ERFURT – Making Thuringia's city centers more resilient and attractive to preserve 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 this year on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at the Thuringian Development Bank (Erfurt), the alliance partners will set the course for this year's project work. Infrastructure and Digitalization Minister Steffen Schütz brought positive news: For the first time, the state will provide funding for the action alliance's work. Key areas of focus for the alliance include sustainability and climate protection in cities, addressing vacancy issues, and the increased use of digital solutions for revitalizing city centers. In addition to Minister Schütz and Matthias Wierlacher, board member of the Thuringian Development Bank, representatives of all parliamentary groups in the Thuringian State Parliament are also participating for the first time – a key objective of the alliance meetings is to facilitate a lively exchange between the alliance partners, including many city managers, and politicians. More than 70 participants are expected in total.
The event offers all participants the opportunity to learn about the latest findings from the three working groups of the action alliance. This will take place during a "gallery walk," where guests can wander through a presentation and exhibition and individually decide which content they wish to engage with. A central theme of the meeting is the "Downtown Snaps" photo competition, launched by the action alliance. Thuringians are invited to photograph and submit their most beautiful city center views and favorite views from Thuringian towns and cities between May 5th and June 15th. The competition is open to participants from across the state and offers a total prize purse of €3,500. The event will also address the "Edible City Mühlhausen" project, which focuses on sustainability. This project aims to enhance the quality of life and open spaces in the North Thuringian district capital by, for example, transforming fallow or uncultivated green spaces into beds for growing vegetables, herbs, and fruit. To further the goal of addressing vacant spaces, an online platform called "Kompass" is currently being developed. This platform will showcase best-practice examples of innovative approaches to managing vacant properties in the city center. Municipal stakeholders who have successfully implemented vacancy management projects can participate and present their initiatives. The platform will provide valuable suggestions and inspiration for users. Hans Elstner, founder and CEO of Jena-based rooom AG, a company offering a wide range of 3D solutions in the areas of visualization and events, will provide insights into digitalization in a presentation at the meeting.
Background:
The Thuringian action alliance "City Centers with a Future" was founded in 2021 on the initiative of the Erfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Erfurt) and now comprises more than 50 institutions, including ministries, municipalities, associations, city managers, and practitioners. LEG Thüringen operates the office and organizes the regular alliance meetings. The alliance also aims to continuously increase its membership. A key objective of the action alliance is to raise its profile throughout the state and to expand its reach to rural regions and their smaller towns. In cooperation with the ministries, the alliance also seeks to continuously optimize the funding structures relevant to the revitalization of city centers. Evaluating existing funding programs and assessing current needs and challenges in urban development are central elements of the alliance's work. From the outset, a focus has been on adapting existing funding instruments – a priority that will continue to significantly shape the alliance's future content. The alliance's work is largely carried out in three working groups; Their areas of focus are "Living and Housing in the City", "Managing Vacancy Issues" and "Climate".
Further information can be found at:
https://sre.leg-thueringen.de/thueringer-aktionsbuendnis-innenstaedte-mit-zukunft/
