Imfino News

Vienna, July 27, 2018 - From October 9-11, 2018, the 3^rd “BRIDGE for Cities,” hosted jointly by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation (FCSSC), will take place at the Vienna International Centre in Vienna Austria. This annual event, titled “Belt and Road Initiative: Developing Green Economies for Cities,” intertwines the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with the Belt and Road Initiative, with the ultimate goal of  promoting inclusive and sustainable urban and industrial development initiatives worldwide. Social City Vienna and its impact finance platform imfino are among the activity-level partners of this upcoming event!

Agenda and Goals

The three-day event will feature discussions among international panelists and experts on how to improve urban life through sustainable industrial development by promoting economic and infrastructural initiatives. During the first day of the event - the High-Level Policy Dialogue, the experts invited will give policy recommendations to urban-development stakeholders on how to achieve sustainable urban-industrial development. On the second day, four case cities will be presented to showcase concrete urban-industrial development challenges and solutions. The third day is devoted to facilitate networking and the establishment of business-to-business links, thanks to matchmaking opportunities, study tours and workshops.

Vienna One of Four Case Cities

Together with Trieste, Shanghai, Chengdu, Vienna has been selected as one of the four case cities to be presented at the 3rd "BRIDGE for Cities" event.

All four cities were chosen had to undergo a nomination process conducted by the event organizers, following a thorough briefing of their member states. For case preparation, roadshows and in-depth city assessments will be conducted in each of the four cities, with involvement of UNIDO technical departments and external experts. Through the roadshows and assessment leading up to the annual event, UNIDO aims to create a network of cities to facilitate cooperation, technology exchanges and partnerships between them as well as with other cities along the Belt and Road Initiative and beyond.

Vienna Expert Group Meeting - 3rd BRIDGE event

For the City of Vienna’s case preparation, an Expert Group Meeting was held on 26 June 2018, titled “What soft factors make Vienna an attractive investment location and one of the most liveable cities in the world?” At this meeting – co-organized by UNIDO and City of Vienna – more than twenty speakers and forty participants presented their individual views on the “soft factors” that define and contribute to Vienna’s high living standard – anything from healthcare to cultural life, from business climate to education and mobility. Together, these factors make Vienna one of the most liveable cities in the world.

The various inputs - from the speakers’ interventions to the open discussion during the EGM will be integrated into UNIDO’s forthcoming issue paper labeled “Soft Environment for Urban Investments.” This paper aims at illustrating ways in which a city’s soft environment creates a social and economic climate where ideas, innovation and entrepreneurship flourish, and thus ultimately attract further investments into urban development, while creating a liveable environment at the same time. This issue paper will provide definitions, key performance indicators and linkages to SDG 9, along with best practice examples – from Vienna as well as the three other case cities - on how to integrate inclusive and sustainable urban-industrial development with quality of life for the citizens.

The issue paper and the Vienna case will be potentially presented by the Mayor of Vienna in the Urban Issue Hub (III), during the forthcoming 3rd “BRIDGE for Cities” event.

For more information about the event and to download the “Save the date Flyer,” go to:

https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/files/2018-07/3rs%20BRIDGE%20for%20Cities%20event%20Flyer%20%2811-7-2018%29.pdf