Future of the city center: Demmin discusses fresh ideas and solutions!

Future of the city center: Demmin discusses fresh ideas and solutions!

What is currently happening in Demmin? On November 11th, 2025, an NDR talk on the future of the city's inner cities took place. With 140 participants, including experts and practitioners, there was a lively discussion about new ideas for the “inner city living space”. A central theme was the need to reinvent inner cities and respond to the changing needs of the population. Simone Mattukat, the operator of the hardware store “Eisen Duwe”, emphasized how important a balanced mix of shops, services and restaurants is for the revitalization of the city center.

The mayor of Demmin, Thomas Wittkowski (CDU), spoke about the challenge of the traffic situation and the limited municipal finances. The city with around 10,500 inhabitants finds it difficult to attract larger companies, which is made even more difficult by its distance from the motorway. The decline in business in recent years has also noticeably changed the city center. Here the guests made suggestions, such as introducing weekly markets with regional products to bring a breath of fresh air into the city.

Ideas for the future

A viewer made an interesting comment and criticized the poor lighting and the sparse dining options at Demmin train station. This property belongs to the municipal housing company and represents an important contact point. Michael Schröder, the city manager from Neubrandenburg, reported on the success of the four-goal voucher, which has been accepted in 100 stores since 2016 and ties up around two million euros in the city. The voucher is now also offered in other places, including the ticket service in the House of Culture and Education, and is intended to strengthen local trade.

At the event, scientists and practitioners agreed: Vacancies in city centers offer opportunities to redesign urban spaces. The scientist Jan Nissen called for civic engagement to combat these vacancies and to support young entrepreneurs. Many participants also wanted more restaurants, meeting opportunities and improved infrastructure, as a survey at the end of the evening showed.

Sustainability and urban development

The NDR Talk also referred to the long-term concepts that cities need in order to develop in a sustainable manner. Authorities and communities are required to strike a balance between social, cultural, economic and ecological concerns. City planning should therefore be designed to be adaptable and enable cooperative participation processes to actively involve citizens. Digital instruments could provide support here, as the Association of Cities also reports, by opening up new opportunities for planning and transparency.

With the ongoing discussions about the future of inner cities, there are both challenges and numerous opportunities. It remains to be seen what measures will be implemented to redesign the inner city living space and make it attractive.

For more information on these topics you can visit the reports NDR, Northern Courier and City Day read up.