Erfurt one of the rising stars in the city ranking
According to a study, Thuringia's state capital Erfurt is one of the rising stars in the latest comparison of major German cities. Thuringia's second largest city, Jena, has also improved in some criteria, but has lost momentum. This is the result of the city ranking published on Thursday by IW Consult on behalf of the internet portal Immoscout24 and "Wirtschaftswoche".
In the assessment of the economic and social situation, Erfurt improved by five places compared to the previous year to 41st place among the 71 large cities surveyed. Jena came 28th in the level assessment and moved up four places. Above all, the good situation on the labor market was a positive factor for both Thuringian cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Both cities were among the ten best in Germany for the labor market criterion.
While Erfurt also improved in terms of dynamism, i.e. the assessment of development, from 38th to 30th place, Jena fell back: the industrial and university city was only ranked 65th after 61st in the previous assessment. Its real estate market was rated negatively - in last place. In the criteria for the economy sub-aspect, it was still ranked 29th.
On the other hand, the city in eastern Thuringia was ranked 10th in the top group for sustainability, moving up two places. The city's economic and social situation criteria were assessed particularly positively. Jena even came first in the social aspect. Erfurt fell from 26th to 32nd place because the state capital only came 63rd in the economic aspect.
Mainz, the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, emerged from the ranking as the most dynamic city - which, as in the previous year, was able to benefit from the success of the coronavirus vaccine manufacturer Biontech in terms of tax revenue.
The annual survey compares the current situation (level) and rates of change (dynamics) of various indicators of 71 independent cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. Factors such as economic structure, labor market, real estate and quality of life are analyzed. An additional sustainability index includes economic, ecological and social factors.
In the level ranking, which describes the economic and social situation, Munich remained the undisputed leader. "The dynamism of the metropolitan areas is primarily attributable to the real estate market. The development of rents is particularly decisive here," it said.
Erfurt's improvement in the economic situation has contributed to its rise as one of the rising stars in city rankings, moving up five places to 41st among 71 major German cities. Furthermore, Erfurt's labor market is thriving, placing it among the top ten cities with the best labor markets in Germany.
In contrast, despite Jena's improvement in the level assessment, moving up four places to 28th, it has lost momentum in terms of dynamism, with a significant drop in its real estate market ranking from 61st to last place.
Source: www.dpa.com
