Research

The Danube Floodplains National Park is nestled in a dynamic development area between the cities of Vienna and Bratislava. The increase in settlement activity and the associated population growth are putting pressure on the remaining natural areas. The Danube Floodplains National Park, part of which is located in the Vienna city area (Lobau), is particularly affected by this. With the increase in visitor pressure and the number of visitors, visitor management measures must therefore be evaluated and, if necessary, adapted or changed. The last systematic visitor survey in the national park took place from 1998 to 2001. Based on the visitor monitoring study conducted between 1998 and 2001, visitor counts and surveys will be carried out at approximately 30 locations in the Vienna and Lower Austrian parts of the Donau-Auen National Park. Through the combined use of permanent counting devices and periodic counts by counters at predefined locations, the temporal and spatial visitor flows in the Donau-Auen National Park will be recorded over a period of one year.

The goal of the project is to design and conduct interactive workshops that utilize an immersive 3D planning game approach to facilitate participatory planning of wind expansion scenarios. The workshops aim to actively engage stakeholders in developing sustainable and locally adapted solutions. The Utrecht region is another case study alongside case studies in Italy, Austria, Portugal and Norway, providing further valuable insights into the opportunities and limitations of wind energy expansion in the Netherlands.

In regions with a high population density - especially in urban areas - there is a high demand for natural, forest and agricultural areas for local recreation. Open and green spaces in the immediate and wider living environment that are accessible in everyday life offer numerous health benefits for the population In the course of climate change, the availability of these spaces is crucial for the heat resilience of the population. The natural and cultural landscapes surrounding urban centres are the focus of many interests that sometimes compete with their recreational value, such as housing, industry, intensified forms of cultivation, climate protection and mobility. In order to maintain the positive effects of open land and forest areas and to reconcile the different interests of use such as agriculture, forestry and recreational use, it is necessary to take current and future recreational behaviour into account when making decisions and planning projects. The change in temporal and spatial local recreation can have an impact on the management of agricultural and forestry land. In addition, a shift in recreational use influences the urban environment, e.g. through a change in the volume of mobility, which requires adapted management.