Eco # 2024

Loopholes in the building regulations | GMO-free for real? | Capital of Culture faces challenges

Fighting for every square meter: How investors use loopholes in the building regulations

For a few days now, René Benko's most famous unfinished building has had a new owner: real estate entrepreneur Georg Stumpf has bought the shell of the Lamarr department store on Vienna's Mariahilferstrasse - directly from the insolvency estate of the bankrupt Signa. What will happen next is still being kept secret, but behind the scenes negotiations take place with the City of Vienna.

Hardly any major project can be realized today without concessions such as publicly accessible open spaces, parks or space for kindergartens. But in the end, investors are primarily concerned with getting the maximum out of it, and every loophole in the building regulations is used. Here too, there are accusations that the building is too high and therefore does not comply with the building regulations. And it is unclear whether this project, as planned by Benko more than 5 years ago, can still be profitable today. 

GMO-free for real? : A simple label for a complicated topic

Whether flour, pasta, fruit or vegetables, 6800 foods in Austria carry the label "Manufactured without GMOs". It emphasizes transparency and natural production conditions. But the label conceals the fact that even such products can contain genetic engineering.

This genetic engineering has proven itself in agriculture for decades and is hardly different from the controversial new genetic engineering. The label sells well, but does it keep its promise? 

Bad Ischl & Co: Capital of Culture with challenges

In 2024, for the first time, not just a city but an entire region was chosen as the European Capital of Culture. 23 municipalities have joined forces to host the Capital of Culture in the year 2024.

The aim is to give a region threatened by emigration a new, modern image. In comparison, less money was invested than in other Capitals of Culture in Austria. What is the outcome of the 2024 Capital of Culture year and is the money well invested?