Interim report on the urban development concept

Planning and Building Officer Harald Lang presented the current interim report on the urban development concept (STEK) to the city council on December 11. The aim of the STEK is to create a broad consensus on the future development of Erlangen and to develop a vision for the coming years together with urban society, politicians and the administration.

Three phases of the STEK

The concept is created in three phases:

• the "Discover" analysis phase
• the development of perspectives "Develop" and
• the implementation of concrete measures "Implement".

The commissioned planning offices have been working together with the administration on the analysis phase since March 2025. At the same time, the project website www.erlangen-weiterdenken.de was launched.

Results of the analysis phase

The analysis includes site inspections, geodata, statistical surveys, existing expert reports and discussions with stakeholders from urban society, business, politics and culture. The interim report describes key trends, issues and areas of tension without anticipating solutions. Four major topics were identified:

• "Developing and producing"
• "Arriving and moving"
• "Breathing and relaxing" and
• "Living and living together".

Nine central areas of tension were derived from these areas, including

• Commercial space development
• inner city design
• Resource-conserving residential development
• mobility transition
• climate and environmental issues and
• the networking of neighborhoods and metropolitan regions.

The report also contains an in-depth look at commercial and economic development.

STEK forum: participation of the urban community

A central element of the process support is the STEK forum, which brings together representatives from various areas of urban society. It meets several times a year, critically reflects on the proposals of the administration and planners and formulates recommendations for political decision-making bodies.

Outlook: Public discussion and land use plan

The interim report forms the basis for the public discussion that will start in 2026 under the motto "Thinking Erlangen forward". It will kick off with a public event on January 13, 2026 at the ZAM - Center for Exchange and Making. The results of the STEK will also be incorporated into the redrafting of the land use plan.

Current information, dates and the interim report can be found at www.erlangen-weiterdenken.de

Erlangen, with a population of around 120,000, is the smallest of all eight major Bavarian cities.
Photo: Arne Seebeck