One consideration
There are places in the world that are considered urban superbrands. Vienna has the potential to create one – at the Krieau harness racing track. Once a repeatedly flooded floodplain, a bone of contention between Vienna and Klosterneuburg and later a venue for hunts, it is now a living part of Vienna’s urban history.
Over the last ten years, apartments, offices and new uses have been built here. The beautiful combination of the Vienna Prater recreational area and the current transformation is sowing the seeds for a new heyday. The combination of listed structures and modern skyline architecture is creating an overlap that could elevate the area to a new world-class center. The expansion of the stands and stables could create a counterpart to the Israeli Sarona Quarter in Tel Aviv. And then think of Central Park, which has “National Historic Landmark” status and was designed along European lines, with the premises that money could be made, new jobs would be created, the cultural status of the city would be elevated, the health of the citizens would be promoted and there would be political benefits. All of this was achieved, as we know today.
We can also achieve this in Europe, in the heart of Vienna! The transformation is called: from racehorse to seahorse. A lake with a sophisticated city beach is being created in the eye of the Krieau. In the sand of the trotting track there would be traces of trotting horses, of leisure-hungry Viennese, of office stallions on break and sun-worshipping residents. The categorical demarcation between leisure, living and working has been de facto abolished by digitalization; the overlapping of structures must follow suit, but is lagging behind. Krieau could literally become a lighthouse project. The listed tower in the middle of the area would become just that – with a radiance that extends beyond European borders.
