"Vienna - Nature and History" focuses on aspects of the interaction between humans and nature and is coordinated
by Institutes of the University of Vienna and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Institute of Investigations in
Austrian History / University of Vienna, Institute for Urban and Regional Research / Austrian Academy of
Sciences in cooperation with other institutions). More than a hundred scientists from many different disciplines,
people involved in the praxis on the ground as well as specialists contribute to the environmental biography of
Vienna.
Urban societies change and shape their natural environment and remodel it according to societal needs. They cause
undesired side-effects in natural systems, which in turn influence society. This feedback loop has existed ever since
the first urbanization processes. In the case of Vienna, the history of the interaction between urban society and
nature has not yet been investigated. Volume 1, "Environmental History of Vienna", aims to create public
awareness of the potential of such an approach and to serve as a starting point for a research program.
Vienna has the advantage of being located at the junction of several markedly different landscapes and eco-
systems. Volume 2, "Landscape and Ecology of Vienna", which is currently under preparation, attempts to identify
these truly unique ecological conditions and to clarify the background and the forces that have shaped them.
Nevertheless, Vienna like other metropolises faces ecological challenges to be dealt with. What are the problems
and which solutions are being sought?