Ground floor zones act as the transition between public and semi-public space, contributing to the diversity and vitality of a city. The urbanity of the European city is strongly shaped by its ground floor zones. Beyond their importance in urban planning, ground floor zones are also an important factor in the urban economy, as they house a considerable proportion of the retail trade and personal services. Changes in the use of ground floor zones therefore always have a two-way effect: on the one hand, they affect the urban economy and the labor market, and on the other, they affect urban planning and neighborhood development. Ground floor zones are sensitive indicators of change processes in the urban space, highly visible in the public space.
The research project aims to document the general structural change of the ground floor zone. In addition to the problem of vacancies, the main aim is to document and analyze the complexity of sector-specific structural changes on a location-specific basis.
Photo: Ground floor zones are subject to permanent change - they shape the neighborhood,
but are also influenced by it (Google Street View)
Map: Siebensternviertel sub-area, partial survey 2024
(Comparison of the indicators of innovation and filling)
To provide a comprehensive overview of the transformation of ground floor zones in the study area, the survey covered all streets in both districts. The focus lies therefore not only on selected shopping streets, but on the entire urban space. The first survey took place in 2016, the second in 2022. In addition, a sub-area of the study area (Siebensternviertel) was surveyed in 2024.
The surveys in the two districts documented approximately 6,000 uses in each year. Not only the functional use (for example: gastronomy, retail, commerce, cultural facilities, ...), but also qualitative aspects such as innovation and value-added orientation, branching and value-added intensity were documented. This approach enables the documentation of changes in ground floor zones across both horizontal dimensions (sectoral shifts) and vertical dimensions (quality, innovation, value creation, ...).
Heinze S., Musil R. und Schütz N. (2025): Transformation Erdgeschoßzone – Befunde aus Wien Neubau. In: Heintel M: (Hrsg.): Wien7_Neubau. Stadtplanung, Stadtentwicklung, Stadtlabor. Böhlau Verlag, Wien. 500 S.
since 2016
Self-funded project of the ISR
