Vienna and its relationship to neighbouring regions

Vienna has close ties to its neighbouring regions and the other federal provinces of Austria. This allows for various forms of interregional cooperation.

Regardless of the city’s political and legal separation from its neighbouring regions, i.e. parts of the Province of Lower Austria, there are very strong economic and physical ties between the two provinces.

The provinces of Vienna and Lower Austria have therefore decided to cooperate in various fields. In some cases, the province of Burgenland has also joined the cooperation, as is illustrated by the following examples.

Cooperation on planning in eastern Austria

Planungsgemeinschaft Ost (Planning Cooperation East) is an organisation set up by the Provinces of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland to develop joint measures for improving the infrastructure in eastern Austria. It mainly focuses on issues of traffic planning, infrastructure and spatial planning.

Cooperation on transport in eastern Austria

Public transport in eastern Austria is a major issue, particularly with a view to the high number of commuters in this area. By establishing Verkehrsverbund Ostregion (Transport Cooperation East, abbreviated VOR), the provinces of Lower Austria, Vienna and Burgenland have provided a framework for preparing and implementing attractive transport solutions.

City Environs Management

With the City Environs Management (Stadt-Umland-Management, SUM) the City of Vienna, its surrounding municipalities and the Province of Lower Austria place an emphasis on increased regional cooperation. The City Environs Management is anchored in the association "Lower Austria / Vienna - Shared Development Spaces" (Niederösterreich-Wien - Gemeinsame Entwicklungsräume). It supports the City of Vienna and the districts on the outskirts of the city in the cooperation with the surrounding municipalities in Lower Austria in matters of regional development.

Danube Wetlands National Park

In cooperation with the Republic of Austria and the Province of Lower Austria, Vienna has founded the Danube Wetlands National Park to protect a unique natural habitat.