Users represent an incredibly important component of ASCR’s 6.1 Alliances and partnerships model research activities. Ultimately, the researchers depend on the users to know how much energy a building needs. Therefore, The collaborative approach of Vienna’s smart city model users and researchers equally benefit from the ASCR’s Smart includes three principal alliances and partnerships, each of Home control app, and since 2017, they have been able to which is designed to leverage collaboration with key actors track, monitor, and control their energy consumption. Using through a centralized platform and bring together resources electricity and heating more sustainably can become cost and projects within the city. The model is based on the following effective. The ASCR apps offer users the ability “to view and partnerships: manage all energy settings from any location and at any time • Vienna Metropolitan Region+ Program through Smart Region via a personalized dashboard.” This app also has an “interface Platform: This platform facilitates projects’ coordination with with the building’s technological systems, enabling the Vienna’s neighboring federal provinces in Austria and the control function.” It is complemented by a database of energy local authorities within the area named “Smart Region”; consumption (https://www.ascr.at/en/ascrs-smart-home- • Federal-Local Cooperation: An agreement signed in July control-app/). 2013 between the City of Vienna and the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation, and Technology aims to better The results of the research conducted so far show that coordinate activities at both the municipal and federal levels electricity and heating can be used more ecologically and and identify potential synergies; economically with just a few clicks. For example, heating can • Smarter Together: Vienna has joined Munich and Lyon as a be turned on during the trip home from winter holidays or be lighthouse city in this project. Cofunded by the EU as part of switched off on the way to work. The data generated by the app the Horizon 2020 research program (European Commission is crucial within the research, because it allows researchers to Website, 2020), this project is implementing technical and understand consumers’ behavior better. social innovation in some selected districts, in line with the UN’s climate goals. In January 2018, the ASCR project was extended by five years until 2023. The project partners provided another forty- This three-year implementation phase (2016-2019), which five million euros for this period (ASCrw, 2020). During the includes essential monitoring and evaluation steps (until 2021), second phase, new buildings must be found, and the research has over thirty project partners from the administration, SMEs, questions are to be redefined. In addition to conducting deeper and the research industry. This project is characterized by its research into smart buildings and smart grids, the researchers holistic approach, a key point of smart city development. will make digitalization of the entire energy system more of a focus in their work. With the extension of the project, the area 6.2 Information on local government decision making of emobility will now also be included. Since Vienna launched its smart city framework in 2014, it has 6. Governance placed a strong emphasis on collaborative aspects. Programs have been developed through collaboration with businesses, Governance has been at the heart of our analysis of smart public and private actors, and research institutes to decide the cities. Most of the governance systems we have been analyzing critical orientation of each one’s development. include the egovernance model and use technological tools to enhance and facilitate citizens’ participation in government The overall model aims to generate bottom-up initiatives decision making. instead of imposing top-down approaches. For example, the Shifts in Citizens’ Participation project has been developed In Vienna, egovernment services are based on a virtual by the city to support Vienna’s urban development and all the municipal authority website, which seeks to assist citizens related ecosystem, facilitating access to information and the and businesses in their day-to-day lives. Vienna attaches great actors required to create new ideas. importance to including citizens in the development and use of egovernment services. Their feedback helps the administration The integrated approach of the smart city framework and to both develop digital services and focus on citizens’ needs. the high level of citizens’ collaboration require a high degree Public participation is organized through regular workshops of dialogue and cooperation to successfully prioritize and involving both individuals and businesses. implement measures that respond to local needs and generate positive impacts. Vienna City Council acknowledges that 214 Quélin and Smadja | HEC PARIS | SMART CITIES | The sustainable program of six leading cities | 2021