Vienna's Role as Location of High-quality Services

The last decade has seen a fundamental revaluation of the role of tertiary sectors in the development of large cities. Services are now seen as catalysts rather than as accompaniments to the economic development of cities. In a global context, suppliers of high-quality services are concentrated in a few centers of the urban network, a network in which Vienna has played only a subordinate role. Vienna is the only area in Austria's eastern region which, despite its closeness to national boundaries, is well poised to attract suppliers of producer services. Therefore, concentrating resources in Vienna can be expected to yield high returns and to strengthen the competitive position of the whole region.