Culture, construction and AI - Vienna and Prague's administrative authorities in dialogue

Vienna and Prague are continuing their multifaceted cooperation: on 28 August, Dietmar Griebler, Vienna's Chief Executive Director, hosted his colleague from Prague, Tomáš Veselý, in the Austrian capital.

The agenda included joint cultural projects in public spaces and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in construction projects. Griebler emphasised that cooperation between European city administrations is of great importance. In addition to bilateral meetings, events are held several times a year to discuss the current challenges facing the metropolises. The next meeting is planned for December in Prague with colleagues from Bratislava, Budapest and Ljubljana. In 2026, the city of Nicosia will host the meeting of chief executive directors from the EU capital cities.

Inspiration for new cultural projects

Tomáš Veselý made the most of his short trip to Vienna, starting with a visit to the City of Vienna's Department for Cultural Affairs (MA 7). He travelled with artist Ondrej Kobza, who is known for his extraordinary projects in Prague's public spaces. For example, he organised the "Dinner on Charles Bridge", an exclusive event for Prague residents on the bridge, which is otherwise crowded with tourists. Possible joint projects were discussed, as there is great potential for public cultural projects to generate significant interest.

AI technology for building submissions

The meeting then focused on new technologies in urban spaces, especially in the area of building submissions. The Viennese flagship project is the BRISE project, about which the Building Inspection Department (MA 37) shared valuable insights with their Czech colleagues. BRISE stands for "Building Regulations Information for Submission Envolvement" and uses AI, building information modelling (BIM) and augmented reality (AR). Customised inspection routines automatically compare 3D models of a submitted construction projects with reference models from the City of Vienna and this approach has already been proven effective.