FAQ

KRW is a counselling service in the field of vacancy activation and prevention, interim use and cooperative usage forms. We support and guide the opening of vacancies for temporary and permanent uses within the sectors culture, social affairs, creative industries, services and community work.

The KRW is addressing agents from the fields of art and culture, creative industries, social affairs and education, community work and civil society, who are searching for affordable spaces for their work, as well as property owners, who are interested in opening their vacancies for usage.

KRW is understanding „creative“ in a broad sense. With this addressed are committed initiatives, projects and uses, that act socially or culturally on space in general and on the City of Vienna moreover.

In the free counsellings KRW informs space seekers – corresponding to the diverse requests – about offers and platforms for cooperative space use and vacancy activation and supports the networking with municipal and other cooperation partners. KRW guides users also during the process of vacancy activation.

KRW informs property owners about the diverse possibilities of using vacant spaces. If owners are interested in permenantly or just temporarily opening up vacant areas, we connect them with space seekers. Also, KRW offers support in further legal issues e.g. during the processing of contracts.

No, KRW does not rent out spaces. KRW is aiming for the establishment of networks between space seekers and space owners or also among space seekers themselves.

No, KRW does not allocate fundings but offers tips and advices about funding opportunities of the City of Vienna as part of the counselling.

KRW is a project of the City of Vienna and works commissioned by the Executive City Councillors for Finance, Business, Digital Innovation and International Affairs, for Cultural Affairs and Science, as well as for Urban Planning, Traffic and Transport, Climate Protection, Energy Planning and Public Participation in the fields of vacancy and space usage.

For various reasons, spaces, properties and premises in many cities – as also in Vienna – remain vacant and unused. Vacancy activation intends the re-utilization of over a longer period inactive areas. But also the – cooperative – use of just temporarily or recently vacant spaces can be captured in this term. Thereby, not only ground floor premises are opened and re-used but also green and waste lands, sports grounds or disused offices and factories of past decades.

For various reasons, spaces, properties and premises in many cities – as also in Vienna – remain vacant and unused. Vacancy activation intends the re-utilization of over a longer period inactive areas. But also the – cooperative – use of just temporarily or recently vacant spaces can be captured in this term. Thereby, not only ground floor premises are opened and re-used but also green and waste lands, sports grounds or disused offices and factories of past decades.

Especially in times of a great demand for affordable spaces in many cities it is necessary to perceive vacancy as a problem but also as a useable resource. Despite the lack of spaces on the side of potential users, inefficient land use, negative effects on the immediate public space and degrading building structure compose relevant aspects of urban vacancies. Aim of KRW is to address these challenges through the activation of vacant areas and by awareness-building for vacancy and spatial resources.

Interim use means the temporary usage of otherwise vacant properties, that cannot find a regular use or regular tenants. The time frame can vary between months right up to years. Usually there are no contracts concluded for interim uses.

Many tenants and space seekers need temporary or long-term space in order to realize or test their ideas or projects without much risk or bureaucratic effort. But often the resources for market-compliant rents are lacking. Due to different reasons (including administrative or planning issues) property owners are frequently holding spaces, that remain temporarily vacant. In this context, interim use provides a possibility to meet the demand for affordable space and make meaningful use of short-term vacant areas.

Vacancy activation and interim use are still a unknown domain for many property owners and municipal agents. Therefore, it is essential to raise awareness for the advantages of vacancy activation within the real estate business. Just as important is it to deepen the work of municipal administrative bodies with vacancies and spatial resources. For this purpose a variety of approaches, diverse political, planning and financial measures, as well as – also long-term – usage possibilities are necessary.

Many instruments of a socially, culturally and economically sustainable vacancy policy depend on the political context and design conditions. Here, the unbureaucratic use of municipal/ public properties or the mixture of financial funding mechanisms for socio-cultural initiatives could serve as an example. A static processing through a vacancy census or indicator of areas, that exceed 500 m² and are over one year vacant, as applied in the City of Zurich, could serve as an additional information level. Based on this, the development of further targeted strategies for working on vacant areas would be realizable. Also paying attention to the different needs and recognizing the diversity of users and their early inclusion in planning and development processes is a relevant part in this work. Further steps in terms of innovative – and long-term – vacancy policies and city development are the responsibility of the City of Vienna. Here, KRW can produce relevant content, provide information, sensitise and support the development of new concepts in cooperation with local agents and users.