+++ This is a joint press release by the City of Bonn and the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg Chamber of Industry and Commerce +++
Bonn should be a city with attractive centers for trade and services and a sustainable approach to mobility. Business, politics, administration as well as trade and mobility organizations are committed to this and came together for a follow-up meeting in the Old Town Hall in mid-January after a joint study trip to Utrecht in September 2023.
The almost 20 people who attended the trip exchanged ideas at three different themed tables. Following their impressions in Utrecht, the group advocated pushing ahead with two projects in particular: Firstly, the topic of neighborhood parking, i.e. off-street parking for cars and bicycles. This will be discussed further at the next Mobility Dialogue Forum in March 2024, to which the city regularly invites administration, trade and interest groups and politicians, this year together with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
On the other hand, the city administration will look more closely at the approach of city or center management, which in Utrecht is jointly supported and financed by the city, trade and commerce and property owners. This has the advantage that many topics such as city marketing, inner city attractiveness, vacancies, living in the city and the promotion of innovative projects can be considered and linked together.
Utrecht, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands, is regarded as a pioneer in modern inner city development and mobility. What can Bonn learn from Utrecht's successes and challenges, and what could be transferred to Bonn? In order to find answers to these questions, the findings on urban development and mobility gained during the trip were jointly evaluated and discussed.
"The trip and the constructive dialog were very valuable in developing other perspectives and creating a better basis for mutual exchange and cooperation," Mayor Katja Dörner was pleased to report. Together with Stefan Hagen, President of the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg Chamber of Industry and Commerce, she had invited guests to the follow-up meeting. He also emphasized the importance of the dialogue: "The study trip was one of the best, if not the best format in recent years. We can now build on this in our cooperation and tackle specific projects," said Stefan Hagen. There was agreement that another study trip should take place in 2024, preferably to a German city, in order to discuss further examples of best practice on site and make them usable for Bonn.