Smart City Vienna – Liesing Mitte

Implementation projects were identified based on the vision and roadmap. An international consortium of cities was established with Copenhagen, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Gran Lyon.

Initial situation

Liesing Mitte is one of 13 urban development areas in Vienna. It consists of three very different areas: In der Wiesen, Atzgersdorf Zentrum and the Liesing industrial area. With about 700 hectares, the target area is more than twice as large as the city center and about three times as large as the lake town Aspern. The three areas with their varied uses for residence, work and leisure are typical for the city as a whole and for many other European cities.

Vision developed

The long-term objectives for the Smart City in the Liesing Mitte quarter are a stepwise reduction of the CO₂ footprint until zero emissions are achieved by 2050, a reduction of energy and raw materials use by at least a factor of 10 and to obtain its energy supply entirely from renewable sources. At the same time, the quality of life in the urban environment should continue to be improved in its key functions for living, work and leisure, and the ability of public budgets to finance the measures should be considered along with social aspects (including the ability of low-income households to afford the measures).
Based on these superordinate, long-term objectives, the implementation of a Smart City model quarter, a “living lab”, in Liesing Mitte was defined as the most important operational objective for the period of the SET plan (through 2020).
Liesing Mitte as a model quarter should achieve visibility in Europe and around the world as a best practice showcase for “smart” cities while achieving a substantial reduction of CO₂ emissions during the SET plan period. The measures implemented in Liesing Mitte should prove the technical and economic feasibility of “smart” cities in a practical way.

Action plan developed

Altogether about 100 various measures or individual projects were developed within the topic cluster and fields of action, and multiple showcase projects were designed which are an integral part of the roadmap. Along with energy projects, that particularly includes urban farming projects. Here the individual measures can be assigned to one of three different categories in each case: (a) strategic planning, (b) R&D and demonstration measures and (c) implementation measures.
The most important strategic goal of the fit4set project (first RFP) was also achieved: the establishment of an international consortium of cities together with Copenhagen, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Gran Lyon. The consortium already presented itself to representatives of the European Commission in June 2011 and afterward submitted successfully in the first European Smart Cities Call.
The most important next step toward implementation is strategic planning for energy and infrastructure which covers all energy sources. A plan has already been created for this and the necessary implementation partners have been selected, but financing remains unresolved.

Outlook

There is a great opportunity in the target region during the period of the SET plan (through 2020) to establish a model city quarter in Liesing Mitte together with leading cities in Europe – Copenhagen, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Gran Lyon – one which will be visible in Europe and around the world as a best practice showcase for a “smart” city.