ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳

Twelve-year-old Laura isn¡¯t real ¨C yet what she might think or do still matters for the carbon-neutral city of tomorrow.

¡°Laura can be your niece, your daughter, anybody,¡± said Julia Girardi-Hoog, Gender Planning Commissioner at Vienna¡¯s Urban Planning Directorate. ¡°Whatever you plan, always imagine, would Laura understand this crossing? Would you let Laura bike there? Would you let Laura get some ice cream there at 10 at night?¡±

Girardi-Hoog ¨C referencing the so-called Laura Test ¨C was addressing more than 30 urban development and transportation practitioners and policymakers from around Europe and Central Asia (ECA) gathered in the Austrian capital to explore how cities can reshape public space and mobility to deliver on their sustainability and climate goals.

Hosted by the Vienna Development Knowledge Center, the June 2-5 Technical Deep Dive on Urban Space, Mobility and Decarbonization provided for insightful exchanges of ideas combined with practical field trips and hands-on project development clinics aimed at advancing sustainable, low-carbon solutions in ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Group client countries across the ECA region.

Organized by the ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳¡¯s urban and transport teams in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the event brought together delegations from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Serbia, T¨¹rkiye and Uzbekistan in addition to international experts.

The goal: to explore and show how cross-sectoral collaboration ¨C through innovative and connected urban space and mobility projects ¨C can create more livable cities where people of all ages and backgrounds can thrive.

¡°One of the key lessons and insights that we¡¯ve learned, and that came out so prominently from all presentations, is the move towards greener cities,¡± said Axel Baeumler, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Senior Urban Specialist who co-led the event. ¡°The move towards cities where pedestrians and cyclists are a very prominent part of the urban planning and mobility planning aspects and that the car, to some extent, is deprioritized.¡±

Viennese success story

Vienna, consistently ranked as one of the world¡¯s most livable cities, provided a fitting backdrop over the course of the four days. Officials shared insights on integrated urban planning and mobility and showcased innovations. They also presented an overview of the city¡¯s strategic approach to promote walking in its downtown districts.

Urban solutions up close

Through field trips, participants got a front-row seat to some of Vienna¡¯s boldest urban redevelopments and makeover projects ¨C including Seestadt Aspern, a new neighborhood and one of Europe¡¯s largest development areas designed from the ground up with sustainability at its core. Participants also toured the Praterstra?e, a busy inner-city artery redesigned to safely accommodate pedestrians and cyclists, as well as the Praterstern integrated mobility hub and the Nordbahnviertel neighborhood.

¡°When we tackle the nexus of urban space and urban mobility, it takes a whole sum of policies, interventions and investments,¡± said Wenyu Jia, ÐÓ°ÉÂÛ̳ Senior Urban Transport Specialist who also co-led the event. ¡°When everything works together, that brings out the best result.¡±  

Barcelona¡¯s ¡®Superblocks¡¯ as inspiration

Speakers from Paris and Barcelona presented creative ways their cities have stemmed traffic gridlock and noise while making it easier for people to walk or bike more.

The French capital is championing the ¡°15-Minute City¡±, a vision where everything from work, to school, to leisure is just a short walk or bike ride away, with green spaces and multifunctional neighborhoods front and center.

In Barcelona, a concept known as ¡°Superblocks¡± involves taking nine blocks at a time and closing them off to through traffic, creating calm new public spaces for communities within the buzzing cityscape.

Vienna, aiming to be carbon neutral by 2040, has implemented similar ¡°Supergr?tzl¡± neighborhoods ¨C showing the benefits of sharing best practices across borders.

Turning ideas into action

On the final day of the deep dive, participants from eight countries developed solutions to take back home, receiving on-the-spot feedback from experts in the room on how to address specific sustainability challenges in their cities.

Bosnia¡¯s delegation ¨C highlighting Sarajevo¡¯s air pollution challenges and its recently introduced modern trams ¨C said the ¡°Laura Test¡± particularly resonated with them since a city that is good for children is good for everyone.

¡°At one point, there was a feeling that things cannot be changed,¡± reflected Dervi? Had?imuhamedovi?, project manager at Sarajevo¡¯s Department for Sustainable Development, who grew up amid the ruins of war.

¡°Now, with these trams, people get the feeling that things can be changed, and they want everything to be as beautiful as the trams. This impetus ¨C it is our job now to use it.¡± 

For Asgar Alakbarov, advisor to Azerbaijan¡¯s Minister of Economy, the takeaway was clear ¨C prioritizing people, not cars.

¡°The task we have today is to give the city back to people, back to our kids, back to our elderly ¨C and the spaces should be comfortable, green and livable,¡± he said.

Find out more about Vienna Development Knowledge Center.