Press releases

"Get involved! Together for the city center of tomorrow" - under this motto, the city of Aachen showed last week how it understands participation. Around 80 committed people from the administration and urban society met in the Altes Kurhaus to develop ideas for a vibrant, diverse and sustainable city center together with the "Studio Stadt Region" office. Ideas that can also be implemented in the short term.

The workshop is part of the "City Center Tomorrow" future process initiated by the city of Aachen in 2022. The aim is not just to manage the city center, but to actively shape it together - from major projects such as the Theaterplatz, the Büchel or the "House of Curiosity", which is now being implemented, to quick, creative impulses for more life between the streets and squares.

Aachen's Lord Mayor Sibylle Keupen is delighted with the commitment: "The future of our city center is in the hands of many stakeholders. With great commitment and energy, short and medium-term measures have already been developed. Today, we have once again proven that cooperation and a common will to shape the future unites us. That is inner city tomorrow."

A highlight of the day, alongside a large floor map showing the many projects already underway, was the presentation of the new toolbox for the city center - a growing package of ideas and measures that encourages participation: from open dialogue formats and creative urban experiments to tangible support from development funds such as "Oecher Perlen" or "Guten Abend, Aachen". More than 200 projects have already been realized in the last three years.

City Manager Kyra Pfeil explains: "With the Tool Box, we want to make opportunities for participation transparent and invite the people of Aachen to actively help shape the city." After all, the city center thrives on the ideas of the people who live, work or simply enjoy spending time here.

Important topics discussed in the workshop: child and family-friendly offers, more green spaces, sports and recreation areas, space for art, culture and creativity.

A good example of implementation: the city center morning task force, which has been targeting specific streets since 2022 to improve their quality of life. The current focus is on the Holzgraben and Dahmengraben areas.

City manager and task force coordinator Kai Hennes comments: "In the current focus area, we are reducing stress and revitalizing vacant spaces with new ideas. This year, we also want to increase the quality of stay with new seating islands and more greenery." Close cooperation with local retailers and owners is a key success factor here - as is direct contact with Aachen's urban society.

Anyone who would like to get involved is invited to contact the City Management of the City of Aachen at innenstadtmorgen@mail.aachen.de. More information: www.innenstadt-morgen.de.