The Vienna Institute for Urban Sustainability

Global Network for Future Sustainable Settlements

 

 

 

creates mental and physical spaces where change can come about.

 

Oikodrom is a private research institute founded in 1994 by Heidi Dumreicher. It generates future images and strategies for human settlements in countries all over the world - from Europe to China and to the Mediterranean Islamic countries - under a concept of strong sustainability.
The Oikodrom-team creates mental and physical spaces where change can come about. The emerging future scenarios contribute to the creation of systemic knowledge as well as to the participatory implementation of sustainability processes in human settlements.

Oikodrom Scientific Concept/Approach:

Oikodrom follows the definition of strong sustainability as an ideal concept for actual change towards sustainable societal and material processes.

Human Settlements: The interdisciplinary research process focuses on given societal and environmental local systems, from small neighbourhoods and villages to big towns and cities.

Theory and Practice: When starting the local sustainability processes, the team generates theses and theories for the emerging research field of sustainability. Thereby we discuss the role of the scientists, and work on future scenarios and a common vocabulary - the thesaurus of sustainability.

Interdisciplinary Research: The interdisciplinary cooperation is a basic precondition for sustainability research. The complexity of societal, economical and material processes demands for scientific knowledge of several disciplines for present and future sustainability oriented changes.

Transdisciplinary Research: Sustainability research has its local expressions, and participation of dwellers is indispensable. The combination of local and scientific expert knowledge assures sustainability oriented solutions.

Multicultural Research: The multicultural research network around Oikodrom strengthens the global approach to the complex issue of sustainability.

Oikodrom works within the frame of a cooperation contract with the Vienna University .

Oikodrom Research Grants:

International Research Projects:

2009-2011: HAMMAMED - Raising awareness for the Hammam as cultural heritage for the Mediterranean area and beyond

2008-2010: Va2el - Valuing Education and Experience for Local councillors in Europe

2007-2009: Organic - Organic Regional Agriculture saving the Nature in China

2005-2008: HAMMAM - Aspects and Multidisciplinary Methods of Analysis for the Mediterranean Region 2002-2005: SUCCESS - Sustainable Users Concepts for China, Engaging Scientific Scenarios

2000-2005: From Information to Knowledge; Seven theses of Sustainability

National Research Projects:

2008-2010: Mappamundi (Bady Minck), Scientific advisory

2000-2008: In the Beginning was the Eye (Bady Minck), Scientific advisory

2008: Step by Step - Migration, Sustainability und Participation

1994-1999: Westbahnhof City as a Hill; The Sustainable City Implantation: An Urban Sustanability Project together with Richard S. Levine