Stuttgart is Germany's most lively city center - Vital City Award 2024!

Stuttgart is Germany's most lively city center - Vital City Award 2024!

What exciting news from Stuttgart! The city has secured the title of the most lively city center in Germany with the Vital City Award. Today, June 1, 2025, the outstanding achievement of the Baden-Württemberg state capital is being celebrated, which took first place in the “Cities with over 600,000 inhabitants” category. Schwäbische.de reports that the basis of this award is based on comprehensive analyzes that measured footfall in city centers. High-precision laser scanners were used to record the movements of over 21 million visitors to Stuttgart in 2024.

Stuttgart leaves the competition behind! The city's vitality index is an impressive 33. Competition stimulates business, as the following places also show: Frankfurt am Main ranks with a vitality index of 31, followed by Dortmund with almost 28 and Düsseldorf, which made it below 25. The study recorded footfall in 107 cities and conducted around 69,000 personal interviews to assess shopping habits and the attractiveness of city centers. Stuggi.tv emphasizes that Stuttgart scored because the city responds to the needs of its citizens and visitors.

Attractive city center and high quality of stay

What makes Stuttgart so special? The city impresses with a wide range of attractions! The strengths include the pedestrian-friendly design of the city center, the excellent connection to local public transport and a diverse range of events, restaurants and retail. The well-kept areas and sufficient seating are well received by those surveyed. A high sense of security also contributes to the city's popularity.

Mayor Dr. Frank Nopper saw the award as proof of the attractiveness of the city center. “Accessibility is crucial for vitality and the interaction of various players such as retail, restaurants and city marketing plays a major role,” he notes. Torsten von Appen, head of economic development, also emphasizes how important partnership is for Stuttgart's success.

The development of urban spaces

But what does all of this mean in the larger context? Urban development is a dynamic process. Urban Digital explains that urban development includes not only the growth of cities, but also the planning of future developments and the design of urban structures. For example, in times of climate change, increasing attention is being paid to sustainable urban development that integrates ecological, social and economic dimensions. Stuttgart's success is no coincidence, but the result of forward-looking planning that takes into account the needs of a changing society.

The celebrations surrounding the Vital City Award 2024 prove that Stuttgart has a good knack for urban development. Other cities were also recognized as part of the competition, including Ulm (100,000 to 250,000 inhabitants), Wiesbaden (250,000 to 600,000 inhabitants), Passau (50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants) and Limburg (less than 50,000 inhabitants). Chemnitz was able to achieve an award for top marks in the passerby ratings.

Stuttgart shows how an urban space can be made lively through clever planning and consideration of citizens' interests. The Vital City Award is not just a title, but also an acknowledgment of a city that continually strives to improve its vitality and quality of life. Here’s to many more successes and a vibrant future!