Out of the City Heat—Way to Less or More Sustainable Futures?

Abstract

Rural alpine areas are affected by climate change in multiple ways. Today, many lower regions already face challenges in winter. However, several authors indicated new potentials for near-metropolitan areas in summer. As the first study for a metropolitan area, this paper discusses results of a large-scale quantitative survey (n = 877) from Vienna (Austria) to evaluate the intentions of urban residents to seek refreshment in nearby mountainous regions. The results regarding their adaptation behavior confirm the likely increase in demand to escape to nearby refreshing areas during heatwaves. This trend could lead to (re-)vitalization potential for rural near-metropolitan areas in Eastern Austria, which are often characterized by depopulation and degradation of infrastructure. A closer look at the respondents’ mobility behavior, reveals a high risk for unsustainable developments. Although the high and increasing share of car-free households in Vienna would suggest a strong demand for public transport, the likelihood to travel by car towards such destinations is high even among this group. Focusing predominantly on on-site mobility offers would be recommended since many travelers did not use their car within the destination. At last, the attractiveness of climate-friendly travel options is discussed considering mobility-related needs and preferences of three touristic motive groups.

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