While Austria is a relatively small country in Europe, both in terms of its population and its economy, it has become a leader on the continent in applying digital technology to improve the lives of its citizens. A big part of this has been the move to make its cities smarter, in order to enhance the way the city delivers services to its people. This has been especially true in the nation's capital of Vienna, and blockchain technology is playing a big role in making this happen.

Back in 2014, the city initiated what it called "Smart City Vienna," whose goal was to revamp the way the city operated through the use of technology. They saw this initiative as not only the means to develop technology but also to harness its power for the benefit of ordinary residents. That is, to change people's lives for the better and to lift society as a whole.

Start City Vienna incorporates many different government sectors that the city hopes to improve. This includes transportation, energy and real estate. With each of these sectors, the city has developed very specific objectives, to not only create a sense of urgency for everyone involved but also to provide full transparency as it relates to the project. So far, the city has developed nearly 40 of these objectives, which they hope to complete in various stages through 2050.

Blockchain technology is playing a major role in helping the city reach its objectives. They have already applied the technology to a number of use cases relating to these objectives. This includes the use of the technology to facilitate the delivery of food stamps to certain city employees. Wien Energie, which is the city-run electricity supplier for Vienna, has also long been investigating using the technology to improve the efficiency of its grid network. The city is even developing its own digital currency as part of an incentive program that it hopes to use to reward its citizens for what it considers good behavior.