Gera has a new city manager: Elisabeth Kotschew in office!

Gera has a new city manager: Elisabeth Kotschew in office!

Gera has a new city manager: Elisabeth Kotschew. Your task will be to represent the interests of the city center until December 31, 2025 and to promote exchange between citizens, restaurateurs, retailers and the city administration. Kotschew's commitment is no coincidence, as the city administration is following a resolution by the Gera City Council from April 2025 to establish long-term city management. Loud straight She will be available five days a week in the city center office at Markt 6, with the new opening hours to be announced soon.

Strong local leadership is more important than ever, especially in times when online retail and the corona pandemic pose major challenges for city centers. The federal program “Sustainable inner cities and centers” comes into play here. The program supports cities with a funding volume of up to 250 million euros to create multifunctional locations. Loud Innenstadtprogramm.bund.de Inner cities should be significantly strengthened through offerings in the areas of living, working and culture.

The challenges of the city center

The changes in the city centers should not be underestimated. As part of the research projects of the ExWoSt “Inner Cities” research cluster, numerous studies have been carried out in recent years that point to the pressure of purchases made online. These studies show that the corona pandemic has accelerated the transformation of central locations in our cities. That's how the topic becomes bbbsr.bund.de viewed as a central challenge of urban development and requires new concepts and ideas.

An important goal of the programs and the associated measures is to improve not only retail but also public spaces in city centers. “Publicly usable green spaces, parks and interesting architecture are crucial to improving the quality of life in our cities,” say the experts. The active and cooperative design of inner cities is essential in order to revitalize these places and make them tangible again as places of identity and meeting places.

The new city management

With the new city management, Elisabeth Kotschew will create an interface that will make it possible to bring different user groups together and initiate projects to revitalize the city center. Her contact options are promising: she can be reached by phone on 0365 77307666 and by email at citymanagement@gera.de or via a mailbox opposite the entrance to Markt 6.

In an environment that is constantly changing, Kotschew brings a breath of fresh air and a good hand. With the new initiatives as part of city management, citizens and the city administration could move one step closer together. It will be interesting to see what ideas and projects will emerge from this vivid concept.