3rd Impulse Evening, 13.03.2024
"Are centers dying out?”
The "Full House Weinviertel" initiative can look back on a successful impulse evening that took place on March 13 at Gasthaus Wimmer in Gaweinstal. Themed "Are the centers dying out?", the event discussed important issues surrounding the vacancy problem in the municipalities of the Weinviertel. How can municipalities effectively determine how much vacancy actually exists and what financial impact does this have on the local economy? The unused potential and opportunities that can develop for our municipalities from vacancies were also discussed.
The first presentation by Christine Filipp offered interesting insights into the financial impact of vacancies in municipalities. Fewer inhabitants lead to lower income, which in turn increases the costs for infrastructure. The annual loss per square meter of vacant building land amounts to around € 40.00 for a municipality - expenses that are often not seen in municipal budgets. In addition, the lack of living space leads to rezoning on the outskirts of towns, which results in further ongoing annual costs for the municipalities. The aim is for municipalities to actively exploit the potential of vacant properties in the future. Click here for the handout. Click here for the Handout.
Alexander Wimmer from the KLAR! Region Südliches Weinviertel showed how municipalities can effectively identify their vacant buildings. The aim is for municipalities to collect their figures quickly and uniformly. To this end, he provided a "Step by Step” explanation via the platform https://www.kommunalnet.at vor. Our video should help with the survey.
13 municipalities - 1 position
The Kleinregion Südliches Weinviertel is already following a common path: with their position paper, all 13 municipalities have committed themselves to internal development over external development. With various measures, considerations and actions, an attempt was made to illuminate the topic from all angles. The main aim of this position paper is to safeguard the quality of life in the rural communities of the Weinviertel. Click here for the position paper.
10 possible solutions:
- RAISE AWARENESS for the effects of building land hoarding & vacancies
- PROMOTION of know-how on renting and selling housing.
- INFORMATION on subsidies, especially in the area of housing refurbishment.
- COMMUNICATION of the advantages of building in the local association.
- DEVELOP a funding model for the reactivation of vacant properties.
- EVALUATE the possibilities for reducing the costs of demolishing buildings.
- DEVELOP attractive, climate-adapted utilization and development ideas for existing properties.
- PROMOTION of best-practice examples for the use of vacant buildings.
- DEVELOPMENT of an implementation project “Living in old age in the local community”
- FORCING the use and design of public spaces in town centers → climate change adaptation.