Title: Challenges of Public Administration – how municipalities shape the future

Author: Prof. Dr. Eckart Würzner

Abstract

Cities shape the future. It is the place where 70% of the world’s population will live by 2050. It is where global challenges like climate change are most tangible. It is where political leaders have the highest accountability since they meet their constituents on a day-to-day basis – be it at the market or on a Sunday morning in the bakery.

Having been mayor of Heidelberg, Germany, for more than 17 years, I know of the manifold challenges modern cities face. In this article, I outline how we have been tackling them in Heidelberg and what we do to make our city futureproof – given the special legal framework in which German municipalities can operate. By focusing on climate change, social issues and innovative strength, we have been named Germany’s most sustainable city in 2023.

Key words

Sustainability; Local governments; Innovation; Innovative strength; Social issues; Public administration; International; Germany; Municipality; Free Global Cities; Free Global City