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Research at FHWien der WKW

WKW Endowed Chair for Sustainable Urban Tourism

Project Description

Tourism is of great importance for Vienna. With its Visitor Economy Strategy, the City of Vienna pursues the goal of shaping this economic sector in such a way that it takes into account the interests of the population, the local economy and guests.

An Endowed Chair for Sustainable Urban and Tourism Development at FHWien der WKW will provide scientific support for this process in the future. The newly created position was taken over by Cornelia Dlabaja in August 2023, and is designed to run for five years. The professorship is the first in Austria in the field of urban tourism. It is sponsored by the Vienna Chamber of Commerce (WKW).

Contact

Tourism & Hospitality Management Study Programs
FH-Prof. Dr. Cornelia Dlabaja

Währinger Gürtel 97
1180 Vienna

Tel.: +43 (1) 476 77-5755

Main Research Areas

Scientific monitoring of the Visitor Economy Strategy by means of

  • Process-accompanying research
  • Learning Journeys & Living Labs
  • Workshops & Practical formats

Sustainable Tourism Development

  • Actor-centered policy analyses
  • Basic research on the challenges of urban tourism
  • Social sustainability in tourism
  • Sustainable temporary living
  • Urban economies

Sustainable Urban Development

  • Sustainable urban and regional development
  • Image development & city marketing
  • Housing research
  • Sustainable location development
  • Smart City & Gender Mainstreaming

Research Method

“Based on the challenges of sustainable tourism and urban development, the endowed chair addresses socially relevant issues for location development. It analyzes them from multiple perspectives. It provides findings for practice by means of applied and basic research and accompanies the process of the Visitor Economy Strategy from conception to implementation.”

FH-Prof.in Dr.in Cornelia Dlabaja
Endowed Chair for Sustainable Urban Tourism

Quotes

With its Visitor Economy Strategy, Vienna is doing pioneering work – in it we commit ourselves to a sustainable development of urban tourism in ecological, economic and social dimensions. FHWien der WKW is a showcase partner when it comes to its academic implementation. The upgrading of the Tourism & Hospitality Management study programs by an endowed chair shows impressively how science and practice in Vienna work hand in hand to create new impulses and further develop tourism in such a way that it brings benefits for the city and its inhabitants beyond the industry itself. I would like to congratulate Dr. Dlabaja – with her, the endowed chair is in extremely experienced hands. This is the best prerequisite for setting international benchmarks.

Norbert Kettner
Managing Director of the Vienna Tourist Board

Photo credit: © WienTourismus/ Peter Rigaud

The professorship is intended to act as a source of ideas and a knowledge hub that provides recommendations for action to economic operators in tourism and other industries. The scientific study of urban tourism and the visitor economy is also important for the future of tourism education in Vienna, because the research findings will be incorporated into education and training.

DI Walter Ruck
President of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce

Photo credit: © Christian Skalnik/WKW

With Cornelia Dlabaja, we have been able to attract a proven expert in urban sociology as an endowed chair. Her approach to urban spaces research, which takes equal account of visitors and residents, is in line with our understanding of contemporary destination management. The creation of the endowed chair and its appointment are important signs of the relevance of tourism for Vienna. Dr. Dlabaja’s research findings will not only benefit the local tourism industry as well as decision-makers in business and politics, but also the students of our Master’s program in Urban Tourism & Visitor Economy Management.

FH-Prof. Dr. Florian Aubke
Head of Tourism & Hospitality Management Study Programs

Photo credit: © feel image – Fotografie Felicitas Matern

Insights

“The Places To Be” – This is what cities should look like in the future

The playbook “The Places To Be” is the result of a cooperation between Vienna Tourism, the Endowed Chair for Sustainable Urban and Tourism Development at FHWien der WKW and Urban Innovation Vienna.

The practical handbook entitled “Playbook – The Places To Be” was presented to an interested specialist audience and discussed together as part of a dialogue at the Looshaus. The “Playbook” is aimed at stakeholders in urban and tourism development and specifically at cities that want to link tourism strategies more closely with urban development. It summarizes twelve guiding principles derived from international and Viennese projects.

Learning Journey - Innere Stadt

The Learning Journey – Innere Stadt examines innovative urban development strategies for Vienna’s first district. The research project by FH-Prof.in Dr.in Cornelia Dlabaja analyzes how public spaces between residents, visitors and employees can be better designed.

To this end, four central squares (Albertinaplatz, Schwedenplatz, Michaelerplatz, Heldenplatz) are being examined in order to optimize challenges such as visitor flows, climate resilience and accessibility.

Wissenschaftsradio: Overtourism and possible ways out (in German)

Amsterdam, Barcelona, Venice, Hallstatt – places where crowds of tourists squeeze through the narrow streets of the old town. How does the tourist rush affect the residents’ quality of life? And what measures help cities to get mass tourism under control?

Cornelia Dlabaja and Ilona Pezenka talk about possible solutions on Wissenschaftsradio.

Caring for the City - Statement by Cornelia Dablaja

Project Goals/Publications

The aim of the endowed chair is to establish a research program for sustainable and resilient location and tourism development that provides scientific support for the implementation of the Visitor Economy Strategy. At the same time, the findings from the scientific study of city tourism and the visitor economy will be incorporated into event series and teaching as well as training and further education.

Monograph & Editorship

Dlabaja, C.; Marconi, G.; Novy, J. (2026). Caring for the city – Entangled Challenges for Sustainable Urban and Tourism Development. (peer reviewed, accepted for publication forthcoming). Routledge.

Dlabaja, C.; Franz, Y.; Bertroci, D.; Kataleva, M. (2026). Sustainable Urban, Regional and Tourism Development. Springer Verlag. (in Produktion)

Dlabaja, C.; Nimführ, S.; Goez, N. (2025). Arbeitsbuch – Raum – Theorie – Empirie. Springer Verlag.

Dlabaja, C. (2024). Die Seestadt Aspern – Ein Stadtteil im Werden. Wien: Böhlau Verlag.

Musil, R.; Schell, P.; Dlabaja, C. (2024). Machbarkeitsstudie: Datenbasis zu Obdachlosigkeit, Wohnungslosigkeit und prekärem Wohnen. BMS

Dlabaja, C.; Hofmann, J.; Fernandes, K. (2023). Aktuelle Ungleichheitsforschung. Befunde – Theorien – Praxis: Perspektiven aus der ÖGS-Sektion Soziale Ungleichheit. Belz Verlag.

Friesinger, G.; Dlabaja, C.; Fegerl, J. (2023). Protestformen – Widerstand als kulturelle Praxis. In: edition mono/monochrom.

Hamedinger, A.; Franta, L.; Dlabaja, C. (Hrsg.) (2020): Protest. Dérive: Zeitschrift für Stadtforschung, Band N 79, Nr. April – Juni 2020.

Dlabaja, C. (2016). Das Wiener Brunnenviertel. Urbane Raumproduktionen – Eine Analyse des Wandels. Wien: New Academic Press.

Article in scientific media

Dlabaja, C. (2026). The Contested City of Venice: Caring for Commodified Common Infrastructures. In IJURR: Care Matters in the Entangled Commons Perspectives on temporality of urgency, knowledge co-production, and infrastructures of sociality in diverse urban context. (peer-reviewed)

Dlabaja, C. (2021). Recht-auf-Stadt-Bewegungen in Venedig: Sorgetragen für die Stadt als solidarische Praxis. In: Kuckuck. Notizen zur Alltagskultur.2/2021. (peer reviewed)

Dlabaja, C. (2021). Caring for the island city – Venetians Reclaiming the City in Times of Overtourism: contested Representations, Narrations and Infrastructures. SIMA Journal. Special issue: Living, Narrating and Representing Venice and its Lagoon. V15. (peer reviewed)

Dlabaja, C. (2020). Stadtplanung von unten: Das Wiener Brunnenviertel. In: Dérive: Zeitschrift für Stadtforschung, Band N 79, Nr. April – Juni 2020, 15.04.2020, S. 25 – 31.

Contribution in anthology/conference proceedings

Dlabaja, C. (2026). Caring for Cultural Heritage Cities through Regenerative Tourism. In: Legrand, W.; Burns, O; Day, J.; Handbook On Regenerative Tourism and Hospitality. Publisher: Routledge. (fort comming,)

Dlabaja, C. (2024). Interventionen im Stadtraum als Methode der interdisziplinären Stadtforschung, In. Kogler, R.; Hamedinger, A. (Hg.) Interdisziplinäre Stadtforschung II, Zugänge und Methoden. Transkript Verlag.

Dlabaja, C. (2023). Recht auf Stadt: Umkämpfte Infrastrukturen, Zukünfte und Solidaritäten. In: Sattlegger, S.; Miessgang, M.; Grandel, G.: Vages Terrain: Perspektiven auf die Standortwahl von Übermorgen. Verlag TU Academic Press. (peer reviewed).

Technical Reports/White Papers & Case Studies

Dlabaja, C.; Werl, J; Höpftberger,K. (2025): Playbook – Places to be: Placemaking at the intersection of Tourism, Urban Planning and Everday City Live. Vienna Tourist Board.

Dlabaja, C.; Reinprecht, C.; Molina, C.; Stoik, C.; Kisch-Soriano da Silva, K. (2024). Besiedelungsmonitoring Seestadt Aspern III. Wohnen und Leben im „neuen“ Stadtentwicklungsgebiet: Entwicklungen und Dynamiken. Forschungsbericht MA 50. Stadt Wien.

Article in industry media

Dlabaja, C. (2025): Wie Wien im Tourismus nachhaltig die Weichen gegen Overtourism stellt. Tourismusmetropole Wien. Für Wien. Wirtschaftskammer Wien.

Dlabaja, C. (2024): Wiener Märkte als Imagefaktor für die Stadt- & Tourismusentwicklung. TAI.

Dlabaja, C. (2024): Wiens Tourismus startet in die Zukunft. Wiener Wirtschaft.

Blatakes, S. (2024): Interview mit Cornelia Dlabaja. Die Plattformen sind Raubvögel. ÖGZ Tourismus 9/2025.

Keynotes, Presentations at scientific conferences & practice oriented events

Dlabaja, C. (01 2026). Vortrag zu urbanen Raumproduktionen bei der Stadtforschungstagung in Nürtingen

Dlabaja, C. (01 2026). Buchpräsentation “Raum – Theorie – Empirie” an der FHWien der WKW

Dlabaja, C. (11 2025). Lecture – rethink:inclusion für die Reihe Rethink mit DTFL

Dlabaja, C. (11 2025). Presentation des Playbook – Placemaking in the interplay of urban and tourism development gemeinsam mit Norbert Kettner,  WienTourismus und Urban Innovation, im Looshaus. Zum Newsbeitrag

Dlabaja, C. (09 2025). Keynote “Caring for the city” at the caring for the city conference Vienna

Dlabaja, C. (09 2025). Organisation der interdisziplinären Konferenz im Rahmen der Stiftungsprofessur: Caring for the city – entangled challenges of urban and tourism development, organised in the realm of the funded professorship www.caringforthecity.org

Dlabaja, C. (06 2025). Fluctuating narratives and UNwritten stories: The ephemeral memory of the city SIEF 2025, Panel Chair mit Simone Egger an der University of Aberdeen, Scotland

Dlabaja, C. (06 2025). Keynote beim Standard-Wohnsymposium im Kunsthaus Graz

Dlabaja, C. (04 2025). Nachhaltige Tourismusentwicklung in Österreich FFH-Forum FH Campus Wien

Dlabaja, C. (10 2024). Momentum Kongress – Alternatives: Wege und Strategien der nachhaltigen Regional- und Tourismusentwicklung in Zeiten von Overtourism und Kommodifizierung

Dlabaja, C. (09 2024). Interventa Hallstatt: Visionen für die nachhaltige Regionalentwicklung

Dlabaja, C. (04 2024). Italian Cultural Institute New York: Caring for the city in times of the Anthropocene

Dlabaja, C. (04 2024). Urban Affairs Conference in New York – Caring for the city in times of Overtourism

Dlabaja, C. (10 2023). Keynote– Soziale Ungleichheiten in Zeiten multipler Krisen St. Wolfgang

Dlabaja, C. (07 2023). Plenary lecture: Soziale Bewegungen in Zeiten des Klimawandels. Historische Perspektiven und aktuelle Entwicklungen. ÖGS conference: Critical times in Vienna.

Dlabaja, C. (06 2023) SIEF Congress in Brno: Contested future strategies for the island city of Venice in times of uncertainty

Dlabaja, C. (05 2023) Transformation des Städtischen durch das Digitale, 30. Tagung der ÖGEKW: Alltage und Kultur/en der Digitalität in Klagenfurt