The most livable city in the world: Who deserves the credit, and who gets the benefits from it?

Jubilee Fund of the City of Vienna for the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration

Vienna has been ranked as the most livable city in the world, for several years in a row. Evidently, a wide range of stakeholders is involved in the development and implementation of initiatives that lead to this achievement. Despite the recognition of interactive governance as a core principle in the development of smart and livable cities, knowledge is still fragmented about how various complex stakeholder interactions are resulting in such public value outcomes.
By using a mixed-methods approach, this research project aims to document which actors are considered most influential regarding Vienna’s livability, and how their needs and preferences are traded-off against each other in a networked governance system. In the first phase of the project, stakeholders’ preferences and their involvement in the cities eco-system will be explored in a qualitative manner. This is followed by a second phase, where a quantitative conjoint analysis will be applied for a range of critical incidents identified and documented in the first phase.
The deeper understanding of stakeholders’ involvement, as well as their mutual trade-off dynamics, give not only insight into governance and management of livable cities, but also contribute to necessary insights regarding stakeholder cooperation and resistance. This enables theoretical development and practical recommendations with respect to in- and exclusion mechanisms of urban governance.