Green Infrastructures for Building Stock Transformation

REGENERATIVE GREEN INFRASTRUCTURES FOR EXISTING BUILDING STOCK DENSIFICATION, CONVERSION AND RETROFITTING

This project aims to examine how people and policies support inner-city densification, conversion and retrofitting for regenerative urban development in light of socio-ecological transformation, urban biodiversity support and more-than-human concerns.

Urban green infrastructure can counteract climate change, in particular, high expectations are placed on the implementation of nature-based solutions. Yet, integration of existing and new green infrastructure in urban transformation depends on knowledge and the institutional embedding of such adaptation measures, linking to how stakeholders relate to nature in urban settings. Considering existing building stock, conflicting objectives between urban densification and the preservation of ecological qualities pose significant challenges. While urban densification is promoted as a key strategy for urban sustainable development, it generates both intended benefits and unintended side-effects, particularly regarding socio-spatial inequality and the loss of green spaces and habitats.

The project introduces a novel approach that focuses on the relationships between building structures and green infrastructure. It analyses the interplay between building typologies, patterns of human indoor and outdoor use and the integration of natural elements on buildings and across built plots. It will analyse a set of pilot projects as case studies that reflect dynamics of densification, conversion and retrofitting. All findings are compared with scenarios and adaptation pathways for desirable developments, alongside their ecological, social and institutional implications.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS

Prof. Dr. Leonie Fischer
Principal Investigator
Institute of Landscape Planning and Ecology (ILPÖ)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC

Prof. Dr. Cordula Kropp
Board of Directors
Institute for Social Sciences (SOWI)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC

PARTICIPATING RESEARCHER

Prof. Dr. Daniela Winkler
Participating Researcher
Institute of Economics and Law (IVR)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC

RESEARCHERS

M.Sc. Franziska Duhme
Doctoral Researcher
Institute of Landscape Planning and Ecology (ILPÖ)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC

M.A. Jeanette Müller
Doctoral Researcher
Institute for Social Sciences (SOWI)
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC