The topic for the 2026 Aachen Citizens’ Assembly has been decided: In a public online vote, the residents of Aachen selected the topic “Improving Cleanliness in Public Spaces.” A total of around 2,000 people participated in the vote on the City of Aachen’s participation portal, underscoring the relevance of this issue in the daily lives of many citizens.

With 1,255 votes, the topic “Improving Cleanliness” received the most support among the four proposed future topics. It was followed by “Climate Protection in Everyday Life,” “Strengthening Nightlife,” and “Making City Partnerships More Attractive.” The results show that issues related to urban quality of life and social cohesion are of particular importance to many citizens.

The Citizens' Assembly 2026 will deal with the following issue:

What joint measures by the city administration and citizens can help the city of Aachen to become and remain cleaner, and what is needed to efficiently combine commitment, education and waste management? 

The goal of the Citizens’ Assembly is to work together to develop concrete recommendations for policymakers and administrators, as well as to bring together diverse perspectives from the city’s community. The Citizens’ Assembly will be facilitated by IKU GmbH.

In the next step, 3,500 randomly drawn Aachen residents will be contacted promptly and invited to take part in the Citizens' Assembly 2026. The final panel of 56 citizens will then be put together from the positive responses in a second random draw. The aim is to have as diverse a composition as possible that reflects the breadth of the city's society. The participants will discuss the selected topic together in September 2026.

The Citizens' Council is a participation format of the City of Aachen in which randomly drawn citizens jointly develop recommendations on important issues for the future of the city. The results are then presented to politicians and the administration for consultation.

If you have any questions, please contact Albert Halfmann from the Administrative Management, Policy, and Dialogue Division by phone at 0241 432-7223 or by email at buerger_innenrat@mail.aachen.de.