Exploring Everyday Streets
Chapter 11:
Foundational economy and polycentricity in the five squares of the pedestrian zone of Favoritenstrasse, Vienna
Sigrid Kroismayr and Andreas Novy
The Viennese pedestrian zone Favoritenstrasse is located in a densely populated, low-income area with a high share of migrants. The section of the street discussed here comprises five squares, all within walking distance of one another. In our description of them we focus on various sectors of the foundational economy, including food retail, mobility, and cultural initiatives. The five squares form a line of sub-centres that provide foundational goods and services essential to everyday life. Shops, market stalls, social amenities including a public swimming hall, public administrative offices, public benches, public playgrounds and green spaces provide a beneficial mixture of commercial and non-commercial uses for low-income residents who depend on local provisions. The urban form explored in this study facilitates access to basic goods, services and infrastructure within walking distance of one another.
About Sigrid Kroismayr
Sigrid Kroismayr is Senior Researcher at the Institute for Multilevel Governance and Development at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration, and Lecturer at the University of Innsbruck and the University of Applied Sciences Vienna. She is editor of the journal Sozialwissenschaftliche Rundschau. Her main fields of work are urban district research, rural development and qualitative methods.
About Andreas Novy
Andreas Novy is a socioeconomist, Associate Professor and Head of the Institute for Multi-Level Governance and Development at Vienna University of Economics and Business. He is president of the International Karl Polanyi Society and a member of the Foundational Economy Collective.