Livable Cities - London AMPS | City, University of London Page 271 Figure 6. Vienna, Seestadt Aspern: A Pioneering Urban Development. Located on the former Aspern Airport site, Seestadt Aspern is Europe's largest urban development project, spanning 240 hectares. Launched in 2014, this "urban laboratory" is central to Smart City Vienna, featuring innovative ideas, concepts, and technologies. Designed to house over 25,000 residents and provide 20,000 jobs, Seestadt aims to blend high quality of life with environmental sustainability and economic innovation. The development includes multifunctional buildings, high-quality public spaces, and extensive green areas. Approximately 50% of Seestadt's area is dedicated to public space, with the remaining space featuring green zones and parks, guided by the internationally renowned Gehl Architects. Rainwater management follows the "sponge city" concept, incorporating a double drainage system across 22,000 m² of street area. This system enhances tree growth, improves the microclimate, and provides effective rainwater protection.18 The picture shows one of the open space retention basin to slow down rainwater runoff. CONCLUSION This paper does not aim to provide a comprehensive comparative study but instead synthesizes findings from strategic document reviews and strategic process research over a 1.5-year period in Prague and Vienna. It incorporates insights from interviews with experts such as urban planners, landscape architects, and municipal representatives. The selected six case studies illustrate differences and similarities in implementing urban planning strategies. Prague's approach is characterized by its detailed, concrete plans for implementation. While this precision ensures thorough planning, it can sometimes constrain creative solutions and dilute the sense of responsibility among stakeholders. Conversely, Vienna adopts a more adaptable, climate-sensitive approach that emphasizes well-established urban planning principles such as multifunctionality, public participation, and sustainable resource management. This flexibility provides urban planners and architects with more freedom and support in their work, facilitating innovative solutions and integrated strategies. The difference in these approaches could be partially attributed to Vienna’s head start in incorporating climate adaptation into its urban planning framework, beginning nearly a decade earlier than Prague. This early adoption has allowed Vienna to develop a more mature and resilient model, showcasing the importance of foresight and the integration of established principles in addressing the multifaceted challenges posed by climate change in urban environments. In both Prague and Vienna, the integration of blue-green infrastructure into urban planning has emerged as a crucial strategy for enhancing resilience to climate change. Vienna’s advanced experience and
