In Vienna 39 % of all journeys are made by public transport – more than elsewhere in Europe.

Car-free residential zones have a long tradition here. The city’s first car-free residential complex with at total of 244 rental apartments was opened back in 1999.

The pilot project “model car-free housing project“ is an alternative for residents willing to live without a car of their own. What makes the development so special is that, upon signing their rental agreements, tenants commit themselves to giving up their own car. So as a rule they will either walk, ride a bike or use public transport as a means of transportation, tough they may resort to a car from the “car sharing“ pool whenever the need for this mobility mode arises.

The resources saved from reduced garage space were invested in community facilities, alternative building technologies, above-average landscaping and a large number of bicycle stands.

In 2008 the pilot project was evaluated by the SRZ (car-free housing – evaluation of the model project in Vienna Floridsdorf). Three quarters of the tenants claimed that their decision to do without a car of their own was an “important” reason for moving to the model development, almost half of them even considered it a ”very important” reason.

Half of the residents do their daily shopping by bike and/or public transport. Approximately fifty per cent also use their bike to ride to work or school, for trips to the surrounding countryside or to visit friends in Vienna. A quarter of the residents exclusively walk to do their daily shopping.

Contact

Verein zur Förderung der Kommunikation und Kooperation in der autofreien Siedlung Floridsdorf (KOKOS)

E-Mail: kokos.autofrei@gmail.com

Website: www.autofrei.org