Smart Metropolis: Stuttgart

STUTTGART SETS THE TONE

Surrounded by vineyards whose vines extend into the city, the Wilhelma Zoo and a large number of parks, Stuttgart is one of the greenest cities in Germany. And one of the sunniest. Just like the heat which gathers in the region in summer, a mass of innovative power is also concentrated in the region. Stuttgart has already been a trailblazer a number of times in the past, for example with the first green pedestrian zone in 1953 and the first petrol-powered automobile in 1886. The capital of Baden-Württemberg with just over 600,000 inhabitants is rightly proud of its history. But it does not look back. On the contrary: In Stuttgart they are actively shaping the future.

In no other city are so many patents registered. In hardly any other region in Europe is so much money invested in research and development. The metropolitan region of Stuttgart is thanks to engineering and the automotive and property sectors the strongest economic region in Germany – ahead of Munich and Frankfurt am Main. Major construction projects such as Stuttgart 21 also place the city in the international spotlight. Not to mention numerous initiatives and projects concerning electromobility and sustainability, leading universities, a number of excellent science and research companies and an emergent start-up scene. There is hardly a sector in which Stuttgart is not setting the tone.