The study is one of the largest data-based investigations into the future of city centres in Germany. Among other things, the study provides information on: visitor structure and customer behaviour. accessibility of the location requirements and wishes of visitors to the city centre. information about untapped potential and gaps in the selection of products available data on the importance and impact of e-commerce in the city centre area During the study, city centre visitors in more than 120 German cities of all different sizes and regions were asked both about their shopping habits and about the attractiveness of the inner city. Data was collected on two selected days (Thursday and Saturday) in September 2016 using a standardized questionnaire. In total, approximately 58,000 interviews were conducted.
Cities were examined in six different size classes. Here are the winners:
- Leipzig (over 500,000 inhabitants)
- Erfurt (200,000 to 500,000 inhabitants)
- Heidelberg (100,000 to 200,000 inhabitants)
- Hilden (50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants)
- Wismar (25,000 to 50,000 inhabitants)
- Quedlinburg (under 25,000 inhabitants)
Compared with the other cities studied in their category, these cities score extra points when it comes to city centre attractiveness. Not only did Leipzig place first among the big cities, it also took first place in the overall standings.
Leipzig well above average
This study used the grading method common in the German school system, which is a scale of 1 to 6, with 1 being the highest and 6 being the lowest. 121 cities participated and the overall average score was a 3+, which means that Germans rate their inner cities as "fully satisfactory". This is the same result as the one generated by the first survey in 2014. Assessments tended to be more positive for larger city centres. Compared with the ratings from 2014, cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants were able to slightly improve their scores.
A wide range of scores was collected during the survey. Some cities received a rather low score of 4, while other cities such as Erfurt, Heidelberg, Hamburg, and Leipzig (the winner) were given the high mark of 1 or slightly lower.
Ambience and flair as success factors
The relationships between the individual assessment categories and the score for overall attractiveness (which was measured separately) show that the most important factors in deciding the attractiveness of a city are ambience and flair - followed by the retail sector and the availability of leisure activities. All cities that received the highest score for overall attractiveness in their size class also received high rankings for ambience and flair.
It should also be noted, however, that basic features such as accessibility, opening hours, cleanliness and security were also decisive factors in determining the rankings. According to Jürgen Block, the managing director of the Bundesvereinigung City- und Stadtmarketing Deutschland e. V., factors like these are "simply presupposed in the city, and they only come to people's attention when the expected services are no longer available with sufficient quality."