New shine for Josef-Matthias-Hauer-Platz: Citizens shape with!

New shine for Josef-Matthias-Hauer-Platz: Citizens shape with!

Josefstadt, Österreich - In Josefstadt, a topic of headlines makes: Josef-Matthias-Hauer-Platz. The first regular meeting of the district politicians on June 18 brought intensive discussions about the redesign of the square and neighboring streets. At the session, 21 experienced and 19 newly elected district councilors took part, who dealt with a total of 13 applications on traffic, urban planning and security. The majority or unanimously referred to the responsible committees, which underlines the desire for a future-oriented urban design, as [meinzirk.at] (https://www.meinbeinbezirk.at/josefstadt/c-politik/josef-matthias-hauer-platz-fur-fuer discussions_a738596).

The application is particularly important for the extensive redesign of Josef-Matthias-Hauer-Platz, which was initiated by the Greens, SPÖ, NEOS and KPÖ links. Among other things, the plans provide to steer the passage in a "bow" from the Skodagasse to Albertgasse. In order to make the space more attractive, 16 new trees, flower beds and a fountain are considered. The bicycle traffic in the Skodagasse is also to be improved against the one -way strength.

survey of the residents

An important basis for the redesign forms the hundreds of citizens' voices that were obtained as part of a district -wide survey. Of the 21,221 agents aged 16 and over, 5,942 people voted, which corresponds to a return rate of 28%. The results show clear support for the planned redesign, as reported by the Wiener Stadtportal. In this context, district head Martin Fabisch emphasizes the desire for more greening and bicycle infrastructure in order to increase the quality of stay on the pitch. The survey took place between January 7 and February 21, 2025 and was carried out by the Independent Foresight Research Institute.

While Greens and SPÖ celebrate the results, there are also critical voices. The ÖVP club chairman Adam Christian expressed concerns about the formulation of the survey and pointed out the outdated traffic study in 2017. Greens club chairman Markus Mondre, on the other hand, rejected the criticism and emphasized the transparency of the entire process. The proposal to redesign the square was largely accepted, but ÖVP and FPÖ voted.

outlook on the implementation

The redesign of the Josef Matthias-Hauer-Platz is planned for 2026. In addition to the square itself, adjacent roads such as Albertgasse and Skodagasse to Florianigasse are also to be upgraded. These measures are part of a larger plan for urban development that considers social, economic and ecological aspects, as the civil society summarizes. Citizen participation plays a central role in this process. This type of participation is intended to ensure that the interests of the residents are taken seriously and there is space for changes.

The next district council meeting is scheduled for September 24th and it remains to be seen how the discussions about Josef-Matthias-Hauer-Platz will develop. One thing is certain: the residents are invited to get involved and to express their wishes.