Citizens' Assembly 2023
Aachen was the first city in Germany to establish a permanent citizens’ council, which met in the fall of 2023 to address the important question: “How can Aachen’s downtown become an attractive shopping destination again?” Following an inspiring kickoff event on October 28, 2023, the members of the council worked through three intensive days of sessions held on November 4 and 5. The participants were supported by expert facilitation from Zebralog GmbH.
The Permanent Aachen Citizens’ Council brings together committed Aachen residents once a year to discuss relevant municipal issues proposed by their fellow citizens. In 2023, the citizens’ report focused on the downtown area. On December 12, 2023, the report was presented at a public Citizens’ Council conference and comprises a total of 75 recommendations, broken down into 21 topics. These recommendations are grouped under the five main themes: “Identity and Bottom-Up,” “Leisure and Culture,” “Mobility,” “Climate,” and “Public Spaces and Vacancies.”
On this page, we present the results of the Citizens’ Assembly as well as some highlights from the working sessions. We invite you to learn about the wide range of recommendations and gain insight into the dedicated work of the participants.
The Recommendations of the 2023 Citizens' Report
Here you will find updates on the 21 topic areas of the 2023 Citizens’ Report. The bars below show the current status of each topic and help you understand which processes have already been completed or are next in line. This report is updated on an ongoing basis. Most recently, on November 6, 2024, the Main Committee made a decision regarding the Citizens’ Report; you can find more information about the Main Committee’s decision here. The detailed content of the various topics and the corresponding recommendations can be found in the Citizens’ Report.