Soil for all

Address
Herbert-Bayer-Platz 1, 04020 Linz Map
Hours
Wed–Sat 2–5 pm, Fri 2 pm - 8 pm
E-Mail

The exhibition "Soil for All" makes visible the many forces that are tugging at our soil and a vanishing landscape. It shows that we have created a system that absolutely requires land use. Weak or unused instruments of spatial planning, a partly misguided tax law and subsidy system as well as discouraged politics continue the status quo instead of developing a vision for the future. In view of dramatic changes in the climate and rising house prices, the question arises as to whether the previous path with maximum compromises and minimum adjustments is still sustainable.

Where is a far-reaching and bold land policy?

The country's urban sprawl has been denounced for decades. In the meantime, all Austrians could be accommodated in existing single-family houses. Nevertheless, more land is being dedicated, new shopping centers are being built on greenfield sites and chalet villages are being built in the Alps. The hoarding of and speculation with land makes housing more expensive and leads to a gradual privatization of public space. Sealing of the soil contributes massively to the climate crisis.

The exhibition explains the political, legal and economic background clearly and concretely, critically and sometimes involuntarily absurdly. How does grassland become building land? Why is the price of land rising? What does all this have to do with our life dreams? Case studies and explanations of terms bring light into the thicket of responsibilities. Country comparisons illustrate strengths and weaknesses, international best practice examples show alternatives. A collection of existing and possible new instruments points the way to spatial planning that protects soil as a resource, cushions climate change, prevents land speculation and enables good architecture.

The extensive exhibition of the Architekturzentrum Wien in the afo is supplemented by the topic of the use of wasteland and vacancies in Oberösterreich.