Press release

European Cities & Regions of the Future Awards were presented in Cannes today

15 March 2022
Hamburg as a business location: top position in Human Capital and Lifestyle category in new ranking of large European cities

A great success for Hamburg: in a new ranking of large European cities, Hamburg fared particularly well with regard to Human Capital and Lifestyle (1st place) as well as Connectivity and Economic Potential (3rd place each). 

Every two years, fDi Magazine, the Financial Times Group’s specialist publication on foreign direct investment, benchmarks the business potential as well as the financial and economic strengths of European cities and regions. Based on statistical data of the Financial Times and the magazine’s own surveys, cities and regions are assessed in the following categories: Economic Potential, Human Capital and Lifestyle, Business Friendliness, Connectivity, Cost-Effectiveness, and FDI Strategy. In the overall ranking, Hamburg scored an excellent second place just after Frankfurt and ahead of Düsseldorf. In the Capital Cities category, the winning city was London. The German capital Berlin came 8th in the ranking.

 

Hamburg’s Minister of Economy, Michael Westhagemann, is pleased with Hamburg’s results: 

"Thanks to our strong economy, German cities frequently occupy top positions in European comparisons. And the fact that Hamburg is once again at the top of the list in key areas such as quality of life and skilled professionals underlines the success of our economic policy.” 

 

The awards were presented in Cannes today on the occasion of MIPIM.  Dr Rolf Strittmatter, managing director of Hamburg Invest, accepted the award on behalf of Hamburg, remarking: 

“To be awarded as a Future City is an important signal here at MIPIM to draw the attention of international investors towards Hamburg as a location – all the more so, as we’ve been able to defend our excellent results from two years ago.”

 

Between 15 and 18 March, the City of Hamburg will be presenting itself at MIPIM, the world’s largest real estate trade fair. The joint Hamburg stand in Cannes includes a total of 22 partner companies. On 16 March, Hamburg’s Minister of Housing and Development, Dr Dorothee Stapelfeldt, will be on-site to represent the Hamburg Senate. “I am delighted that Hamburg will once again be able to present itself at MIPIM in 2022. As a large, vibrant city, Hamburg offers excellent prospects across all sectors of the national and international real estate industry,” Dr Stapelfeldt stated. The joint Hamburg stand is organised by Hamburg Invest Service Gesellschaft. Dr Rolf Strittmatter, managing director of Hamburg Invest, explained: “The real estate industry depends on personal contacts, and that’s why the number of companies joining us on-site will be almost as high as in pre-pandemic times. In 2019, the stand included 25 exhibitors – and this year there will be an outstanding 22 exhibitors.”

 

Hamburg’s Minister of Housing and Development, Dr Dorothee Stapelfeldt, is looking forward to providing an international audience in Cannes with insights into Hamburg’s municipal development projects: 

“When it comes to housing, Hamburg is leading the way in Germany – e.g. in terms of new constructions or innovative projects and production methods, such as serial and timber construction. Likewise, commercial real estate is experiencing strong momentum, opening up a wealth of opportunities for business ventures of all kinds. Whenever these two sectors merge, you can expect a particularly exciting outcome: combining residential and commercial uses, Hamburg's major urban development projects will create entirely new quarters of town. Well-connected, well-equipped, and embedded in grown structures, these will provide space for thousands of residential units and workplaces. The new Grasbrook quarter in the former port area and Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld as a science, commercial and residential quarter are but two examples for the city of tomorrow we are developing with vigour and care.”

 

The largest single exhibitor at the joint Hamburg stand will be HafenCity Hamburg GmbH. Dr Andreas Kleinau, CEO of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH, said: 

“Hamburg knows that a liveable city of the future, that the Hamburg of tomorrow, can only be created when urban society, science and business collaborate closely. Key topics of the future – such as healthcare, new materials, climate and energy, mobility and digitisation – can only be moved forward together, and all of us have to take responsibility for this to happen. With HafenCity, Grasbrook, Billebogen and Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld, HafenCity Hamburg GmbH is in charge of four innovative large-scale projects in Hamburg. While each of these projects has its own rationale, they create a common ground for technological and social progress as outlined in the regional innovation strategy of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. These projects will also contribute to answering the question of how we want to live in the future and what opportunities we will have. Here, we are benefitting from the experience HafenCity Hamburg GmbH has gained over the past decades. With the solutions it has been developing to date, the HafenCity quarter has become a benchmark for innovative development, and with the Grasbrook, Billebogen and Science City Hamburg Bahrenfeld projects, this will be taken to the next level.” 

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