For the past 7 years Vienna has been rated as having the highest quality of life by Mercer (a global HR company) and has recently become one of the smartest cities in Europe by offering great infrastructure, intelligent transportation and smart solutions for citizens and visitors.
Vienna is currently working on more than 100 smart cities projects, such as the “Citizen Solar Power Plant” which aims to create 50% of the total energy from renewable sources by 2030.
Infrastructure and transportation
Accessibility and efficient transport infrastructures are key factors for the development of Vienna as a smart city. Traffic management in the city is becoming more efficient thanks to the adopted infrastructure measures. An example of this is the super modern Vienna Central Station which on a daily basis connects 145,000 people, 1,000 trains, 8 urban train lines, 2 bus lines, 3 trams and the underground line.
Education & research
Vienna has more than 195,000 students, studying at 9 universities, 5 technical colleges and 4 private universities, making Vienna a leader in education and knowledge. The new campuses of the WU will be comprised of smart and ecological buildings, offering students and teachers optimal conditions for teaching and research. Utilising universities for the development of new technologies will mean that Vienna can stay at the forefront of smart city development.
Technology
Smart technologies have optimised and improved quality of life in Vienna. Among the technological benefits present in Vienna we can highlight:
Free WiFi in many points of the city, especially in tourist areas.
Mobile and customisable web pages such as the official website of WienTourismus which automatically adapts to all devices and screen sizes.
Apps such as car-sharing which offer alternatives for individual mobility in case you do not own a vehicle or want to offer others a ride in your vehicle.
Sustainability & innovation
Vienna offers healthy, green and sustainable options ranging from organic body care, food stores and fair trade fashion. The city currently has one of the largest ecological farms in Austria, composed of more than 860 hectares of organic farmland which are managed in three city farms.
In addition, the green areas of Vienna represent more than half of the metropolitan area, if that were not enough, they are currently renovating more than 40 hectares that used to belong to a slaughterhouse. This area will be converted into an innovation district responsible for developing science and technology solutions, such innovation districts have proved a great success in other cities. It is estimated that this district will create job opportunities for around 15,000 people.