Slow start: Only 50 participants at the start of the Wels district processes

4000 households had been invited by post, around 50 people – including journalists and politicians – found themselves on Tuesday evening in the gym of the elementary school 8/9 in the Welser Vogelweide: It was the kick-off event for the “district process”, in which one after the other in the satisfaction and suggestions for improvement of the residents are queried in the individual districts via an online survey.

The bird pasture made the beginning. After a keynote speech by City Councilor for Building and Housing Ralph Schäfer (FP), the top Wels city planner Wolfgang Pichler and city gardener Christoph Haslmayr, the participants went on a walk through the district, during which the participants were able to bring their concerns and wishes to the city representatives.

Only when asked by OÖN did City Councilor Schäfer make it clear on Wednesday after the information event: “Our main concern is to ask about needs in public areas.” In order to sharpen the focus on this topic, areas such as mobility have been left out.

This focus is not clear from the invitation in the Official Gazette, it says: “The aim is to get an impression of the satisfaction with the situation in the living environment, wishes and suggestions for various development topics and the quality of the public open spaces.”

conflicts of interest

The public statements were correspondingly diverse. “I have two grandchildren. When they visit me, I don’t know where we should go – there are no playgrounds,” said Margarethe Köstlinger, for example. Inge Flunger, 72 years old, has lived in Vogelweide since she was a child and has many wishes: “There aren’t any bags or dustbins for dog poop, and there aren’t enough parking spaces for cars on my street.” The dominant theme was heavy traffic, a lack of cycle paths and bad roads. The desire for more events – such as a senior citizens’ club – and a revival of business was also expressed.

The dilemma facing planners in every city quickly became apparent: while some participants called for more cycle paths, others wanted more green spaces and still others wanted parking spaces. “There are many different ideas about the use of urban space, we have to find a middle ground. But it’s very exciting to talk directly to the people we’re planning for,” says urban planner Pichler.

City councilor Schäfer assured that he would pass on suggestions that did not fall within his area of ​​responsibility to the responsible city politicians. The participants had a lot of praise for the city gardener Haslmayr and his department: After he had presented the plans for the redesign of the Vogelweiderplatz, which will begin in September, the group applauded.

This is how participation works

The online survey for the Vogelweide district process was launched yesterday here available and can be filled in until May 16th. It can be accessed in the browser. In addition to ratings (e.g. “How satisfied are you with your district?”), the participants can also mark places where they stay particularly often. Suggestions for improvement can be made under open questions (“What possibilities do you see for a good development of your district?”). The survey is anonymous.