Making Greenways. Typological Transposition between Vienna and Seoul
Cities have undergone significant changes over the centuries due to geopolitics and innovations. As we face the uncertainties of a changing climate, cities will need to adapt to remain livable, safe and attractive. Drawing inspiration from successful greenway projects, this design studio aimed at developing greenway typologies in Vienna, focusing on the valley formed by the Wien River. The developed visions contribute to a city-wide vegetation strategy and enhance open spaces by creating community-based and aesthetically pleasing urban landscapes, capable to establish blue-green infrastructure as a compelling Baukultur of the city. This approach not only fosters a more comfortable urban climate but also improves the quality of human and non-human life, while promoting better active mobility. Precision modeling methods were taught and incrementally implemented through didactic exercises and video tutorials, enabling students to adopt a mindset of digital prototyping for large-scale landscape design. Students also engaged in hands-on photogrammetry to capture and digitize portions of both the Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul and the Vienna River. These digital assets formed the basis for experimental spatial compositions, where students used 3D reassembly techniques to explore and reimagine riverine environments. Over the 15-week duration of the studio, students applied these methods to develop design proposals focused on the last 10 kilometers of the Vienna River. These proposals integrated site-specific analyses and adaptive design strategies, continuing the studio’s objective to foster resilient urban habitats responsive to climatic, urban and socio-economic pressures.