Where the heavy hammers drone[d]

The thesis examines the spatial-functional development of the rural municipality of Traismauer, located in the central region of Lower Austria, under the influence of technological transformation processes. It operates on different spatial levels providing a look back into history – up to the transition from the agricultural to the industrial age – and a look into the future – a future in the digital age.

Technological transformation processes manifest in the initially agricultural municipality of Traismauer in various ways: through the settlement of industrial companies, the construction of technical infrastructure (such as electricity plants) and of transport infrastructure (such as railway tracks and higher-level roads) as well as through the spread of settlement structures, which are directly related to them (such as industrial and commercial areas). Settlement structures are, moreover, influenced and shaped by technological transformation processes through changes in ways of working and living – illustrated, for instance, by the replacement of multifunctional farmstead structures with primarily monofunctional single-family houses.

During the period of investigation Traismauer develops into a commuter community, while at the same time its accessibility is significantly improved and accelerated through technological transformation processes.

The impact of digitalisation on rural areas is (still) unclear. Therefore, the thesis defines a bundle of measures as a planning guideline to activate the potential of digitalisation. In the future, increased location independence, changes in activities and location factors due to digitalisation might help to revitalise and functionally upgrade rural communities such as Traismauer.

Traismauer, “where [once] the heavy hammers drone[d]” (Eigl quoted in Stadtgemeinde Traismauer 1958, 7 – note: translation by author) could become a place where digitalisation is used to create sustainable spatial-functional structures.