Shorter distances lead to fewer cars. When everyday destinations can be reached on foot or by bicycle, cities become more liveable and attractive. Compact urban forms and short distances ease traffic problems and enhance the quality of urban life.

VCÖ-Factsheet "Shorter everyday journeys improve mobility and quality of life" PDF-Download

Austria’s city centres are characterised by relatively dense development and a diverse mix of uses. Compact urban forms create short distances, allowing everyday needs to be met on foot or by bicycle.¹ In Austria’s central districts and major cities, many journeys are short. Between 36 and 44 per cent of people in education or training, as well as around 20 per cent of those in employment, reach their destinations within 2.5 kilometres. Around half of all shopping trips are shorter than 2.5 kilometres. Overall, it is essential to curb urban sprawl and promote more compact urban development.²

Short everyday journeys reduce travel effort

Urban sprawl makes it more difficult for residents to meet everyday needs locally and results in longer travel distances. For example, in Upper Austria, only around 60 per cent of residents can reach local food shops on foot, whereas in the federal province of Salzburg this figure is about 70 per cent. In Upper Austria, less than half of residents can easily walk to post offices, pharmacies or banks.^3,4 Notably, 70 per cent of employed people in Austria can reach a public transport stop within two kilometres.⁵

Attractive living environments build resilience

The concept of the compact city, characterised by mixed use and short distances, has seen an international revival inspired by Paris’s “15-minute city” model. In such a city, most daily needs can be met within a 15-minute walk or cycle ride. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that people living in areas with high-quality public spaces, strong social networks and easily accessible local shops are more resilient in times of crisis.⁶ Studies also show that residents living near small parks, including pocket parks, emerged from the pandemic in better physical and mental health.⁷

Compact cities promote active mobility

Apart from providing high-quality infrastructure, compact forms of construction and the attractive design of public spaces play a major role.⁸ In a large-scale study, people in twelve major German cities were surveyed about what motivates them to travel actively and what potential obstacles they face. When distances to destinations are longer because residential areas are less densely built, people are less willing to walk. However, when distances are short and the living environment is compactly developed, people are more motivated to walk frequently.⁹ This is illustrated by the example of Vienna: in the densely built inner-city districts 1 to 9, including the 20th district, more than twice as many journeys are made on foot or by bicycle as in the less densely developed outer districts 10, 11, 21 and 22.¹⁰

Better accessibility reduces number of cars

There is a clear relationship between the accessibility of everyday amenities and car ownership and use. In Vienna, the inner-city districts 1 to 9 and the 20th district have an average of 242 private cars per 1,000 inhabitants, while in the large outer districts 21, 22 and 23, the figure is 364, around 50 per cent higher.¹¹ In Germany, only four per cent of people living in places with poor transport links where few destinations can be reached within 15 minutes on foot or by bicycle get by without a car. By contrast, in places where many destinations can be reached on foot or by bicycle, 28 per cent of people do not own a car.¹² In Graz, 73 per cent of journeys of up to one kilometre are made on foot and 16 per cent by bicycle, while 33 per cent of journeys between one and two kilometres are made on foot and 30 per cent by bicycle.¹³ Between 2018 and 2024, travel distances decreased in Sankt Pölten, while at the same time the share of active mobility increased.¹⁴

Vibrant city centres require planning

Attractive locations with lively ground-floor areas are essential for maintaining economic activity in cities, enhancing the quality of life and preventing urban sprawl. According to the Austrian Conference on Spatial Planning (ÖROK), binding and clearly defined settlement boundaries help to prevent the decline of town and city centres. Integrated urban development concepts provide a long-term framework for guiding the growth of towns and cities, with particular attention to the role of active mobility. Furthermore, municipalities must cooperate at the regional level to coordinate the strategic development of mobility services, business zones and residential areas.¹⁵

Liveable cities need to be affordable

Over the past few decades, urban upgrading processes in European cities have often been accompanied by neighbourhood gentrification, although greening measures per se have not been the driving force behind these developments.²² In Vienna, there is no evidence to date of large-scale gentrification or the displacement of population groups from inner-city areas.²³ Nevertheless, local improvements to public spaces have measurable effects on housing prices, as proximity to greenery demonstrates. The creation of a new green space within 100 metres increases property values by between three and eleven per cent.^24,25,26 Upgrading neighbourhoods with green and climate-resilient infrastructure carries the risk of pushing out vulnerable and low-income households. This is particularly relevant in light of the climate crisis. People with lower incomes rely more on cool public spaces, as they tend to live in buildings of lower construction quality that heat up significantly.²⁷ Urban development projects must therefore pay particular attention to greening and traffic-calming measures, balancing these with social considerations such as the affordability of residential areas. A substantial proportion of subsidised housing within a neighbourhood, both in new developments and through the subsidised refurbishment of older buildings, helps ensure a social mix and keeps rent increases within reasonable limits.²⁸ To this end, the zoning category ‘social housing’ was specifically created in Vienna. This designation requires property developers to build a majority of subsidised flats.²⁹

Short distances make cities more liveable

In residential areas where everyday journeys can be made on foot or by bicycle in under fifteen minutes, active mobility becomes the dominant form of travel.³⁰ This creates mutually reinforcing benefits: when fewer car parking spaces are needed, the freed-up space can be transformed into green areas, playgrounds or meeting places. Such improvements make neighbourhoods more attractive and liveable, which in turn further encourages the use of active modes of transport.³¹ Smart urban planning benefits everyone. It particularly enables children, young people and older adults to move around safely and independently in their daily lives. A city of short distances experiences fewer traffic, noise and safety problems, enhances the quality of public spaces and helps people save both time and money.Reduced car traffic combined with urban greening and efficient urban design increases the attractiveness of an area, encouraging businesses, cafés and restaurants to open there and creating new jobs.³²

Short distances need to be planned strategically

With integrated strategic planning at municipal and provincial level, social, greening, economic, transport and architectural measures can be coordinated, evaluated and implemented in a targeted way. On the one hand, Austrian cities need to become more compact, while on the other, urban sprawl and greenfield zoning need to be halted. To ensure that the broader urban population benefits from greening and upgrading processes, targeted measures are needed to promote a social mix and maintain affordable rents.

Katharina Jaschinsky, VCÖ ‑ Mobility with a future

„Short distances enhance the quality of life and reduce car traffic. By implementing superblocks and promoting active mobility, we can make our cities healthier and more liveable.“

VCÖ-Factsheet "Shorter everyday journeys improve mobility and quality of life" PDF-Download

Klimaaktiv mobil advises and supports relevant stakeholders, decision-makers and investors in the development and implementation of climate-friendly measures in the transport sector. Info: klimaaktivmobil.at

VCÖ is responsible for the content and editing of the VCÖ factsheet. The content does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the supporting institutions. This factsheet was financed by the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure.