TRUE URBAN SPIRIT

PRINCIPLES OF VIENNA’S FUTURE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
A COSMOPOLITAN CITY
International mobility attracts people of varying
educational attainments, different cultural and
social backgrounds and multifaceted migration histories
to Vienna. With the Vienna Charter , the
city has set itself a framework for respectful coexistence,
mutual appreciation and a climate of social
cohesion.
Vienna views the diversity of its population as
a key development factor that will continue to
render the city attractive for talented people from
all over the world, international investment,
pioneering research institutions and international
organisations. Urban development takes account
of the needs, different lifestyles and interests
of newcomers. In addition to housing, though, it is
also essential to provide space for ethnic economies
and social networks of individual immigrant
groups as well as public spaces that “work”
for all and fulfil different requirements for the
smooth living together of all groups.
A PROSPEROUS CITY
EU statistics classify Vienna in the 10 th place among
the most prosperous European regions. Economically
speaking, hardly any other European region has
been able over the past 25 years to benefit as much
from the coalescence of Europe as the metropoli
tan region of Vienna. Numerous internationally ac -
tive corporations have chosen Vienna as their investment
target or location of supraregional headquarters.
Moreover, productivity has likewise developed
positively in recent years. While this still was a weak
point as late as in the 1980s, the efficiency increases
of individual economic sectors are now clearly above
the European average. Conversely, Vienna has to
a certain degree also been affected by the international
financial and economic crisis (although the
city’s economy has proven comparatively resistant),
and structural change has entailed a dramatic
decrease of workplaces in the industrial sector.
Vienna wants to make use of the current
transformation process to strengthen its position
as an economic hub. It is a task of urban development
to provide favourable conditions for a
wealth of different enterprises ranging from
industrial production companies to the creative
industries, e. g. by fostering existing and developing
new industrial and commercial areas, proposing
novel mixes of office and housing estates,
offering modern logistics solutions or adopting
cluster strategies.
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