Stuttgart: Germany's most lively city center receives Vital City Award!

Stuttgart: Germany's most lively city center receives Vital City Award!

Stuttgart has achieved an important place among the metropolises as the “liveliest city center in Germany”. The city was awarded the renowned Vital City Award 2024, which not only illustrates the high attractiveness of the city center, but also the excellent ratio of pedestrian frequency to the number of residents. The award in the category “Cities with over 600,000 inhabitants” is based on a comprehensive study by the Institute for Commercial Research (IFH) Cologne, which was carried out between mid-September and mid-November 2024 and determined a vitality index of over 33 for Stuttgart. According to Stuttgarter Nachrichten, the city recorded around 21 million passers-by in 2024.

The studies were supplemented by personal interviews with around 69,000 citizens and covered 107 German cities. Stuttgart prevailed in strong competition and surpassed the runners-up from Frankfurt am Main, who achieved a vitality index of 31. They were followed by Dortmund (value just under 28) and Düsseldorf (value under 25).

Joint commitment and diversity characterize the cityscape

The honor of Stuttgart as the liveliest city center also recognizes the interaction of various actors who are committed to revitalizing the city. Areas such as retail, gastronomy, services as well as city marketing and event organization play a central role here. “This award shows how important joint commitment is to the vitality of the city center,” explained Torsten von Appen, head of the city’s economic development department, in a press release from Stuttgart.de.

Holger Siegle, Managing Director of the City Initiative Stuttgart, expressed his joy about this recognition and confirmed the common course that the city is taking. The diverse offerings in Stuttgart attract not only residents, but also visitors from the region as well as from home and abroad.

The path to vitality: attractiveness and modern solutions

Stuttgart's city center impresses with its diverse retail offerings and pedestrian-friendly design. Additional advantages include the good connection to local public transport and a wide range of cultural events and gastronomic experiences. These factors contribute significantly to the city's vitality and are part of the strategy to strengthen inner cities.

The vitality indicator, which measures the ratio of visitor frequency to the number of inhabitants, was determined by objective laser measurements in over 100 German cities and represents an important tool for evaluation. The awards are intended to promote the implementation of innovative solutions. On the same day that other cities, such as Chemnitz, were also honored for outstanding ratings in the “Vital City Centers 2024” study, the city talks in Cologne took place on the topic of inner city revitalization picked up. These developments are part of a joint effort to make the inner cities dynamic and attractive, which is also the goal of IFH Cologne.