How can downtown neighborhoods be utilized in the future? What makes places vibrant, attractive, and distinctive?

Through the project “Rethinking Neighborhoods of the Future,” the City of Mainz’s Economic Development Agency is collaborating with partners from the neighborhood, academia, and government to develop new ideas for the further development of the city center.

The focus is on the Citymeile as a pilot neighborhood. Here, new approaches will be developed and tested on a pilot basis between 2026 and 2027.

The project is conceived as a so-called “real-world laboratory”: ideas are not only conceived but—where possible—also tested in the urban environment. This allows for insights to be gained into which approaches can contribute to the sustainable development of downtown neighborhoods.

The Citymeile is centrally located in downtown Mainz between Dominikanerstraße, Große Bleiche, Flachsmarktstraße, and Große Langgasse.

The neighborhood connects key areas of the city center and is characterized by retail, services, restaurants, and residential uses. At the same time, the Citymeile—like many inner-city locations—is undergoing a process of change.

The project examines the potential opportunities for the neighborhood’s future development and identifies initiatives that can enhance the quality of life, promote mixed-use development, and strengthen the neighborhood’s identity.

One component of the project is not only to develop selected ideas conceptually, but also to test them in the urban environment. The plan is to temporarily implement individual measures in the neighborhood and make them accessible to the public through various events.

This may also include a neighborhood forum where ideas can be presented, tested, and discussed together.

Such formats make it possible to

· test new uses of urban space

· incorporate feedback from the urban community

· draw attention to the neighborhood

· connect stakeholders

The specific details will be developed as the project progresses.

As part of the project, an initial survey is currently being conducted (survey period: April 1–20, 2026) to gauge public opinion on the use and perception of Citymeile.

How is the neighborhood used today? And where is there room for improvement?

The survey takes only about 5 minutes to complete and helps gather important insights for the project’s future work.

Take the survey now!

The project is based on a so-called placemaking approach. It focuses on the question of how places can be designed and used in such a way that they are embraced by diverse user groups and create a positive environment for people to spend time in.

In addition to design aspects, the potential uses, perception, and identity of a place also play a role.

The goal is to bring together different perspectives and derive approaches for the further development of the neighborhood from them.

The measures developed in the project are intentionally designed to be temporary at first, in order to test new ideas and gather experience.

The project is being implemented in collaboration with various partners:

Mainz Economic Development
Agency Coordinates the project and oversees the implementation of the pilot measures

Mainz University of Applied
Sciences: Students from the interior design and time-based media programs will develop ideas and designs in an interdisciplinary course during the summer semester of 2026.

City Administration Departments
Contribute technical perspectives, e.g., on urban planning, open space design, and framework conditions.

Neighborhood stakeholders
: Contribute practical experience and provide important insights into the neighborhood’s use.

Process support by KOKONSULT:
Facilitation, support, and evaluation of the multi-phase participation and implementation process.