Important history Urban planning is the basis for everything else, the growth of a city follows its overarching principles. In the Gruenderzeit period urban design was rigorous - and Vienna still profits from this today. The Glacis, a popular green area between the inner city and the suburbs, was sacrificed to build the Ringstrasse. In the process the new, severely orthogonal development grid was adapted to the older urban patterns in order to integrate it in the existing city. The plot with the address 1 Rathausstrasse illustrates this process very clearly. Together with nonconform Architektur architect Erich Raith produced a very precise analysis of this location on site. It lies on the border between the inner city and Vienna's 8th municipal district, on the western edge of the 19th century Rathaus-caree. The centre of the latter development is the Rathaus (Town Hall), which stands on an axis with the imperial Burgtheater on the far side of the Ringstrasse. On either side of this axis and starting in line with the main facade of the Rathaus there is a grid of three by three blocks. On the eastern side, closer to the Ringstrasse, the symmetry is perfect but the last row on the western side takes up the line of the older suburbs, which also determines the direction of Au-erspergstrasse. This creates a very narrow plot between Stadiongasse in the north and Doblhofgasse in the south.
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