Urban Blooms" project

Innsbruck is now becoming more colorful again despite the construction site

The project was presented and officially opened on Tuesday.

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

The "Urban Blooms" project aims to make Innsbruck's old town more attractive. This should also generate revenue for businesses and restaurants. The official opening took place on Tuesday.

Construction sites can still be seen on several corners of Innsbruck's old town. One of the reasons for this is the renewal of the paving stones. The "Krone" reported on this several times. Many a business owner has also been upset about the construction sites.

Innsbruck Tourism has now come up with an idea to beautify the cityscape during the construction work and make it a more attractive place to visit. The project is called "Urban Blooms". These "Innsbruck city blooms" are colorful and partly green wooden modules. On the one hand, they are intended to invite people to linger and, on the other, to beautify public spaces.

The aim is to bring nature into the city, temporarily enhance urban spaces and create a feel-good place for all visitors.

Peter Paul Mölk

Slight cooling is an additional side effect
Another positive side effect is that the greenery also allows the modules to cool down slightly. The project in Kiebachgasse was installed last Sunday. The official opening took place on Tuesday.

"We want to use the urban blossoms to provide targeted impetus in the city. It's about bringing nature into the city, temporarily enhancing urban spaces and creating a feel-good place that locals and guests alike enjoy visiting and that reflects Innsbruck as a lively and inviting place to live," explains Peter Paul Mölk, Chairman of Innsbruck Tourismus.

Peter Paul Mölk, Mariella Lutz, Klaus Plank and Barbara Plattner (from left) explain the background to the "Urban Blooms" project in Kiebachgasse.

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

A chessboard is also available to visitors.

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

"We are proud to contribute to the beautification"
 The project was designed by Snøhetta Studio Innsbruck ZT GmbH under the direction of Patrick Lüth (see interview below), while Holzmanufaktur und Vitrinenbau Auer GmbH was responsible for the implementation. CEO Thomas Auer comments: "This project impressively demonstrates how regional cooperation and innovative design can go hand in hand. We are proud to be able to contribute to the beautification of Innsbruck."

The most important goal is to ensure that local businesses in the retail and catering sectors can continue to operate despite the construction site.

Klaus Plank

Hope for an increase in turnover in the old town
Both politicians and businesses hope that "Urban Blooms" will also increase turnover for stores and restaurants. "In a very short space of time, we have succeeded in creating a place that not only enriches the entire area, but is also of great importance for the local businesses," says city councillor Mariella Lutz. Klaus Plank, Managing Director of the Weißes Rössl, adds: "The most important goal is that the local businesses in retail and gastronomy can continue to operate despite the construction site and that the decline in turnover is counteracted."

Finally, Barbara Plattner, Managing Director of Innsbruck Tourismus, reveals that "the Urban Blooms will also be set up in other parts of Innsbruck, as well as in other sub-regions".

Interview

„Wir wollen für die Menschen etwas Freudvolles machen“

Designer Patrick Lüth from Snøhetta Studio Innsbruck ZT GmbH explains the "Urban Blooms" project in more detail.
"Krone": How did the idea for this project come about?
Patrick Lüth: The idea was to give a "non-place", which was created by the building site, a positive character. We wanted to use this temporary character to create something colorful and joyful for people.

Did you have projects from other cities as a model?
We deal with the topic of "public space" in different cities on different scales. The idea is also to create a commercial-free offer so that guests - whether tourists or locals - can use this space. It is public and belongs to everyone, so it should remain usable. Nevertheless, nothing should be taken away from the catering trade. It's important to make it low-threshold and easy to understand so that it's not too academic.

Designer Patrick Lüth (right) in conversation with the "Tiroler Krone".

(Bild: Johanna Birbaumer)

Have you already realized this project in other cities?
Not yet in this form. There was a project in Holland two or three years ago in which 1000 trees wandered through the city. The idea there was to change the city in the short term by bringing in vegetation. Here in Innsbruck it has been reconfigured, so to speak.

Would you also like to implement this project in other cities?
This is not the first time we have implemented the topic of street furniture. The Museumsquartier in Vienna has had something similar for ten years. It also works very well. Here in Innsbruck, it's different because the project is moving to other parts of the city.

Would you also like to be a role model for other cities?
Activating and using public space is always an important topic for us, because commercialization is taking up a lot of space in cities.

Are there any similar projects coming up in the near future?
We are working on a wide variety of projects, but we are very happy about small, spontaneous projects like this where we can get up close and personal.