Meeting of Chief Executive Directors of Brno and Vienna

Meeting of Chief Executive Directors of Brno and Vienna

The exchange of expertise between Brno and Vienna on current urban policy issues continues. When Brno's Chief Executive Director Oliver Pospíšil met with his counterpart in Vienna on 19 November 2024, they once again discussed building law, but also security and the coming wave of retirements.

Brno and Vienna can look back on thirty years of bilateral talks between their respective Chief Executive Directors. The two cities continue to have a lively exchange, supported by the International Offices of the City of Vienna.

At the beginning of 2024, the two sides discussed differences and similarities in building laws. In 2023, Brno's representatives visited Vienna to learn about issues such as energy and city marketing in what was the first meeting of Chief Executive Director Pospíšil with Vienna's Chief Executive Director Dietmar Griebler. They already agreed on a return visit in Brno for 2025.

Building law changes

The Vienna Building Law was of particular interest to the representatives of Brno. The city council of this Czech city of 400,000 inhabitants is about to adopt a new development plan, having until recently worked with a spatial and development plan from 1994. In Vienna, an amendment to the building code in 2023 brought innovations in climate adaptation and the protection of old buildings - for example, in the renovation of Gründerzeit style buildings. Stricter rules on short-term rentals were also introduced to secure the housing market for the people of Vienna. In Vienna, the Executive Group for Construction and Technology (MD-BD) is responsible for the technical and spatial urban planning, as in Austria, building law is the responsibility of the federal provinces.

Vienna prepares for retirement wave

The participants discussed the shortage of staff in the City of Vienna, as the wave of retirements is hitting the Austrian capital. However, Vienna is taking a number of new measures to combat this, including the creation of a new job platform and the city's own JOBmesse, while employees are receiving benefits such as job tickets and higher meal allowances.

The security situation in both cities was also discussed. Vienna is well prepared in terms of property protection and alarm management. An attack was recently foiled in Brno.

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