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"Vienna in Figures" provides a brief overview in 10 chapters and 24 pages - in the form of facts and figures - covering various aspects of life and public services in Vienna.

It is largely due to female hands that Vienna's public life keeps running as smoothly as we are accustomed to. This is particularly true when it comes to those services, that are run for the benefit of the many, not the few: Public Services.

Anlässlich des Internationalen Tages der Daseinsvorsorge 2024 lud das Netzwerk für Daseinsvorsorge zu einer Veranstaltung, die ganz im Zeichen Europas stand. Mit dabei: Das Büro für Daseinsvorsorge und Kommunalwirtschaft der Stadt Wien.

Aktuell werden die Weichen für die Zukunft Europas gestellt. Um die aktuellen Krisen gut zu bewältigen, braucht es eine europäische Politik, die öffentliche Daseinsvorsorge stärker in den Mittelpunkt rückt. Lesen Sie hier

With its rapid public transit system, including subway lines, countless streetcar lines and bus routes, Vienna has one of the densest public transport networks in the world. Thanks to the € 365 annual pass, there are more annual public transport pass holders than registered cars.

Services of general interest are directed to the benefit of the common good. This means that essential services should be available to all people at affordable prices. Private companies on the other hand, have the aim of making the biggest profit possible. Therefore, a service, that is not profitable, is of no interest to private operators.

After a company is privatized, it is usually trimmed exclusively to generate the highest possible profits. After privatization, the profits go exclusively to the private shareholders instead of benefitting the public in general. However, if the private company makes losses or even has to file for bankruptcy, the public sector is asked to intervene again in a manner, that is most of the times pretty pricy, to save the day - because water supply or energy supply e. g. cannot simply be dispensed with.

Services of general interest are focused on serving the common good. This means that essential public services are available to all people at affordable prices. Private companies, on the other hand, mainly focus on generating the biggest profit possible. An offered service, that is not profitable enough, is of no interest to private operators.

The term (re-)municipalization refers to the (re-)purchase of a company by municipalities (or municipally owned companies).

In Austria, services of general interest are still predominantly provided by the public sector. In many other European countries though, water, energy supply, the housing sector and public transport have been sold off to private companies on a large scale. By and large however, Austria has resisted these privatizations of services of general interest.

Services of general interest ensure a high quality of life in Vienna. This is made possible above all by affordable prices for housing and public transport. This leaves the Viennese with more money for "the fine things in life". A recent study shows that the entire metropolitan area benefits from this.

Up to 300,000 people visit one of Vienna's most extraordinary landmarks ... every weekend! We are talking about Vienna's Danube Island, 21 kilometres in length, up to 250 metres wide, a man-made island within the river Danube.