Making Thuringia's city centers attractive and sustainable for the future, and preserving them as social, cultural, and economic hubs – this is the goal of the Thuringian action alliance "City Centers with a Future." At its first alliance meeting of the year on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, at the Thuringian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Development, the alliance partners will set the course for their project work this year. The meeting will focus on and discuss the new priority theme that will shape the alliance's work this year: addressing the complex challenge of finding solutions to vacant properties in city centers. This annual theme will serve as a guiding principle for the alliance's work and form the basis for the priorities and projects this year.
The guests will be welcomed by Mario Suckert, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The action alliance was launched in 2021 by several Thuringian state ministries as well as other associations and organizations relevant to city centers. The office is operated by the Thuringian State Development Corporation (LEG) and pools expertise, manages development processes, and supports measures on their path to implementation. LEG Project Manager Andreas Jaeger will present strategies and goals for 2026 at the alliance meeting and highlight the year's theme of addressing vacancy. Katja Fischer, Managing Director of the Thuringian Foundation for Building Culture, will also give a presentation entitled "Impulses on the Topic of Vacancy." As is tradition, this meeting will also include recognition of the partners who are actively involved in the alliance's work and thus make an important contribution to strengthening city centers. One aim of the alliance meetings this time, as always, is to facilitate a lively exchange between the alliance partners – including many city managers – and politicians. Over 50 participants are expected.
background
Making Thuringia's city centers vibrant and attractive is, quite literally, a central concern for politics, business, and society in the Free State. Numerous challenges arise from current trends, including structural changes in the retail sector—especially the dynamics of online commerce—as well as demographic shifts, climate change, and the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This calls for collaborative action and future-oriented solutions, and the Thuringian action alliance "City Centers with a Future" works in this spirit. It sees itself as a strategic communication and exchange platform and encompasses a wide range of stakeholders—today, the network unites around 100 members from municipalities, businesses, retail, gastronomy, crafts, the service sector, the creative industries, as well as culture and civil society. Thematic work is primarily carried out in three working groups that address key challenges for city center development. These groups focus on three thematic areas: climate, managing vacancies, and urban living. In the working groups, members exchange ideas, share experiences, and work on model projects, pilot projects, and innovative approaches designed to strengthen city centers. At regular meetings—such as the seventh alliance meeting on February 24—members discuss key topics like digitalization, demographic change, and the future of brick-and-mortar retail, and develop them strategically.
Information about the action group and the event can be found at:
https://sre.leg-thueringen.de/thueringer-aktionsbuendnis-innenstaedte-mit-zukunft/
