Redesign of Bozner Platz

A new piazza for Innsbruck

Bozner Platz is one of the central squares in Innsbruck's city centre, whose design and quality of stay now meets the expectations of an urban public meeting space thanks to its redesign. A landscape planning design competition was held for this purpose in 2020/2021, in which the design by the Viennese landscape planning office EGKK was chosen as the winning project from 58 submissions by a high-calibre jury headed by Prof. Maria Auböck.

Linger and enjoy

The great potential of the square framed by buildings can now be utilised: The redesign has brought out the full potential of the area consisting of the centrally located fountain and the adjoining façades with numerous uses on the ground floor (catering, retail, bank and others). The square is once again presented to locals and visitors to the city as a place to linger and spend time. The result is a lively place with plenty of seating to relax and enjoy in the centre of the city. Thanks to a harmonious surface design, the square now extends right up to the building façades, unfolding its spatial dimension and having a lasting effect as a coherent urban open space.

Diverse usable areas

The redesign makes the square versatile and allows for flexible use. A consumer-free recreation area has been created in the centre around the Rudolfsbrunnen fountain. 31 sustainable trees form a living green canopy that provides pleasant coolness and shade in summer. The greenery in the city also enhances the aesthetic quality. A generously designed area in the direction of Wilhelm-Greil-Straße offers space for a market, events or festivals, for example. At the edges of the square, there is more space for new guest gardens to expand the gastronomic offerings on site and offer guests a better quality of stay. New meeting places for Innsbruck have been created here.

Inclusive design

The redesign of Bozner Platz has created a public space for all population groups in the city. Consumer-free areas offer new spaces for younger and older people. The inclusive and barrier-free design ensures a high level of comfort for different user groups. Newly designed zones for guest gardens invite people to linger and enjoy the neighbouring restaurants. The generous lighting concept and the well thought-out planting concept create a safe urban space in which the population should feel comfortable.

Shade and cooling

Climate change is increasing the need for shady and cool places to spend time in the city. The city of Innsbruck has planted 31 climate-friendly trees (Gleditschia) on Bozner Platz in a sponge city system, i.e. with plenty of space for their roots and soil that allows rainwater to seep away and evaporate again if necessary. This ensures vitality and faster growth of the shade-giving trees. The trees also contribute to better air quality. Further cooling in the square is provided by water features and areas open to infiltration. The proportion of unsealed surfaces will be increased by a total of 43 per cent. According to a climate simulation (Greenpass), the perceived temperature can be reduced by 18 degrees after 20 years, i.e. when the trees are fully grown and unfold their full canopy.

Less through traffic

The Bolzano square will be designed as a meeting zone, thus emphasising its use by people. There are a variety of options for pedestrians to cross the road on the square. This creates frequency and ensures revitalisation. Through-traffic across Bozner Platz has been reduced. The traffic connections to the nearby city centre garages and the accessibility of the buildings on the square for residents and deliveries are of course still guaranteed. The removal of the traffic lights allows traffic to flow without tailbacks. A speed limit of 20 kilometres per hour in the meeting zone ensures safe coexistence between the various road users.