Vienna plans high-rise and rooftop park in Erdberg

Vienna plans to redevelop the Erdberg bus terminal area with a high-rise and a public rooftop park, ORF reported. The city’s urban development commission approved a master plan on Tuesday, Planning Councillor Ulli Sima said.

The current bus terminal is due to move to a new central long-distance terminal near Handelskai in 2029, freeing the land beneath the Tangente for other uses. The redevelopment covers the area between Erdbergstrasse, Franzosengraben, Baumgasse and Nottendorfer Gasse, as well as the existing park-and-ride facility.

The plan calls for a high-rise beside the park-and-ride facility, to be developed by ARWAG. The project would include a publicly accessible rooftop park covering 5,000 square metres. An architecture competition is planned for next year, followed by a zoning process.

The former bus terminal under the Tangente could host sports and play facilities, restaurants, areas where visitors are not expected to spend money, and improved walking routes. Plans also call for more attractive public spaces along Erdbergstrasse.

Nearly 800 people, mainly local residents and people working nearby, took part in an online survey last autumn. Respondents called for more green space, a greater sense of safety, better places to spend time and more services. More than 80 per cent said they would like to spend their breaks outdoors.

The city plans to present the master plan in more detail at an online event on November 4 and an information exhibition at the Wiener Linien building on Erdbergstrasse on November 9. The next development steps are expected to take several years.

Vienna’s ÖVP party has also presented a separate proposal for the former terminal, suggesting a covered venue for sport, green space and culture.