City of Linz and IT:U Launched the Digital City Studio
On Wednesday, 8 October, the new Digital City Studio – Linz Digital City Lab invites everyone to its official opening day.
Located in the heart of Linz at Pfarrgasse 9, right by the Hauptplatz, the Digital City Studio is a unique place where science, technology, and society meet. As a joint initiative of the Interdisciplinary Transformation University (IT:U) and the City of Linz, the studio serves as a living lab, a community space, and a showcase for the digital society of tomorrow. Citizens, school students, researchers, and companies are invited to actively experience the digital transformation, help shape it, and gain new perspectives. The opening takes place on 8 October from 10:00 to 18:00 – everyone is warmly welcome.
The Digital City Studio understands itself as an interface between science and society. It creates space for encounters between citizens and researchers, between artificial intelligence (AI), data and everyday life, and between tomorrow’s challenges and today’s creativity.
The City of Linz – Department of Economy, Innovation, Climate Protection and EU, as well as the Division for Planning, Technology and Environment – together with IT:U invite you to discover the possibilities of the digital transformation on site through discussions, workshops, “touch & try” formats, lectures, and much more.
Why Linz? Why now?
Linz has established itself as a leading city for digital culture, science, and innovation. With a second-place finish in the European “Capital of Innovation” awards and pioneering roles in areas such as climate neutrality and open data, Linz is an ideal location for the Digital City Studio.
The studio strengthens Linz’s role as a “living lab,” where innovation serves people. It demonstrates that science is for everyone — and that transformation is a shared responsibility.
“With the Digital City Studio, we are creating a place in Linz where science, technology, and society come together as equals. Our goal is to make digital topics understandable and tangible for everyone — regardless of age or background. This is a space where people can learn to use digital technologies, but also to question them critically, use them responsibly, and actively co-create. We are sending a clear signal: digital competence means future readiness — for each and every one of us and for the entire city”.
Dietmar Prammer, Mayor of Linz
“In the Digital City Studio, digital media invite us to work together on a livable City of Linz. It is important to me that, through the responsible use of digital technologies, we open up new ways of communicating information and enabling participation for everyone. By learning and experimenting together, we develop innovative ideas for a future-ready urban development”.
Dr.-Ing. Hans-Martin Neumann, Director of Planning, Technology and Environment for the City of Linz.
Making Technology Tangible – “Hands-on AI”
At the Digital City Studio, IT:U has a clear goal: technology should be understandable and accessible to all. Topics such as artificial intelligence, big data, and digital transformation affect us all — in everyday life, at work, and in our cities. From AI in disaster response to climate data in urban planning, the technologies that shape our society are omnipresent.
The Digital City Studio offers a place where these technologies become experiential for people of all ages. Here, “hands-on AI” becomes reality. The Digital City Lab invites citizens, students, teachers, local communities, and companies to discover these technologies, to question them, and to shape them together.
“The Digital City Studio brings digital education into everyday life and makes knowledge about new technologies such as artificial intelligence accessible to everyone. Our goal is to lower barriers, foster dialogue between science and society, and bring IT:U’s interdisciplinary research into the public sphere. Together with the City of Linz, we have created something here that bridges society and science. We support Citizen Science and, in particular, inspire the next generation to actively shape the digital future”.
Stefanie Lindstaedt, Founding President of IT:U.
Experience-Based Learning at the Center
The Digital City Studio provides an open lab environment that places experience-based learning at its core. The aim is to strengthen digital competencies, build a critical awareness of AI, and empower participants to become active shapers of their digital future.
“Our goal is not only to teach digital skills, but also to enable people to critically reflect on what role technologies should play in our society. We want to encourage them to actively contribute to shaping a just, inclusive, and sustainable future”.
Bernd Resch, Professor of GeoSocial AI at IT:U.
The studio’s workshops operate at the intersection of technology and society. They address topics drawn directly from participants’ lived realities: How do social media affect our mental health? What role does AI play in combating climate change? And how can digital technologies be used to reduce social inequality?
“A distinctive feature of the Digital City Studio is the co-creation approach: workshops are developed together with participants to reflect their individual interests and needs. This not only fosters identification with the topics, it also makes learning more intensive and sustainable. At the same time, it invites students, educators, youth groups, and companies to become part of this innovative educational initiative”.
Bernd Resch, Professor of GeoSocial AI at IT:U.
Through train-the-trainer programs, multipliers are also trained to carry the studio’s approaches into their communities. All developed materials — from workshop concepts to how-to guides — are freely available, promoting sustainable use in the spirit of open education.
A Prototype for the Future
The Digital City Studio is more than a local project. It is a prototype for how universities and cities can work together to shape a participatory, transparent, and inclusive digital future. The project is continuously evolving — through feedback, experimentation, and the active involvement of the community. It is a space that adapts to the needs of the city and to technological developments.
“The Digital City Studio is both a place for research and education and a driver for Linz as a business and innovation hub. Here, digital competence becomes a bridge between schools, society, and companies. Especially for the world of work of tomorrow, it is crucial that we empower people to understand technologies, reflect on them critically, and use them creatively. With this city lab, we are sending a strong signal: Linz is shaping the digital future together — open, responsible, and full of innovative strength”.
Merima Zukan, Vice Mayor of the Linz.
Opening on Wednesday, 8 October — for all who are curious and interested
Where: Digital City Studio – Linz Digital City Lab, Pfarrgasse 9, 4020 Linz
When: 10:00 – 18:00
Program Highlights
Innovationshauptplatz Linz – “Innovation to Take Part In”
Presentation of the participation platform innovation.linz.at and all ongoing projects; a robotics station from the “hello world” program for children and young people.
Department of Planning, Technology and Environment – “Experience the City Virtually”
Update of the digital city model 3D.Linz.at with 64,000 objects and 180,000 trees; the new City Dashboard Linz with data on urban life, climate, economy, and mobility.
Interdisciplinary Transformation University (IT:U) – “Technologies You Can Touch”
Interactive stations on Artificial Intelligence, Virtual & Augmented Reality, social media and climate change, 3D printing, and big data technologies — experience them hands-on, try them out, and reflect on them critically.