Barbara BUCHER | Andreas KOLBITSCH
(Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria)
Keywords: built heritage, map, heritage policy, open data
Abstract:
Vienna’s 1st municipal district is an area dense with built heritage. We created a public map in Google Maps in which we combined public data provided by the City of Vienna and the Federal Monuments Office in 8 separate layers. The map has two functions: first, it gives an overview over different legally protected areas, such as the UNESCO World Heritage site “Historic City Centre of Vienna”, or protected zones according to the Building Code for Vienna. Second, the map holds information on the 670 individual buildings that are protected according to the Austrian Monuments Law.
With regards to the legal areas of protection, viewers can choose between three layers visualizing the core and buffer zones of the World Heritage site, protected zones and the ensemble “Vienna City Centre”. By selecting multiple layers at once, viewers can see where areas overlap and buildings therefore enjoy triple legal protection, but can also instantly locate gaps where this is not the case.
Five further layers of the map display the individually protected buildings according to the Austrian Monuments Law. One layer shows all these buildings without further discrimination. Another layer shows buildings protected by legal presumption and buildings protected by order. The viewer can select three additional layers, which show building characteristics such as the number of storeys, original roofs and use. By clicking on a building in either layer, a pop-up window provides additional information, such as alternate addresses, year of construction and architect.
Our map is an easy visualization of the complex legal construct that protects the built heritage in Vienna. It allows viewers to easily identify areas with dense legal protection and in addition provides easily accessible information on listed buildings.