Placemaking is all about designing places strategically with a view to making them attractive for visitors and residents alike, while also creating added value at the neighborhood level. Tourist appeal becomes a driver for inclusive urban development – and the reverse holds true, too. 

Residents are encouraged to participate in the process by contributing their own insights. Placemaking builds on the factors that already make Vienna one of the world’s most livable cities: everything close at hand, social housing, green spaces, urban culture and a diverse local economy. 

Thoughtfully-designed public spaces create focal points for residents and visitors. Key elements include inviting and versatile street furniture, climate-adaptation measures, and smart mobility solutions.

© WienTourismus/Gregor Hofbauer

The various ways of striking the right balance are currently being explored by Cornelia Dlabaja, Endowed Professor for Sustainable Urban and Tourism Development at FH Wien der WKW, who is providing academic support for the Visitor Economy Strategy in this action area. With the support of Ethan Kent (PlacemakingX), Greg Clark (The Business of Cities), and Johannes Lutter (UIV Urban Innovation Vienna), the Vienna Tourist Board and sociologist Cornelia Dlabaja will present these insights in the form of a White Paper as part of the international dialog in this area.  

Objective: the successful Vienna model for sustainable tourism development will set an international precedent and contribute to the vital discourse between tourism and urban planning, theory and practice, policymakers and communities. 

Target groups include international destination management and marketing organizations, city administrations, planners and developers, interest groups, and science and research.

The Mayors Forum 2025 held as part of the World Cities Summit will provide the ideal platform for this. At this prestigious event in early July, Vienna will host more than 50 mayors from around the world to compare notes on the success factors behind livable and sustainable cities. Vienna is hosting this format as the recipient of the renowned Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, which it received for reinventing itself for success in the 21st century without losing its distinctive identity as a capital for culture, music, and history.

© Center for Liveable Cities Singapore

The initiative exemplifies the direction of the Vienna Visitor Economy Strategy and the approach adopted by the Vienna Tourist Board: at the local level, it relies on long-standing cooperation with science and research to create solid foundations and innovative solutions for Vienna’s path towards “Optimum Tourism”. Internationally, the Vienna Tourist Board – with the support of experts from research and education – brings its own expertise to the table every bit as much as it draws on the experiences of other major cities. 

Some of the key questions that we want to address in the White Paper:

• How can placemaking be implemented in existing Viennese neighborhoods and new urban districts? 

• How can both residents and visitors benefit from this (keyword: “tourism readiness”)?

• What can urban planning learn from tourism, and vice versa?

• What impetus can Vienna and other cities provide to address the challenges of our time?

• Research focuses of Cornelia Dlabaja, Endowed Professor for Sustainable Urban and Tourism Development at FH Wien der WKW university of applied sciences for management and communication

• PlacemakingX – a global network to accelerate placemaking for healthy, inclusive, and beloved communities

• Greg Clark

• UIV Urban Innovation Vienna – Vienna’s climate and innovation agency