STEP is prepared by Municipal Department 18 (MA 18) – Urban Development and Planning in co-operation with experts and other municipal departments and defines the gradual development of the city. However, the development of a modern city is also contingent on innovative ideas put forward by citizens, who are involved in planning activities through various processes.

Many different project development areas highlight the massive commitment behind each planning strategy and illustrate the effects these strategies have on Vienna and its environs. Developers’ competitions are organised, while subsidies disbursed by the City of Vienna safeguard affordable dwellings for the urban population also in the years to come. At the same time, local residents and entrepreneurs as well as companies planning to settle in an area are invited to chime in with their ideas and suggestions before projects are actually launched.

This joint planning approach for new urban quarters helps residents, employers and workers to identify with “their” neighbourhood and, hence, to embrace a respectful attitude towards their new working and living environment.