Politics & Organization
The Stuttgart region includes 179 towns and communities in the five districts of Böblingen, Esslingen, Ludwigsburg, Göppingen, the Rems-Murr district and the state capital Stuttgart.
Together they form a metropolitan region that is closely interconnected through economic relationships, commuter movements and settlement structures.
The challenges of the densely populated area do not stop at municipal or district boundaries. The Stuttgart Region has therefore pooled its strengths: The Stuttgart Region Association, founded in 1994 with its directly elected regional assembly, strengthens regional cooperation together with other organizations. Its diverse international economic relationships, strong exports, population from around 180 countries and its location in the center of Europe also make the Stuttgart region a thoroughly European region.
The path to a networked region
There are 12 regions in Baden-Württemberg; the regional associations carry out planning tasks across municipalities and districts. Stuttgart was the seat of the Middle Neckar regional association until 1992 and the seat of the Stuttgart regional association from 1992 to 1994. Because of the close connections within the strongest economic region in Baden-Württemberg, the Stuttgart Region Association was founded in 1994 by state law. He received competencies that go beyond planning tasks as well as directly elected political representation.
The Stuttgart Region Association
The Stuttgart Region Association is the political level of the Stuttgart region. The office's approximately 80 employees are dedicated to future tasks in the areas of transport, regional planning, economic development as well as culture, sport and tourism.
The regional assembly:
a parliament for the region
The main body of the Stuttgart Region Association is the Regional Assembly, which is elected directly by the citizens of the region every five years. This is unique in Baden-Württemberg. The candidates are nominated by the parties and voters' associations. The regional assembly currently has 88 members, but there could be more through equalization seats. The association is headed by a duo: the honorary chairman is elected from among the regional assembly and chairs its meetings. The full-time regional director is the legal representative of the association, heads the office and is responsible for ensuring that the decisions of the regional assembly are implemented.
Mission statement of the Stuttgart region
In July 2013, the regional assembly adopted a mission statement for the Stuttgart region as a business and science location with a large majority. The paper formulates in six commented mission statements what good business and work should look like in the Stuttgart region.
European metropolitan region of Stuttgart
There are also close connections beyond the region's borders with the surrounding conurbations, for example Heilbronn, Pforzheim, Reutlingen, Tübingen, Schwäbisch Hall and Schwäbisch Gmünd. This particularly affects transport, business and science. Therefore, according to the state development plan of 2002, areas of neighboring regions also belong to the European metropolitan region of Stuttgart. In terms of population and economic power, the Stuttgart region is the core region of the European Stuttgart metropolitan region. A total of eleven European metropolitan regions are identified in Germany.
Joint projects within the metropolitan region are intended to strengthen its position in international competition. There are collaborations, for example, in biotechnology, regional development, tourism marketing, sport and culture, and transport. For example, the MetropolTagesTicket is not only valid in the VVS area, but for all transport associations in the metropolitan region.
Further information about the Coordination Committee for the European Metropolitan Region of Stuttgart can be found on the website Stuttgart Region Association a DAK Bungalow.
Regional organizations
A whole range of regional organizations work hand in hand to further strengthen the Stuttgart region as a location.
Find out about the partners' tasks and services here.
