Werkstatt Neu Leopoldau

The research project Werkstatt Neu Leopoldau is focused on the settlement process as a workshop situation for social innovations in housing and urban development, with the aim of fostering sustainable development and creating good neighbourhoods.

As an applied research project, "Werkstatt Neu Leopoldau" (Co-creation Neu Leopoldau) accompanies the settlement process of the IBA quarter in Vienna's 21st district. The phase of residents' and users' arrival in the neighbourhood is explored, which is conceived as a potential for social sustainability in Viennese housing. Using proven and new practises as a starting point, settlement processes are viewed as learning and education processes. Furthermore, it entails socially integrative potentials that should be shaped and further developed in a collaborative and co-creative setting to think about future ways of living in the neighbourhood.

The project was carried out from November 2022 until September 2023, involving residents, tenants, property management companies, and experts who are accompanying the settlement process. Werkstatt Neu Leopoldau is supported by the IBA_Wien 2022 of the City of Vienna, MA 50, and a series of further cooperation partners.

The Project

Using proven and new practises as a starting point, settlement processes are viewed as learning and education processes. Furthermore, it entails socially integrative potentials that should be shaped and further developed in a collaborative and co-creative setting to think about future ways of living in the neighbourhood. Capacity building strategies should be developed together with key stakeholders. Aside from residents and other users of the housing complexes, the target groups are above all the building managers, as well as experts and intermediary institutions that professionally accompany the settlement process. Conceptually, the settlement phase is viewed as an experimental learning and potential educational setting with specific framework conditions such as knowledge networks, interests, and coalitions of interests.

In a first step, relevant topics and questions will be developed in a co-creative process based on the experiences of the actors involved. Special attention is paid to established and future social innovations in urban development (e.g. social innovations such as social support in the settlement process, community spaces, and sharing of further resources, etc.). In a synthesis step, a selection and focus on key topics is undertaken, which are then elaborated in more depth with the target groups in collaborative workshops. The aim of the innovation project is to develop transformational knowledge in a spatial context to enable and strengthen learning and educational processes at the individual and institutional level.

Project Team

ROLES IN THE TRANSDISCIPLINARY PROJECT TEAM

RESEARCH GROUP OF THE future.lab Research Center

The research group of the future.lab Research Center of the Vienna University of Technology is responsible for setting up and monitoring the research process. The group develops the theoretical background for the research questions, collects basic data on the actual neighbourhood development, and prepares the participatory research process. In the course of the project, the research group takes on project management and process communication within the framework of the co-design, production, and reflection phases. Finally, the results will be summarised for publication.

CITIZEN SCIENTISTS

Citizen scientists are interested people who participate in scientific research projects. As part of the project team of "Werkstatt Neu Leopoldau" they decide on core themes (what should be investigated?) and are involved in the surveys and evaluations.

PRACTICE PARTNERS

Practice partners function as a central interface to various stakeholders in the neighbourhood development of Neu Leopoldau. Practice partners are, for example, the GB*Stadtteilmanagement, property managers, and other experts who professionally accompany the settlement process.

The project enables all participants to have a deep reflection on the settlement process and allows them to get to know and better understand the roles and positions of the stakeholders, as well as their ideas and demands. Potentials and conflicts in the neighbourhood and in the planning system should be recognised and addressed right away. As a result, ideas and suggestions for future development processes will be collected and passed on.

Citizen Science

What does "citizen science" mean?

In citizen science, scientific projects are carried out in collaboration with or entirely by interested amateurs. Citizen scientists work on various tasks in compliance with scientific criteria. “Österrreich forscht” is a platform that provides information on a wide range of citizen science projects. Citizen Science enables new scientific approaches and insights while also encouraging science-society dialogue.

Why is Werkstatt Neu Leopoldau designed as a citizen science project?

Current knowledge and experience about the neighbourhood development of Neu Leopoldau should not just be "collected" by researchers but rather developed in the form of a participatory and co-productive process together with local stakeholders. In "Werkstatt Neu Leopoldau" they decide on core themes (what should be investigated?) and are involved in surveys and evaluations. The aim of the citizen science project is not only the collaborative production of new data on neighbourhood development but also a reflection on current processes and related design and learning potentials.

Role as Citizen Scientist

Active participation depending on one's own capacities and is in accordance with the respective health guidelines.
Joint development of a content-related focus and a research question in 1 or 2 workshops (guided by the research team as a co-design process)
Participation in data collection (co-production process)
collaborative analysis and interpretation of the results (CO-reflection process)

Results

Podcast – Podcast

“Werkstatt Neu Leopoldau“ was invited to „Wissen macht Leute, a citizen science podcast by Österreich forscht, the austrian citizen science platform. Just listen to it!