When it comes to quality of life, municipal infrastructure and social innovation, Vienna ranks among the world’s most successful cities. And Vienna is growing. In the medium term, the Vienna metropolitan area will be home to nearly three million people, and the need for jobs, housing, energy and modern infrastructure will increase accordingly. However, alongside globalisation and advancing digitalisation, the climate crisis and increasing scarcity of resources also pose a challenge for cities in the 21st century. In future, these challenges will have a decisive impact on urban life. At present, cities are responsible for 75% of global CO₂ emissions.

Eco-friendly mobility, renewable energy and efficient, socially equitable use of resources are thus absolutely imperative going forward. First and foremost, Smart City Wien is looking to improve its economic and social performance and drastically reduce its ecological footprint. As a pioneer in the field, Vienna is also contributing to the decarbonisation of the economy, in Austria and in Europe as a whole. Yet Vienna’s main aim in becoming a Smart City is to offer its citizens credible perspectives for the future in an intelligently designed, liveable city of abundant opportunities.