Vienna is one of the Guangzhou Awards Winners.
Vienna’s initiatives in the fields of environmental, energy and social issues demonstrate a clear capacity to innovate, on a continuing basis, in many policy directions.
On the environmental front, Vienna adheres to a set of very clear and coherent green standards for public procurement (Okokauf) and has become a leader in the production and use of renewable energy for, for example, the operations of Vienna’s wastewater treatment plant.
But given the large scale of migration from other counties to Vienna - an experience shared by so many other cities - the “Start Wien” programme for new migrants stands out in terms of its innovativeness, relevance and potential for replication. The programme offers all new migrants a ‘One Stop Shop’ service, involving different departments and social services, individually tailored orientation meetings, language services and more advanced information and coaching services. It reaches the target group immediately after arrival, looks at the needs of each individual, provides clear information, and provides a single entry point to access an array of social services.
Many cities could do well to learn from Vienna’s approach which helps migrants at the critical stage of establishing a new life and a new home while also overcoming the inefficiencies and ineffectiveness associated with the lack of coordinated and coherent response by different departments and services that make life miserable for those seeking help from public services.
Find here a more detailed explanation of the initiative
Source: Guangzhou Award