In a quiet corner of Vienna’s well-to-do 18th district, Jana is explaining how her assembly of wooden decking and planters is bringing a bit of greenery to the area. “There’s not a single tree on this whole street – it’s just parking spaces on both sides.
This is a grätzloase, or neighbourhood oasis – a miniature park tucked into the side of the road. With the blessing of the city hall, more than 100 of them have sprung up across Vienna. The scheme has been growing since 2015, and its proponents say it’s struck a rare balance for urban projects: cheap, community-driven and appreciated by local people.
In theory, anyone in Vienna can build one. A city-funded organisation, Local Agenda 21, provides grants of up to €5,000 to cover construction costs and helps with the admin.
Jana first heard about the scheme at a party in 2019 from someone who had recently put a parklet together. “A few weeks later I just went by and looked at it and thought: ‘This is so cool,’” she recalls. But it took until the winter of 2020 for Jana and her flatmates to consider building one themselves.
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