In December 2022, the city of Heidelberg was selected for funding under the federal programme “Sustainable inner cities and centres”. With this programme, the federal government significantly supports cities in setting the course for sustainable inner city, centre and town centre development.

In January 2024, the Kaufhof department store on Bismarckplatz in Heidelberg will close, and the Green parliamentary group would like to see the building put to multiple uses in the future. A video installation shows what such a multiple use could look like in terms of climate protection.

In addition to a green façade, the video also shows a cable car docking on the roof of the building. In a press release, Green councillor Manuel Steinbrenner said he hoped the future investor would be open to the ideas put forward.

Visions for a climate-friendly city

All plans for the department stores’ branch will be presented in the exhibition “Places in Change – Living Space Bismarckplatz” in the park at Bismarckplatz.

The VRN sees potential in Heidelberg for urban cable cars. In a feasibility study, several proposals for line routes were presented, including the connection of Neuenheimer Feld, near which the Park at Bismarckplatz is located, to the junction at a multimodal node at Pfaffengrund-Wieblingen station.