Restoration of Vienna's urban riverside habitats - Peer review site visit

The study visit in Vienna was not just a professional program, but also an inspiring journey into the future of urban nature and water management. Organized by WWF Hungary, the visit brought together partners of the RestoRiver Interreg project to explore how a major city can become a living laboratory for climate adaptation and ecological innovation. The day began at the Inselinfo center, where presentations of various LIFE projects highlighted how Vienna is responding to the challenges of climate change—from heatwaves to increasingly frequent floods.

During the field visits, the Donauinsel offered a particularly vivid example of how flood protection infrastructure can be transformed into a multifunctional, living ecosystem. Within the LIFE DICCA project, the focus was not only on preserving biodiversity but also on creating a “cooling island” to mitigate the urban heat island effect, while still serving as a popular recreational area. Its diverse habitats—meadows, forest strips, and shallow water bodies—demonstrate how nature-based solutions can be successfully combined with urban needs.

Dunauinsel (Andrea Samu)

The program then continued at the Alte Donau, where we encountered a different type of challenge: restoring the ecological balance of a hydrologically isolated urban water body. The LIFE Urban Lake project illustrated how integrated water management measures—such as improving water exchange and carefully managing aquatic vegetation—can maintain excellent water quality while preserving the lake as one of the city’s most valued recreational spaces.

Heron Breeding Colony in Vienna (Andrea Samu)

The day concluded with a walk along the restored sections of the Liesing, where a forward-looking vision of urban waterways is already taking shape. Here, nature-based river morphology, expanded floodplains, and the integration of public spaces demonstrate how rivers can become an active part of urban life rather than merely managed infrastructure. The visit clearly showed that sustainable water management is not only a technical challenge, but also a powerful tool for shaping perspectives and reconnecting cities with nature.

Restoration efforts on Liesingsbach, Vienna (Andrea Samu)