thinkport VIENNA is a think tank and mobility lab set up by the Port of Vienna and Vienna University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) to address the logistics challenges of metropolitan areas, and Vienna in particular. thinkport VIENNA looks at the city both as a whole and as a series of different levels: from the municipal district via the local neighbourhood right down to the needs of individual groups. In all its activities, thinkport VIENNA focuses on utilising the city’s existing (logistics) infrastructures and avoiding the creation of additional sealed surfaces.

Building stakeholder networks for joint development of solutions

The remit of thinkport VIENNA is twofold. On the one hand it draws stakeholders’ attention to logistics issues affecting metropolitan areas and raises awareness of the related practical challenges in order to build acceptance for alternative approaches and solutions. It also provides a platform for networking and interaction among local people, businesses, the municipal administration and policy-makers, which is essential to the success of many projects. thinkport VIENNA also cooperates and interacts with other initiatives and innovation labs, establishing links and contacts that are a conducive environment for start-ups.

Secondly, thinkport VIENNA serves as a real-life environment for joint development, testing, implementation and subsequent evaluation and analysis of technologies, processes and services in the urban logistics sector. For this purpose a 1 km² outdoor testing environment, equivalent in size to around 140 football pitches, is available on the Port of Vienna premises, together with a 300 m2 multifunctional lab space that can be used for demonstrating new technologies.

One pilot project developed at thinkport VIENNA is the HUBERT urban logistics service. HUBERT offers Vienna-based businesses interim storage facilities for incoming goods shipments at the Port of Vienna premises on the outskirts of the city and then makes regular bulk deliveries to the recipients using electric delivery vans and the vehicle fleet of local transport provider Wiener Lokalbahnen. With the current boom in online trade, HUBERT is a solution that aims to reduce the growing number of goods delivery trips in urban areas.

Logistics in a smart city

Mobility and transport is one of the core thematic fields covered by the Smart City Wien Framework Strategy. After all, it is not only people who move around the city; goods also have to be transported from A to B, and in this age of online trade the volume is larger than ever before. It is thus all the more important to find innovative, resource-efficient solutions for this increased traffic, and thinkport VIENNA is the ideal environment in which to do that.

Contact

E-Mail: office@thinkportvienna.at

Website: thinkport VIENNA

Facebook: thinkport VIENNA