Don’t Even Think of Parking Here. Wiener Straßenraum: Verhandlung von Nutzungsrechten und Nutzungsansprüchen

Image: Vienna's sidewalks are too narrow, and the clear width is decimated by misplaced signage and diagonal parking. © Psenner

Abstract

The analysis of the historical development of users’ rights in the Viennese context reveals the following: Legislation shifted away from an initial emphasis on protection of people and was soon rewritten to protect vehicle traffic. In fact, the National Socialist street ordinance provided the most significant shift in the hierarchy of street users. Postwar regulations called for “care, caution, and attention” but nevertheless remained primarily fixed on the protection of traffic. It was not until 1960 that the human being once again moved into the center, replacing traffic as the focus of attention. The current traffic ordinance, and with it the right to use public street space, is rooted in a system of values that privileged the ideal of a ‘Gesamtvolkssinn’ over the rights and the protection of individuals.