Whom or what are universities moving in their host region in the area of sustainability?
As part of the 2026 Long Night of Research, the UNIRE project team organised a ClimateWalk through Vienna’s 19th district to demonstrate how research, art and local initiatives work together to shape local sustainable development.
💡 Highlights
– Verena Radinger-Peer spoke about the tension universities face between the ivory tower and social engagement.
– Herbert Formayer shared insights into the significant impact of cemeteries for the urban climate as corridors of cool air and for urban biodiversity.
– Dr Matthias Kopetzky from the Wiener Bezirksimkerei spoke about bees as key players in urban ecosystems.
– Hannah Holzhacker closed the event with her artistic contribution, comprising video, literature and cello music, offering a reflective and emotional perspective on sustainability and societal change.
👣 Takeaway
Sustainability emerges where knowledge, places and people come together. Universities are important intermediaries: between research and society, between theory and practice, and between scientific knowledge and personal experience.
💐 A big thank you to everyone who joined us on the walk and enriched this event with their contributions.
Verena Radinger-Peer, Gesa Pflitsch, Eva-Maria Holzinger, Climate Walk
Project: unire.boku.ac.at
Funding: Austrian Science Fund FWF
