City center in transition
Causes for the transformation of Wiesbaden's city center and what the city is doing to create a vibrant city center.
Wiesbaden's city center has always been a place of urban coexistence. As such, with its vibrancy and mix of uses, it is in a permanent process of further development - from Roman times and the Middle Ages, through the time of the Nassau family and the world spa town in the German Empire, to today's state capital of Hesse.
The transformation process of Wiesbaden's city center is associated with a change in its functions, such as retail, housing, work, gastronomy, education or art and culture.
At the same time, technical progress and digitalization, social changes such as demographic change, altered purchasing behaviour and new lifestyles are shaping the transformation process, as are political conditions, structural change in the retail sector and climate change. This is accompanied by a wide range of social, economic and ecological challenges that affect the heart of the city and its various uses. The urgent need for action to further develop the city center has been accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic.
Approaches to strengthening city centers
In addition to the challenges, the transformation process of the city center also offers many opportunities for Wiesbaden. These need to be recognized and turned into good solutions. A reorientation of previously heavily retail-dominated districts and areas of activity towards new multifunctional uses opens up new areas of opportunity that provide positive impetus in many respects. It has been shown that multifunctional centers with a diverse mix of different uses can respond particularly well to structural change. At the same time, the heart of the city is a place of identification for the citizens and, as a lively center, requires a high quality of stay that also counteracts the effects of climate change. The central prerequisite for a strong Wiesbaden city center is that the various stakeholder groups are involved and work together.
Development and promotion of the city center
With the "City Center Master Plan", a strategic concept was adopted as a guideline for the further development of Wiesbaden's city center in the coming years. As a broad-based process of urban renewal, it describes various fields of action, strategic goals and short and medium-term measures to promote the center of the state capital as an attractive shopping and experience area and to develop visions for the future.
"Sustainable inner cities and centers" funding program
Building on the "City Center Master Plan", Wiesbaden successfully applied for funding from the federal funding program"Sustainable Inner Cities and Centers (opens in a new tab)" ("ZIZ" for short) in 2022. The program was launched to revitalize inner cities in an experimental way and contribute to resilient urban locations.
For Wiesbaden, the funding program in the historic pentagon and its five very different districts makes it possible to initiate and implement a variety of projects for the city center.
W5 - 5 quarters one center
Under the motto "W5 - 5 districts one center", the declared goals are to revitalize the inner city districts and increase the quality of life in the historic pentagon, to increase identification and a sense of belonging and to strengthen the attractiveness and resilience of the inner city.
Concrete building blocks are:
- Spot on!: Accompanying events for public participation in the further development and consolidation of the existing city center master plan.
- Real-world laboratories: Temporary test phases and experimental spaces for different uses are to be created at various locations, so-called real-world laboratories.
- LoPas: The participatory character is ensured through the establishment of "Local Partnerships" (LoPa), which are involved in the development and implementation of measures.
- "See and be seen": New and existing events are to be established or expanded in order to reach new and old target groups and to strengthen the image of and identification with Wiesbaden in the city and the region.
- "Eye contact": Exhibitions, installations and photos are intended to increase the visibility of the special features of the city center. It is important that something new is created.
- "You are invited": Various small and short interventions in unexpected places are intended to invite people to rediscover and linger in the Historic Pentagon time and again.
- Statistical monitoring: The developments during the project will be accompanied by statistical surveys and made transparent.
The aim is to test in an experimental way how Wiesbaden's city center can become more attractive and resilient and what solutions can be found for the major challenges and changes in the city center. Together with citizens, institutions, initiatives, tradespeople, owners, investors, companies and the administration, an overall concept for Wiesbaden's city center is to be developed by August 2025.