Urban development: This is how the old town of St. Veit should shine anew!

Urban development: This is how the old town of St. Veit should shine anew!

A remarkable exhibition entitled “Back to the best location” has opened its doors in the town hall courtyard of St. Veit an der Glan. The show illuminates the old town and its future development through innovative concepts designed by students. Mayor Martin Kulmer emphasized the attention to detail and the vision of the designs, which are intended to serve as a valuable tool for updating urban planning. The basic idea is to increase the quality of stay in the old town by creating a diverse mix of uses that includes living, working, learning, health and leisure. This also confirmed click-kaernten.

The concepts presented in the exhibition were developed in close consultation with property owners in order to find answers to the question of vacancies. The municipal building authority and St. Veit city marketing were also involved in the development. Roland Gruber from nonconform and Thomas Egger from Egger & Partner supported the idea generation process. A long-term development process, which will begin next spring with vision development workshops, aims to sustainably revitalize the old town and make it more livable.

The challenge with vacancies

Vacancies are a growing problem that has been exacerbated by global events such as the pandemic and economic uncertainties such as the war in Ukraine. To date, vacancy management has mostly been reactive, but a proactive approach is increasingly required. This includes collaboration between city planners, property owners and cultural workers to develop creative usage concepts that avoid or quickly revitalize vacancies. This is particularly important to prevent decay and social problems in the affected areas, such as CultureLab reported.

In the last few months, St. Veit city marketing has recorded over 20 new developments in the old town, which shows that the city is actively working to reduce vacancies. This also includes the upgrading of existing projects, such as the creation of new meeting areas by the HTL Villach, in which young people are involved and develop creative seating furniture.

Historic old town in focus

The old town is of enormous importance for St. Veit, as it represents the original settlement center and offers a variety of historical structures that contribute to the city's identity. Old towns fulfill multifunctional roles as commercial, service and cultural locations and are often traffic-calmed zones that are attractive to both residents and visitors. However, maintaining and modernizing these historical treasures is a major challenge, especially in times of e-commerce that is changing traditional shopping behavior.

Monument protection laws, which vary depending on the federal state, impose additional requirements for new buildings and renovations in old towns. These regulations are intended to ensure that the character and historical architecture of the old town is preserved. It is important to find the balance between preserving what already exists and the need to create modern spatial concepts that also appeal to younger generations. For this to succeed, creative solutions and support programs are essential abes online highlights.

Overall, the exhibition “Back to the best location” shows that St. Veit an der Glan wants to revitalize its historic core with a breath of fresh air and at the same time actively address the challenges of modern urban development. The combination of innovative ideas and traditional identity could be a recipe for success for the old town of tomorrow.