SDG 11 – Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 11 is all about our habitat. Let’s work together and make a change! The UN seeks to ensure access to affordable and safe housing, basic services and public transportation. This goal also identifies the reduction of environmental impacts of cities and the adverse effects of natural disasters. Furthermore, it serves to provide access to green and public spaces for all.
What we’re doing
We are determined to make decisions consciously and deliberately. What do we need? Regional value creation is a major point of emphasis, and one reason we purchase our supplies from local providers. Sustainable mobility, so that our guests can profit from our Green Bonus program whenever they arrive by train, bike or electric vehicle. These are things that Vienna is doing to ensure that our city is strong and livable in the future. Both for residents and visitors. We love our city. Vienna is not only top of the list for the most livable cities in the world for the 10th time in a row, but is also one of the most sustainable—and that makes Vienna a popular destination. According to the annual quality of living rankings by Mercer, Vienna has the highest quality of living anywhere on the planet—and has lead the rankings for the past 10 years. But it’s also the medical care and overall health factors, such as air quality and waste removal that contribute to the quality of life in the city. Furthermore, the level of education, infrastructure and transportation options as well as available services are a significant factor in these rankings. Free-time activities and recreational factors, the availability of consumables, the overall living situation and the natural habitat, including climate and natural catastrophes are also included. Vienna performed exceptionally well in all of these categories and more than earned its title of most livable city. Over half of the Austria capital is covered in green spaces, with scores of idyllic parks and recreational areas nearby. Simultaneously, Vienna has an excellent public transportation system and the city centre can be comfortably explored on foot. Furthermore, there are all manner of cultural institutions on offer and numerous historical buildings. There is good reason why the historic centre of Vienna was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
Vienna also has much to offer with its gastronomy and night life options. And despite the fact that Vienna is indeed a big city, it is by no means overcrowded, but rather comfortable and relaxed. Are you still sitting down or are you planning a visit to Vienna? Our door is always open. What’s happening where you’re from to make this goal a reality?
Implementation
SDG 11 comes to life in room 404. This room serves to put on display that more and more people are moving to urban locations, which means that sustainable practices are more important than ever. The headboard was once a door in a house built on the occasion of the construction of the Ringstrasse, one of the most sustainable urban development projects of the past 200 years. The city hiking path in Vienna is truly something special, and we’d like to thank the city for the sign they gave us. Vienna is not only one of the most livable cities, but also one of the most sustainable. The signs behind the wardrobe and on the bathroom door are dedicated to sustainable traffic. The sign behind the toilet indicates that not only is it important to have plenty of bike paths in a city, but to also place them smartly. The toilet paper and cell phone holders are both made from traffic signs, as traffic in a sustainable community should always be seen as a mixed concept that does not focus on just one type of mobility. That’s also why the taxi sign is on display, and it also doubles as a catch-all. The vanity mirror is an old rear-view mirror, while two DKT board games are there for you to play—one Viennese and one Austrian version of the popular Monopoly-like game. The wardrobe with wooden hangers and the board with postcards from yesteryear show how vacation destinations used to be sustainable communities and serve as a reminder that we have that goal. The lamps above the nightstand were made with bike helmets, and bike parts in the bookshelf call attention to sustainable alternatives in mobility. The coffee table made of books is our homage to books that you hold in your hands and underline that bookshops are core components of a sustainable city. The hand towel holders are made with ceramic fuses and are there to point out how important intelligent power supplies are for sustainable cities and communities, and that it should preferably come from renewable energy sources. What’s happening where you’re from to make this goal a reality?
