Vienna Restores Liesing Creek After Decades of Channelization

The city of Vienna, Austria has been revitalizing the Liesing creek, which gives its name to the city’s 23rd district, over the last 30 years. Starting in 1997, the project aims to return an 800-meter section of the creek to a more natural state after decades of being constrained by steep stone banks.

Initial improvements in 1998 saw a return of river and stream crustaceans and larvae, indicating improved water quality. The revitalization, now referred to as renaturation, extends across 18 kilometers of the Liesing within Vienna and is slated for completion between 2028 and 2029.

The project includes building a new canal to divert polluted rainwater, creating flood protection measures like retention basins, and restoring the creek bed with softer, grassy banks. The city and federal government have invested approximately 85 million euros in the project, which is already proving successful by attracting both wildlife and recreational users. The renatured sections withstood a major flood in September 2024 without issue.