testimonial

story

Ella Lang

Ella has a soft spot for Vorarlberg. Among other things, because her boyfriend is from there. In addition because she found a job there thanks to her RURAMUS semester. The spatial planner has found her feet in her favorite federal province in an impressively short time.

Ella, you study spatial planning at the Vienna University of Technology and actually come from Upper Austria. Why did you choose a countryside semester in Vorarlberg?

How should I put it? I had a plan. My boyfriend and I knew that we wanted to move to his home in Vorarlberg after graduation. I am an aspiring spatial planner and the rules and regulations of spatial planning differ from province to province. So this step fit perfectly into my professional and private plans.

What is your master’s thesis about?

The municipality of Göfis invited tenders for a RURASMUS project on the topic of “affordable housing”. After honing in on the content, I dealt with the question of what municipalities can contribute to affordable housing with an active land policy. In order to be able to derive recommendations for action for Göfis from this, I visited several Vorarlberg towns and showcase examples.

What influence did it have on your project that you were on site?

The decisive factor was certainly that I got a better feel for the place of Göfis. But it also made it easier to establish contact with the other communities. As practical as video meetings can be, when the spatial planners and mayors get out their local plans and maps, it becomes impossible to discuss things via the screen. You just have to do it on the spot.

You simply have to do it on the spot!

What came out of that? What did you get out of that time?

I’m not quite finished yet. But through my RURASMUS work, I not only got to know a lot of people, but I also got a job. The municipality of Feldkirch, which I came into contact with through my master’s thesis, offered me a position. Now I work there for 20 hours and the rest of the time I am busy finishing my thesis. It is unbelievably beautiful how this has developed. One cog latched onto another and now I live in Vorarlberg.

Tell me about your funniest, most curious, most beautiful experiences and memories.

My apartment was right in the center of Göfis, opposite the church. The bell of the church tower rang out reliably every quarter of an hour and then up to twelve times on the hour – regardless of whether it was day or night. I had to get used to that.

What did you do when you weren’t working on your project?

Every now and then I went to Feldkirch. Or I enjoyed the beautiful countryside while hiking. Sometimes my partner visited me on the weekend, sometimes someone from my circle of friends or family. And then it was already Christmas. Time passed so quickly.

Profile

Name: Ella Lang

Period: October 2022 – February 2023

Rurasmus Municipality: Göfis, Vorarlberg, Austria

Topic: Active land policy of municipalities as a contribution to affordable housing (Master thesis)

Studies: Spatial Planning

University: Vienna University of Technology

Prof. Arthur Kanonier / TU Wien