City and landscape under climate change

Climate affects us all - but in different ways!

This is particularly evident in the City of Vienna's Year of Democracy. Climate change adaptation and climate protection require sustainable decisions that include all perspectives and prioritise key social concerns at the same time.



Against this background, key questions arise:
- What climate is important to us in the city?
- What image do we have of a ‘climate-friendly city of the future’?
- How can we influence the atmospheric climate and what social, technical, cultural and political framework conditions are needed for this?
- What climate (co-)impact is needed from students, politics, administration, citizens and planners?
- Is the impact of a socio-spatially just city also climate-just?

These and other questions will be discussed and considered further in the seminar.

The seminar will focus on independent reflection and networked thinking on complex topics. At the end of the seminar, students will develop ‘5 hypotheses on climate transformation’ and elaborate on them in a scientifically substantiated thesis paper.

Current examples from practice serve as a basis for drawing conclusions for future strategic urban and open space planning. Relevant discussions of the present are taken up in order to formulate concrete visions of the future and perspectives.

Expert input, joint city walks, lively discussions, practical examples and literature research are used to approach the current topic of ‘climate transformation’.


The course is divided into 5 sessions:
Session 1: Kick-off and climate biographies
Session 2: City walk ‘Climate potentials in urban street space’
Session 3: Information centre of Wiental Kanal 12th + city walk ‘Climate potentials in the underworld’
Session 4: Thesis workshop ‘On the way to climate transformation’
Session 5: Final presentation

15 July 2025: Submission of the thesis paper

The seminar offers space for creative and reflective discussion of some of the most pressing issues of our time.