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Aspern's Wonkaplatz: Hot asphalt desert with no shade!
Find out why Wonkaplatz in Donaustadt is considered a “concrete treasure” and heat hotspot and what greening initiatives exist.
Aspern's Wonkaplatz: Hot asphalt desert with no shade!
Wonkaplatz in the Danube city has acquired the most inglorious reputation as one of Vienna's greatest “concrete treasures”. The approximately 5,000 square meter asphalted area is reluctantly described by residents as an “asphalted heat hell”. It's not just annoying noise and heat build-up that burden the neighborhood - safety aspects also cast a shadow on this place, as the sealed areas pose a risk of injury to children playing. The residents also criticize the lack of greenery and the associated dramatic heat development in summer, which noticeably reduces the quality of life. According to a report by meinkreis.at Residents strongly criticize the fact that, despite several redesigns by the district administration, most recently in 2010 in connection with the opening of the subway, sufficient steps have not been taken to improve the ecological situation.
One thing is clear: the problems at Wonkaplatz are not an isolated case. Across Austria, areas roughly the size of 16 football fields are sealed every day. Since 1987, traffic areas have increased by over 49%, and Greenpeace therefore launched the “Get Out of Gray!” campaign. launched to draw attention to the gradual sealing of our urban landscapes. With an award for the gray places in each federal state, 27 favorites were also selected, from which Wonkaplatz was able to win third place in the vote for the “worst concrete sins” in Vienna. This initiative aims to raise awareness of the problems of surface sealing and demonstrate the need for sustainable urban development oe3.orf.at reported.
Green light for a better city
The “Green in the City” initiative is committed to reducing surface sealing. Among other things, it calls for measures such as parks and green facades to not only improve the cityscape, but also to ensure that the city cools down. The need for natural shade is particularly urgent in urban areas. These measures could not only increase the well-being of city residents, but also make a decisive contribution to promoting a high level of biodiversity, as the site says gruen-in-die-stadt.de highlights.
While the district administration emphasizes that the newly planted chestnut trees, which were planted in 2011 and are now slowly growing, are healthy, the wish for a greener and more inviting Wonkaplatz remains unfulfilled. It also seems incomprehensible that, despite clear problems, no comprehensive restructuring is being pursued for budgetary reasons. The discussion about the appearance of the square is simmering in district politics, but there are no results yet. The residents hope that measures will soon be taken to improve their quality of life, because the asphalt is not the only thing that is part of life here.