Grassland declaration
The grassland declaration is a term that has been used in Austria since around 2000 . In the absence of other legislation, this declaration is intended to determine where in a municipality there is grassland that is worth protecting and inviolable . In particular, it should not be possible to build anything on publicly owned land defined as grassland. This declaration is currently used in the area of the cities of Vienna ( Vienna green belt ) and Salzburg ( Salzburg green belt ).
According to this, grassland declarations are intended to ensure that the quality of life - especially in large cities for residents and, above all, the neighbors of the areas declared as grassland - is not impaired and are considered an important part of nature conservation .
The existence of the grassland declarations is also associated with problems, as it makes it extremely difficult for politically responsible people to react appropriately to a growing housing shortage or homelessness of many people in the municipality or city, for example by building subsidized housing. The latter would often mean having to use areas declared as grassland for residential construction. This can then be the subject of bitter political disputes, as the neighbors often cannot or do not want to understand that the reallocation of grassland into land approved for construction has become necessary to combat the housing shortage or homelessness in the municipality or city. They are often (successfully) supported by the print media, so that as a rule it can be assumed that once areas have been declared as grassland, they will never be available again for construction projects.
Web links
- The Vienna Green Belt , Vienna Green Belt , wien.gv.at → Environment resp. Urban development
- Urban landscapes placed under permanent protection , valuable cultural and natural space , stadt-salzburg.at → Old Town & Tourism