Mainz is the most dynamic city
Boomtown Mainz: The biontech location has defended its position as Germany's most dynamic city in a study and is closing in on the current leader, Munich. This is the result of the city ranking published on Thursday by IW Consult on behalf of the internet portal Immoscout24 and "Wirtschaftswoche". Mainz also benefited in terms of tax revenue last year, primarily from the success of the coronavirus vaccine manufacturer Biontech.
"It remains to be seen whether the city will succeed in increasing its attractiveness as a location in the long term and establishing itself in the top 5," said ImmoScout24 Managing Director Gesa Crockford.
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.
Berlin and Leipzig are among the most dynamic cities
In the level ranking, which describes the economic and social situation, Bavaria's state capital Munich has defended its top position in the analysis since 2013, while Mainz worked its way up to second place. In addition to the metropolitan areas of Stuttgart (3rd) and Frankfurt am Main (8th), Erlangen, Ingolstadt, Wolfsburg, Darmstadt, Ulm and Regensburg also made it into the top ten. As in the previous year, Hamburg was in 11th place, followed by Düsseldorf in 13th place, with Cologne and Berlin in 31st and 38th place respectively. As in the previous year, the Ruhr cities of Herne, Duisburg and Gelsenkirchen brought up the rear.
In terms of dynamism, Berlin and Leipzig ranked behind leader Mainz. Kaiserslautern jumped from 22nd to 4th place in the evaluation, followed by Düsseldorf (5th). Hamburg improved significantly from 42nd to 6th place, while Munich and Cologne were ranked 9th and 7th respectively. According to the data, the dynamic assessment in the major cities is primarily driven by the real estate market and the development of rents. Ludwigshafen, Ingolstadt and Hagen were at the bottom of the ranking.
Heidelberg scores with research institutes
In the sustainability index, Heidelberg displaced the car city of Wolfsburg from the top spot to third place. The university city on the Neckar is particularly future-oriented and scores points with research institutes such as a center of the Max Planck Society and an efficient digital infrastructure, among other things, according to the study. Ingolstadt improved to second place, while Erlangen remained in fourth place, followed by Ulm. Herne, Duisburg and Gelsenkirchen remained unchanged in the final three places.
Following the dynamic growth in Mainz, some municipalities might need to consider their economic strategies to improve their situation. For instance, Cologne, currently ranked 38th in terms of dynamics, could explore opportunities to boost its economic growth similar to Mainz's success with Biontech.
Furthermore, in the sustainability index, Heidelberg has shown impressive advancement, specifically in research institutions and digital infrastructure. Other municipalities, like Berlin and Leipzig, could learn from Heidelberg's approach and strengthen their own research and digital sectors to enhance their sustainability indices.
Source: www.dpa.com
