Walking Towards Resilient Cities: LAND at the 1st Austrian Pedestrian Summit in Graz
On 24 September, LAND took part in the 1st Austrian Pedestrian Summit in Graz, an initiative by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure dedicated to strengthening walking as a cornerstone of sustainable mobility and urban development.
The first ever Austrian Pedestrian Summit took place on 23rd and 24th September in Graz, setting new benchmarks on slow mobility and sustainable urban development in Austria and beyond.
In the session “City in Transition – Climate-Friendly Streets as a Planning Principle”, Michael Gräf, Director of LAND Austria, presented the Green Rays of Milan (Raggi Verdi) as an inspiring example of how landscape design can create new forms of soft mobility while enhancing climate resilience. By reconnecting fragmented urban areas through green and blue infrastructures, the Green Rays show how walking can be reimagined as an integral part of vibrant, livable, and future-proof cities.
Michael Gräf and Amélie Meißner at the Congress
The discussion, moderated by Eva Mastny from the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, brought together experts from administration, academia, and practice to address the pressing challenges of climate adaptation, green space planning, and sustainable urbanization. Lou Frisch (Bezirksvorstehung Wien-Neubau), Jennifer Jolly (FH JOANNEUM – Institut Energie-, Verkehrs- und Umweltmanagement), Tomas Stoisser (Stadt Graz – Abteilung Grünraum und Gewässer) and Klemens Weigl (Hochschule Karlsruhe) completed the panel. Topics ranged from sponge city principles to inclusive green infrastructure, with Graz serving as a powerful backdrop for dialogue on the future of walkable cities.
For LAND, participation in this event underlined a core conviction: urban landscapes play a decisive role in enabling sustainable mobility and healthier, more equitable cities.
