1; Ref. 2)
The Leopold Rister park with newly planted trees and implemented table-bench constructions
BV 5
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Habitat and biodiversity restoration
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Inclusive and effective governance (SDG 16)
- Inclusive governance
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social interaction
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration), Social Justice and community
Focus
Maintenance and management of urban nature, Maintenance or upgrade of exisiting green spaces (e.g. parks), Ecological restoration of ecosystems, Ecological restoration of existing green spaces, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Establishment of inclusive governance mechanisms involving local communities
Project objectives
To renovate existing urban park space (Ref. 1; Ref. 6).
To reduce the urban heat island effect through increased plant coverage (Ref. 1).
To create habitats for local wildlife (Ref. 1).
To improve the quality of life in the neighborhood by offering opportunities for recreation, interaction and access to public green spaces (Ref. 4).
To redesign the park to reflect the community's wishes (Ref. 1; Ref. 8).
To provide opportunities for physical exercise for all age groups (Ref. 1; Ref. 4; Ref. 5).
Implementation activities
The redesign of the Leopold-Rister park is based on a public participation process. In 2021, 115 people were surveyed and interviewed (Ref. 1; Ref. 7; Ref. 8). Specifically, new fitness equipment and more playground equipment were requested. In April 2022, people could provide feedback on various design options and the final design was presented in September (Ref. 8). The park was officially opened in February 2024. (Ref. 4)
Overall, 16 trees were planted to provide shadow and colourful beds of perennials and grasses were implemented over a total area of 225 square metres. These are intended to increase biodiversity and serve as a source of food and shelter for sparrows and insects in particular. Existing lawns were restored and 130 square metres of new lawns were laid. Shrubs were pruned and gaps were closed. All green areas were equipped with an automatic irrigation system. The space of the playground was increased and the football and streetball pitch was unsealed and covered with artificial turf. Next to playgrounds for children, fitness stations for strength and mobility training were constructed for adults and elderly people as an opportunity for exercise. To provide opportunities for relaxation and cooling, several bench-table combinations with installed board game set ups, water plays and a drinking station were implemented in the park. (Ref. 1)
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities
Biodiversity restoration:
- Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
Main beneficiaries
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
- Other
Governance
Management set-up
- Government-led
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The city of Vienna financed the project (Ref. 1). The City department Vienna City Gardens (MA 42) was the official client of the construction, whereby the park was designed by the landscape architecture company korbwurf landschaftsarchitektur and implemented by the company Ing. Rudolf Richter GmbH (Ref. 6).
The district organisation Agenda Margareten (initiated by the City of Vienna) interviewed citizens about design preferences, which were included in remodelling the park (Ref. 5; Ref. 7).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Governance innovations (such as public private partnerships), Funds, subsidies or investment for GI/NBS in the city (available for the city or provided by the city)
Financing
Total cost
€500,000 - €2,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Public authorities (e.g. land, utility services)
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Achieved lowered local temperature
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Achieved increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Achieved increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Achieved gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
City of Vienna (n.d.). Leopold-Rister-Park. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
2.
City of Vienna (n.d.). "Lebenswerte Klimamusterstadt" bringt 100 Millionen Euro für die Bezirke. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
3.
City of Vienna (n.d.). Margareten in Zahlen. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
4.
City of Vienna (n.d.). Leopold-Rister-Park eröffnet. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Press service: town hall correspondence (2024). Czernohorszky/Jankovic: Eröffnung des neugestalteten Leopold-Rister-Parks. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Winterthaler, T. (2024). Neuer Leopold-Rister-Park wird im Februar eröffnet. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Schuster, B. (2021). Der Hochhauspark bekommt ein Update. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Agenda Margareten (2022). So wird der Leopold-Rister-Park umgestaltet. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
9.
Lokale Agenda 21 Wien (n.d.). Der Hochhauspark wird umgestaltet. Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
The increased playground area for children
Stadt Wien/Martin Votava
Leopold-Rister-Gasse park
https://www.wien.gv.at/umwelt/parks/anlagen/rister.html
Leopold-Rister-Gasse park
https://www.wien.gv.at/umwelt/parks/anlagen/rister.html
Leopold-Rister-Gasse park
https://www.wien.gv.at/umwelt/parks/anlagen/rister.html
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.