AT-13 :: Political regulations and involvement

In Austria, the legal regulations for soil and land use are very fragmented. The land agenda is in the hands of municipal, regional and state governments for different topics. The topic of land use is spread across various regulations such as water or waste management laws. The responsibilities of zoning and spatial planning are not the same as for soil management. The mayors are key players, but the community is often an insurmountable barrier (prejudices, e.g. no multi-storied houses in rural areas). It would be essential to develop a “communication package” for regulatory departments to increase the awareness for citizens and mayors.
Demand
• How can uniform laws and regulations for soil management and spatial planning be achieved in Austria? What pre-requisites are necessary?
Land management
• How can politics support demolition, restoration and sustainable zoning?
• How can the fractured responsibilities of the state, the counties and the municipalities be coordinated or unified to improve sustainable land management?
Net impacts
• How can feedback loops support the communication between departments and governments? What communication tools can be implemented?
• What political incentives and sanctions could drive sustainable land use?
• How can a political impact factor for scientific research look like?
• How can the municipal level be better included to connect regional politics and civic society? (e.g. inter-municipality networks and co-operations)