Gotha on the move: Citizens should bring in suggestions for improvement!

Gotha on the move: Citizens should bring in suggestions for improvement!

Gotha, Deutschland - In Gotha, space is now created for the voices of the citizens. With the new section "The reader has the word", Gotha's editorial team wants to offer the citizens a platform to draw attention to everyday problems in the city and the surrounding area. From Müffeln garbage on sidewalks to missing playgrounds on playgrounds to defective street lamps, everyone can submit their concerns in the form of photos and short texts. This is possible conveniently by email to editorial@gotha-aktuell.de or via an online form. It is particularly gratifying that the anonymity of the sender is guaranteed-your names and email addresses are not published. The goal of this initiative is very clear: attracting attention and bringing important topics in the city, such as Gotha Aktuell

Citizen participation is a topic that is currently hotly debated in Gotha. Bernd Fundheller, the district chairwoman of the left, emphasizes that Gotha and the Gotha district have a lot of unused potential. He compares the city with a "sleeping giant" that is only waiting to be awakened. This old residence city not only has a rich cultural history, but also benefits from its location near the Thuringian Forest. In the region there are numerous tourist destinations such as the famous socket or the remarkable orchards that invite you to linger and discover. Fundheller sees Gotha clearly in the up and not as disadvantaged, but as a city with development opportunities, although the earatalbahn to Gräfenroda is not yet optimally used. This train could become a key to more tourist interest if it succeeds in winning investors.

heat planning and local commitment

Another important concern of the city administration is municipal heat planning. In late summer 2023, an application for funding was submitted, which was approved on March 7, 2024. The aim is to make the heat supply of the buildings by 2045 greenhouse gas -neutral, which is an exciting challenge. It is currently being checked which heating technologies best fit into the city's infrastructure- from local and district heating to innovative heat pumps and hydrogen networks. The first draft for heat planning should be on the end of March 2025, the Gotha Stadtwerke are already commissioned to implement. The citizens also take part in this process: The first citizen participation took place on December 11th, 2024, in which about 40 interested parties were integrated into the dialogue, as gotha.de

The city is also planning a second citizen participation that is planned for April 2025. It is important not only to inform the citizens, but to actively involve them in the decisions in order to promote acceptance and understanding of such projects. After all, a valuable commodity, like the digital twin of the city of Gotha, can help to optimally analyze and design thermal care and infrastructure.

The plans for a new shopping center, meanwhile, are sparking more and more discussions among the citizens. Traders and residents are keen to discuss and criticize the idea while those responsible emphasize the advantages of such a project. The dialogue about the development of Gothas remains exciting and clear: there is ideas and optimization potential on every corner. In this sense, it will continue to be active in the future to actively awaken the "sleeping giants" and take the voices of the citizens seriously.