Article Vienna’s Ringstrasse: A Spatial Manifestation of Sociopolitical Values Tanja Winkler 1 Abstract If we agree with Ananya Roy’s claim that planning’s epistemic roots are grounded in liberalism—which is riddled with inherent ethicopolitical tensions—then it might be worth our while to explore some of the spatial consequences of this grounding. The implementation of Vienna’s Ringstrasse serves as an excellent case example for such an exploration. On the one hand, it consists of an array of monumental public buildings that resemble material expressions of freedom and individuality. Yet, for this devel- opment to be realized in the first place, some form of intervention was necessary despite liberalism’s subscription to noninterventionism. Lessons learned from revisiting the Ringstrasse project might then prove illuminating for our contemporary era of “hyperliberalism.” Keywords sociopolitical values, urban form, spatial determinism, liberalism The aim of this article is to explore the “materiality of ideology.” Specifically stated, I hope to demonstrate how situated sociopolitical and economic values shape spatial interventions since, as posited by Louis Althusser, “ideologies have a material existence.” 1 And if we agree with Ananya Roy’s long-standing claim that “liberalism is planning’s most influential [epistemic] ancestor,” 2 and if we equally agree with Nikolas Rose’s assertion that liberalism is riddled with inherent tensions, complexities, and contradictions, 3 then it is worth asking how might philosophical tensions produce spatial outcomes? What, if anything, is liberalism’s material legacy? And, what might we learn from material legacies for future planning interventions? To begin to answer these questions, I will focus on a specific moment in history in an equally specific context, namely, the conceptualization and imple- mentation of the Ringstrasse under Vienna’s liberal rule during the late nineteenth century. This moment in history is significant for planning scholarship because it coincided with the idea that solutions to socioeconomic problems were linked to spatial concerns. 4 In fact, many intellectuals of the time assumed that the spatial realm “shaped and even determined the character of the individual.” 5 Seeking solutions to socioeconomic problems, coupled with the idea of intervening upon the spatial aspects of human existence, ultimately led to the emergence of planning as a 1 University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa Corresponding Author: Tanja Winkler, University of Cape Town, Centlivres Building, Private Bag X3, Cape Town, Western Cape, 7701, South Africa. Email: tanja.winkler@uct.ac.za Journal of Planning History 1-18 ª 2020 The Author(s) Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/1538513220943146 journals.sagepub.com/home/jph