MetroLab is a Think Tank and Consulting Service for Metropolitan Areas and City Regions.

MAY 2024 - Excrusion at Biofabrique, Climate Biennale Vienna
In the frame of the Zero Carbon City Region Forum, the MetroLab team and a number of international experts and stakeholders from the Viennese context visited Biofabrique at the Climate Biennale Vienna to discuss circularity in the construction industry and the transition to a circular economy. Biofabrique is experimenting with a bioregional design approach to transform underutilized local resources into materials for architecture and design, thus achieving more sustainability in the construction industry.
MAY 2024 - Zero Carbon City Regions Forum
On the 16 of May, our MetroLab Forum on Zero Carbon City Regions successfully took place at Gallery die Schöne in Vienna. It was an interesting evening with international lectures and a panel discussion introducing new perspectives across Europe on the topic of climate neutrality and metropolitan planning. MetroLab presented its latest project "Mapping the Zero Carbon City Region". We thank our guests Marion-Perret Blois (Movement for a Happy and Creative Frugality, FR), Carolin Bellstedt (Metabolism of Cities, DE/ES), Ombretta Caldarice (Politecnico di Torino, IT) and Laia Guillén Soley (Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona, ES) for their contributions, as well as our local experts Bernhard Steger (City of Vienna), Andreas Hacker (Stadt-Umland-Management) and Thomas Romm (forschen planen bauen ZT) for their participation!
JUNE 2022 – MetroLab is starting a new chapter
As part of our new project on the zero carbon city region, we shed light on the role of metropolitan regions in the climate crisis and their possible path towards climate neutrality! Since a key to creating climate resilient metropolitan regions lies in a better (visual) communication of how the climate goals can be achieved, a creative mapping tool is developed.
SEPTEMBER 2021 - Traveling exhibition “SuperWien Metrople – A New Capital for Europe”
Alterlaa station U6 // The intervention provides insights into the development of the Vienna metropolitan region, poses provocative questions of future development and generates a new vision of the region.
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Why MetroLab

Creative Governance and planning solutions on metropolitan level

The continuing urbanization trend is increasingly transforming cities into metropolitan areas. Even though metropolitan management and planning is not yet sufficiently integrated into contemporary planning practice and culture there are first attempts to develop new strategies and tools which tackle the emerging challenges of growing metropolises of the 21st century. 

We see ourselves as an accelerator for creative knowledge transfer in the field of metropolitan development and network with other vibrant city regions around the world whose strategies and projects address climate change, uncontrolled growth and new demands on urban life and mobility. You have more outstanding examples to add to this map or want to share ideas? Then get in touch with us.

mapping the zero carbon city region

Vienna Metropolitan Area

Climate change is having a major impact on cities and their surrounding areas, highlighting the need for new visions for the future and innovative solutions in many facets of our lives. 

A coordinated approach at the metropolitan scale allows for a more efficient use of resources, strengthens regional synergies, and enables balanced development that takes into account both urban and rural areas, promotes sustainable land use, and protects natural habitats.

With “Mapping the Zero Carbon City Region”, MetroLab has developed a creative and visionary mapping approach to address the climate crisis at the metropolitan scale. It reveals multi-layered spatial phenomena and spatial relationships between the city and its surroundings, visually communicates key trends, identifies real needs for action, and illustrates how climate goals can be achieved through integrated, cross-border development, with a special focus on the Vienna metropolitan region.

 

QUALITY DENSIFICATION AND LIMITED LAND CONSUMPTION

Only a prosperous callaboration between a city and its surrounding areas can give enough strength to manage emerging urban challenges.

Cédric Ramière

MetroLab should initiate discussion and help establish an entity.

Stefan Mayr

Cities must work on their identity, their DNA, to find a unique role in their international competition.

Claudia Staubmann

Human-focused planning and design is more important than ever.

Roland Krebs

Challenges in metropolitan development are an opportunity to rethink our cities and the way they are reproduced.

Vanessa Giolai

Create climate-resilient spaces and build strong connections to local stakeholders.

Lena Diete

New methodologies and tools are needed to develop a common understanding of the climate-neutral city region

Daniel Wally

City-regional cooperation on climate action is crucial to reach emission reduction targets

Paul Klema

International Dialogue

The MetroLab initiates an International Dialogue on Metropolitan Planning.

The International Dialogue on Metropolitan Planning, consisting of a four-part dialogue series, kicked off in fall 2020 with the first two MetroLab Forums on mobility and urban growth. Two additional Forums on the importance of resilient urban landscapes and the new role and identity of city regions took place in early October and November 2021.

In case you missed the past events, take a look at our Vimeo channel where you can find all the video documentaries.
Be part of a creative knowledge transfer and let us know about your professional or personal perspective!

Superwien Exhibition

SuperWien Metropole – A New Capital for Europe.

The SuperWien Metropole concept envisions the city region Vienna – Bratislava – Wiener Neustadt as a new capital for Europe. In the European context, it acts as a tool for the creation of a strong metropolitan area, while at the same time dealing with the region´s global status, managing its growth and defining its image and social concept.

The SuperWien exhibition aims to communicate new ideas for this city region that will guide further spatial planning. The visionary images primarily address the need for more regional governance and consider the area’s history and location in the centre of Europe. They suggest new opportunities that will enable the SuperWien Metropole to regain the international status it lost during the 20th century and define its new role in the future.

Visit the traveling Exhibition

The site-specific intervention provides interesting insights into the morphological and functional development of Vienna‘s metropolitan region and poses provocative questions of future development. With formative conceptual graphics, the traveling exhibition generates new images of the Vienna – Bratislava – Wiener Neustadt urban region and starts a joint discussion with the interested public.

The exhibit was displayed in several public locations near train and subway stations in September and October 2021 and will continue to travel in spring 2022.

Past exhibition dates and venues:
20.-23.09.2021 Metro station Alterlaa, Liesing
18.-28.10.2021 Josef Deutsch-Platz, Mödling

Stay tuned for more opportunities to visit the traveling exhibition!

Online Survey

Take part in our online-survey and tell us about how your life in the SuperWien Metropole is shaping up and what visions you have for this common living space!

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About Us

The MetroLab is a metropolitan Think Tank and consulting service for the integrated urban development of metropolitan areas and city regions.

It introduces participative, integrative and creative-artistic elements and develops innovative metropolitan strategies as well as place-based solutions. Based on a co-creative and dialogue-oriented planning and design approach, it fosters not only placemaking interventions, but also the transfer of cutting-edge knowledge in creative urban planning and bureaucracy. Facing the immensity of contemporary urban challenges, the MetroLab works with an elaborated toolbox of metropolitan planning.

Superwien is a studio for architecture and urbanism based in Vienna, Austria. The office supports public and private institutions in order to achieve sustainable urban change. Besides developing strategic plans, masterplans and public space projects, Superwien specializes in participatory and dialogue-oriented planning techniques from the national to the global scale.

MetroLab Office Austria

Lenaugasse 2/4
1080-Vienna
tel. / fax +43 1 4318261

hello@metrolab.design

CoCo architecture, founded by French-Austrian architects, is an internationally operating network office with three branches in France and one in Vienna, Austria. With its ambitious projects realized all around the globe the CoCo architecture and urban design studio reflects local thinking and traditional attitudes as well as modern approaches. It aims to be a catalyst for social change, putting environmental and lifestyle values at the heart of human endeavour.

MetroLab Office France

La Touille / BP9 –
24 250 Cenac et Saint Julien
tel. +33(0)5 53 31 10 42


hello@metrolab.design

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