Erlangen should be a city where everyone belongs and no one is left behind. A city that embraces diversity as a
strength and turns new ideas into concrete action. A city that remains capable of acting despite finacal pressure and invests in
a sustainable, air and liveable future. More nature to relax in, housing that fits your life, a buzzing city centre –
do you want that too? A city where people talk to each other, support one another and enjoy being part of the same
community?
That is what this campaign stands for: Here for all of us.
Download our election manifesto in short version
Stop the heat: Protect trees.
Making Erlangen truly liveable means responding to the climate crisis and protecting biodiversity. For our city, this means consistently planning for heat protection, careful use of water and the ecological development of our green and open spaces.
Green measures for a greener Erlangen:
- More trees: Protect mature trees, plant new ones, unseal paved areas and green facades and roofs.
- Cool refuges: Create cool, shaded public places with trees, water and fresh-air corridors for all generations.
- Smart water management: Implement the sponge city concept to retain rainwater locally and reduce the impact of heavy rainfall.
- Space for nature: Enhance biodiversity in parks and green spaces and open up areas for community gardens and urban agriculture.
- Climate-resilient farming: Support modern, resource-efficient agriculture that saves water, builds up humus and preserves habitats through diverse crop rotations.
Protect the climate: Strengthen public utilities.
Climate adaptation only works if global warming is limited – and Erlangen must play its part. Climate action needs to be integrated into all urban planning as a cross-cutting priority. The municipal utilities are the backbone of his transition:
they drive renewable energies, climate-neutral heating networks and strong public transport. They must be able to invest instead of being dragged further into the city’s budget crisis.
Green measures for climate action in Erlangen:
- Renewable energy: Fully tap local potential, expand grids and storage and reduce dependence on global markets and autocracies through wind and solar energy.
- Climate-friendly heat: Use strategic heat planning to give clarity for investments in green heating systems and rapidly expand district heating networks.
- Mobility for everyone: Offer reliable public transport and safe cycling and walking routes as real alternatives to private cars, and expand charging infrastructure.
- Circular economy: Strengthen sustainable procurement, repair services, sharing schemes and reuse models.
- Socially just transition: Support low-income households in switching to a climate-friendly lifestyle through targeted, easily accessible funding.
Keep the city capable of acting: Stabilise the budget.
A resilient, future-oriented financial policy is the basis for any ambitious urban agenda. Erlangen currently faces a serious financial gap and an unapproved budget, which sharply limit political room for manoeuvre. To keep shaping a liveable city, Erlangen now needs clear priorities, smart savings and strong alliances with local businesses and civil society.
Green measures for a sustainable budget:
- Strong partnerships: Intensify strategic dialogue with local businesses and jointly develop solutions for a stable economic future.
- Broader revenue base: Promote start-ups and innovative companies, secure external funding and improve access to the local labour market.
- Modern municipal finance: Advocate for tools such as a lodge tax or packaging tax and for a higher local share of tax revenues.
- Efficient administration: Digitalise services so that people can handle their affairs online at any time, in a simple and resource-saving way. Use digital tools and AI transparently, responsibly and energy-efficiently, with a focus on open-source solutions.
- Future-proof investments: Prioritise projects that are sustainable, socially useful and economically sound in the long run.
Create living space: Revitalise the city.
Whether students, families, older people or skilled workers: affordable housing in Erlangen is scarce. The city needs innovative concepts to create new housing and use existing stock more intelligently, without sacrificing nature or community spaces. From the outset, affordability, quality of life, sustainability and climate resilience must guide urban development. GEWOBAU is a key strategic partner in delivering this.
Green measures for better housing:
- Protect and upgrade stock: Use existing buildings efficiently, improve their energy performance and counter vacancy with clear rules against misuse.
- Build upwards, not outwards: Focus development on already sealed land and careful densification to protect open spaces, agricultural land and recreation areas.
- Community living: Support proven concepts such as shared housing for single parents or people with dementia, multigenerational projects and housing exchange schemes.
- Strategic land policy: Allocate municipal land according to concept quality, not maximum price, preferably via long-term leaseholds.
- Local leisure spaces: Provide nearby playgrounds, sports areas and open, non-commercial meeting spaces for all ages and all weather.
United in diversity: Strong together.
A strong city is built on cohesion. The administration must create the framework so that people can meet, get involved and take responsibility for their city. In a fair city, everyone has low-threshold, barrier-free access to public services and counselling that is transparent, efficient and people-centred.
Green measures for a strong community:
- Spaces for culture and exchange: Strengthen existing cultural venues, network them better and ensure that free cultural offerings are accessible to all.
- Creative interim uses: Make it easier to use vacant spaces temporarily for culture, start-ups or social projects and connect ideas and spaces via digital platforms.
- Support for volunteers: Provide fair and reliable support for associations and initiatives across all sectors.
- Participation: Involve affected residents early in decision-making and anchor formats such as advisory councils, a youth parliament, district budgets and citizens’ assemblies.
- Welcoming city: Ensure that Erlangen remains a safe harbour where everyone feels secure and welcome, with professional support for new arrivals and inclusive services.
- Protecting against hate and violence: Take a clear stand against hate speech and discrimination, strengthen support services for women and children and invest in prevention.
Promote children: Create opportunities.
Erlangen should be a place where children grow up safely, young people can shape their city, families receive strong support and older people live with dignity and participation. We envision a city that focuses on educational justice, equal opportunities and the best interests of every child.
Green measures for education and youth:
- Strong early education: Recruit more staff, align childcare hours with real needs and cooperate closely with cultural institutions. Treat municipal and independent providers equally.
- Schools of the future: Use funding to tackle renovation backlogs, especially in primary schools, and turn schools into inclusive, attractive learning environments and models for sustainability.
- Social work in schools: Provide school social workers as trusted contacts for personal and family challenges at every school.
- High-quality all-day schooling: Expand all-day offers with healthy meals, cultural and sports programmes and targeted learning support.
- Education for sustainability: Promote programmes that bring learning into nature and engage children and young people with sustainable development.
- Inclusive educational region: Use the “Inclusive Region” programme to strengthen inclusive education and make transitions between institutions easier.
- Participation through ErlangenPass: Further develop ErlangenPass and ErlangenPass+ so that participation in social and cultural life is not limited by income.
- Spaces for young people: Establish a modern “library of things” and create open, flexible spaces
especially for children and young people.
Long-term strength: An innovative local economy.
Erlangen can become a European model city for green innovation. Modern, climate-friendly commercial areas, a lean, digital administration and a close network of companies, start-ups, creatives and academia form the foundation of a strong, future-ready local economy. Together, the city aims to achieve climate neutrality and create high-quality jobs.
Green measures for an innovative economy:
- Secure, green energy supply: Use the energy and heat transition – from balcony solar to large heat pumps and the Römerreuth wind turbines – as drivers of economic strength and secure, affordable energy.
- Skilled workers and talent: Support training and further education, strengthen a genuine culture of welcome and make Erlangen attractive for families and international professionals.
- Smart city Erlangen: Develop Erlangen into a green smart city with data-driven, transparent and participatory planning processes and modern environmental monitoring.
- Circular economy hub: Promote repair services, reuse and return systems and circular business models that save materials, energy and emissions.
- Sustainable procurement: Lead by example with strict social and environmental standards in public construction and purchasing.
- Innovation labs: Create start-up centres and innovation labs where citizens, administration, academia and business test new sustainable, digital and social solutions together.
- Strong city centre retail: Develop a joint strategy with local businesses that combines a high quality of stay, sustainability and creative formats such as street festivals, markets and outdoor dining.
Cycling connects: Moving the future.
Mobility is the backbone of everyday life and social participation. Erlangen should enable people of all ages to move independently, safely and affordably – on foot, by bike and by public transport. For school, university, work, errands or leisure: everyone should be able to get where they need to go quickly and safely. The solutions are known – now they must be implemented.
Green measures for sustainable mobility:
- Remove barriers: Make pavements and public transport stops consistently barrier-free.
- Safer routes: Introduce more 30 km/h zones, school streets and protected cycle paths, especially on school routes.
- Strong cycling infrastructure: Expand and upgrade cycle paths, clear them first in winter, develop cycle express routes and provide secure, covered parking.
- Attractive city centre: Reduce through traffic, introduce well-designed superblocks, open streets for special events and improve wayfinding with smart parking systems.
- Mobility hubs: Connect public transport, car sharing, (cargo) bike rental, bike parking and walking routes at well-placed mobility hubs.
- Better public transport: Expand services, coordinate timetables and ensure that all districts and outskirts are well connected.