ie application topic g

Sustainable development in Wiener Neustadt, Austria

Application to the MiM program

Candidate: Clemens JungmairDate: October 22nd, 2016

Application to IE Business SchoolMaster in Management (MiM)

Topic G: Do you think that the lifestyle of the inhabitants of your town or city reflects behavior that is in line with the concept of sustainable development? In your opinion, what should be improved?

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Definition of the sustainable developmentconceptI

Unequal social conditions within the cityIII

Necessary actionsIV

Facts about Wiener NeustadtII

ConclusionV

Agenda

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Sustainable development in Wiener Neustadt, AustriaDefinition of the sustainable development concept

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to

meet their own needs.”Brundtland Report

§ The concept of sustainable development has been interpreted in many ways, and its meaning has changed throughout history. Today, the definition according to the Brundtland Report serves as the basis for further interpretation.

§ The United Nations have defined 17 sustainable development goals to be achieved by 2030.

§ Personally, I consider the provided definition too general and the United Nations’ list too global in order to specifically assess a medium size town in central Europe.

Interpretation Set of sustainable development goals of the United Nations

In order to evaluate sustainable development in my home town Wiener Neustadt in Austria, I want to discuss, whether the lifestyle of the inhabitants will provide future generations with equal prospects, thereby enlarging

upon the United Nations’ goal to reduce inequalities.

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Sustainable development in Wiener Neustadt, AustriaFacts about Wiener Neustadt

Wiener Neustadt consists of 8 districts: § District 1-3:

- predominantly single family houses with high real estate prices

- excellent infrastructure§ District 4-8:

- predominantly large obsolete residential complexes where families live on small space

§ Located in the federal province of lower Austria, about 50km south from the capital city Vienna

§ Medium-size Austrian city with 42,273 inhabitants.§ Well-known for its outstanding educational

infrastructure (43 schools over all levels) with a large catchment area

§ Long history, reaching back to imperial ages.§ Used to be the manufacturing hub of eastern

Austria§ Today: Less jobs and increasing indebtedness

General facts Division of the city

Vienna

Wiener Neustadt

Austria

Division between rich(er) and poor(er) districts Map of Austria Map of Wiener Neustadt

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§ Large, crumbling residential complexes surrounded by underfunded schools with high proportions of underprivileged immigrants (~95%)

§ Unemployment rate1: o 10.8% (2015) which is 1.7% above average.o Rose by 13.9% from 2014 to 2015, and 20.5%

among immigrants§ Large proportion of immigrants since the 1960’s;

isolation through foreign (primarily Turkish) stores and restaurants in district 4-8

Ø As a result, newborns of families with migration backgrounds (mostly 3rd generation) do not learn German until they go to elementary school

Ø Usually not accepted at “better” schools

Wiener Neustadt can offer excellent life quality§ Beautiful residential areas surrounded by

outstanding kindergartens and schools§ Top level jobs, i.e. at the large and widely

specialist hospital and the newly created cancer treatment center for ion therapy “MedAustron”

§ Austria's first and largest university of applied sciences for business and engineering

Unequal social conditions within the cityConditions for underprivileged have become worse

Since no current initiatives are being taken, and privileged people and politicians are not showing efforts for an improvement of the situation, the lifestyle of the residence shows clear indications against the concept of sustainable development

1Source: Website of AMS (Austrian job center)

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§ Better education will ensure better professional qualifications, and thus better career prospects

§ As soon as investments show results, newcomers and residents of districts 1-3 may move to the other side of the city

§ In the long run, the city’s population equalizes among its districts, with balancing incomes and proportion of immigrants.

§ Investments into the embellishment of districts 4-8 will prevent people with increasing incomes from moving away and leaving the poor behind

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Investments in the city’s impoverished districts and efforts to mix different social strata within the city districts will trigger a redistribution process

Necessary actions

Distribution of children from underprivileged families to the “better” schools of the city

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Sustainable development in Wiener Neustadt, AustriaConclusion

Most definitions of sustainable development aim to provide a universal definition for necessary changes and improvements in the world. While redistribution of wealth and preventing or relieving hunger in poor parts of the world are examples for major topics, issues in the first world are less tremendous.

However, the example of my home town Wiener Neustadt has shown how unequal and unfair destinies of newborns from lower social classes and migration backgrounds can be. People who are born in less privileged families might find it difficult to move up the the economic ladder toward a better standard of living.

It is about time that the population became more aware of its egoistic attitude and unsustainable lifestyle in order to trigger changes and allow more equal possibilities for everyone.

ie application topic g

Government & Nonprofit