As one of the fastest growing cities in Europe with an unequalled quality of life, Vienna has been facing a dynamic growth. It has been developing into a polycentric city, regenerating existing, sometimes underused, sites, blocks and buildings while creating new ones, such as the new neighbourhoods around Vienna Central Station or Aspern Lakeside.
A strong and continued support for business and people with a wide range of instruments aims at securing jobs and growth in the city. Smart Strategies in Vienna focus on preserving resources and productive innovation while putting humans and participation at their very core.
Vienna is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and is home to people from 180 countries, speaking 250 languages. They are getting along well in this Human Rights City that is also strongly committed to Gender Equality and Women´s Rights, Diversity and LGTBIQ-Rights. Being one of four UN headquarters worldwide and host of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency underlines Vienna’s paramount standing as a City of Dialogue.
More than two decades ago, in 1999, Vienna already adopted its first Climate Protection Programme. As a result, it has reduced per-capita CO2 emissions by almost 40 per cent, becoming the federal province with the lowest per-capita CO2 emissions in Austria.
The city has one of the densest public transport networks, is among the top regions for district heating in Europe, and more than 50 per cent of green space makes Vienna the “Greenest City of the World”. In 2020, the local government adopted the objective of becoming climate-neutral by 2040. Their Smart City Wien Strategy and the new Vienna Climate Guide provide the framework and list 100 concrete actions to get there.
Aspern Vienna’s Urban Lakeside is Europe’s largest urban development project, where high-quality housing for over 20,000 people and an equal number of workplaces are created. It is indeed a living urban lab for the benefit of all. Accurate data are used to explore solutions for the energy future of our cities.
Gender-sensitive planning is an applied standard for better daily life quality and inclusive public spaces. An innovative mobility concept will include 40% of bike or foot trips (Vienna even has a Walking and Cycling Commissioner).
Vienna has been providing Services of General Interest in high and reliable quality and at low or no cost for a very long time such as power, water and waste utilities or the EUR 365 annual public transport pass. Social and affordable housing has been at the city’s heart for roughly a hundred years. 62 per cent of the Viennese live in municipal or publicly funded housing.
Vienna’s education, social and health services are part of the quality of life for all citizens, from their start to decent and respectful ageing. Kindergarten is cost-free for many years, giving parents more room, especially women, to take part in economic life and pursue their professional careers.
Our work strand on women´s and girls’ empowerment ranges from immediate support for victims of domestic violence with a 24/7 helpline run by the city and five women shelter houses. We are proud to have organised the 20th edition of “Daughter´s Day” in 2022 and to see that it positively affects the professional choices of girls and young women.
In the tradition of peace Nobel prize winner Bertha von Suttner, physicist Lise Meitner, sociologist Marie Jahoda, and leading researchers, mainly in IT, natural and life sciences, the humanities and social studies love the liveable city, as do 195,000 students. In addition, Austrian and international creative minds from hundreds of start-ups seek support from the Vienna Business Agency’s start-up packages each year. They form a vital part of Vienna’s entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, where the city has seen a gender balance in the distribution of research funding for many years.
The Habsburg Imperial Palace and the historic city centre are vital components of the World Heritage site. They exist perfectly with contemporary architecture, an integral part of any new development in the Austrian capital. Vienna is the Capital of Music with composers like Mozart, Beethoven and Schönberg who wrote their masterpieces here and has a vivid new cultural scene with some 120 performance venues. Vienna is the backdrop for many international film productions and hosts ImPulsTanz, Europe’s most significant (summer) festival for contemporary dance.
