The Stuttgart Region () is an urban agglomeration at the heart of the Stuttgart Metropolitan Region in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It consists of the city of Stuttgart and the surrounding districts of Ludwigsburg, Esslingen, Böblingen, Rems-Murr and Göppingen (each 10–20 km from Stuttgart city center). About 2.7 million inhabitants live in that area (3,700 km2). In fact, with 708 people per square kilometre, the Stuttgart Region is one of the most densely populated areas in Germany. Stuttgart Region is governed by a directly elected parliament.
Situated at the heart of Baden-Württemberg, the Stuttgart Region is the hub of economic, scientific, and political life in Southwest Germany. The area currently has Germany's highest density of scientific, academic and research organisations, and tops the national league for patent applications.
Geography From northwest to southeast the region is 90 kilometers long and from southwest to northeast 80 kilometers. The size of the area is 3.654 km2. According to calculations made by the land surveying office, the geographical center is located in the south of the district Rems-Murr a few hundred meters east from the village Weinstadt-Strümpfelbach in a vineyard. An erratic placed after the vine field reform - the so-called Vogelstein - lays by accident almost exactly in that center.
The Neckar flows through the region for about 90 kilometers, of which about 70 kilometers are navigable waterway. The longest tributary in the region is the Fils (50 km), followed by Murr (45 km), the Rems (35 km) and the Enz (30 km).
Topographically the Region lays between 170 m above sea level (Neckar near Kirchheim am Neckar) and 835 m above sea level (swabian albs plateau near Hohenstadt).
Demographics About 2.7 million people live in the Stuttgart Region, which corresponds to a quarter of the entire population of Baden-Württemberg at about on tenth of its size. 749 people/km2 is the regions average population density.
The numbers of inhabitants are census results (¹) or official updates of the statistical state office of Baden-Württemberg (only primary residence). DateInhabitants31 December 19732,373,26831 December 19752,341,09931 December 19802,369,27331 December 19852,348,27225 May 1987 ¹2,361,41231 December 19902,484,360 DateInhabitants31 December 19952,566,95031 December 20002,613,37931 December 20052,667,76631 December 20102,678,7959 May 2011 ¹2,626,86431 December 20152,735,425
Verband Region Stuttgart The Verband Region Stuttgart (VRS) a public body, is as one of 12 regional associations in Baden-Württemberg political and administrative instance of the Stuttgart Region. Its predecessor is the Regionalverband Mittlerer Neckar founded in 1973 which was renamed to Regionalverband Stuttgart in 1992. By law it was transferred into the Verband Region Stuttgart on February, 7th 1994. Thereby the new association besides the regional planning, received additional tasks and has as the only regional association in Baden-Württemberg a directly elected parliament. The regional assembly of the Verband Region Stuttgart is elected every five years.
Further association bodies besides the regional assembly are the honorary chairman elected by the assembly out of its members for 5 years and the regional director elected for 8 years who is temporary full-time public official. The regional director represents the association and leads the Administration. His office is located in the associations office in Stuttgart. The association additionally has an office in Brussels.
The Budget of the VRS for 2016 was 389 million Euro (2015: 323 million Euro).
Tasks Important compulsory tasks of the VRS are amongst others:
regional spatial planning (regional planning) regional transportation planning and public transport regional economic promotion
Spatial Planning The VRS is the representative for the regional spatial planning (regional planning). Most important tool herefore is the regional plan according to § 9 ROG. This plan names the following central places.
Regional Centers Stuttgart Stuttgart Central Bad Cannstatt (core city) Feuerbach (core city) Vaihingen (core city) Weilimdorf (core city) Zuffenhausen (core City)
Medium CentersBacknangBietigheim-Bissingen (district Bietigheim), BesigheimBöblingen, SindelfingenEsslingen am NeckarGeislingen an der SteigeGöppingenHerrenbergKirchheim unter TeckLeonbergLudwigsburg, KornwestheimNürtingenSchorndorfVaihingen an der EnzWaiblingen, Fellbach
Sub CenterDitzingenDonzdorfFilderstadt (district Bernhausen)Leinfelden-Echterdingen (districts Leinfelden and Echterdingen)Marbach am NeckarMurrhardtOstfildern (district Nellingen)PlochingenWeil der StadtWeinstadt (district Endersbach)WelzheimWinnendenSmall CentersAlfdorf (main town)Bad Boll (main town)Böhmenkirch (main town)Bönnigheim (central city)Deggingen (main town)Ebersbach an der Fils (central city)Eislingen/Fils (central city)Freiberg am Neckar (central city)Gäufelden (district Nebringen)Gerlingen (central city)Großbottwar (central city), Oberstenfeld (main town)Holzgerlingen (central city)Korntal-Münchingen (district Korntal)Lenningen (districtl Oberlenningen)Neckartenzlingen (main town)Neuffen (central city)Plüderhausen (main town)Rechberghausen (main town)Reichenbach an der Fils (central city)Remshalden (central city)Renningen (central city)Rudersberg (main town)Sachsenheim (central city Großsachsenheim)Steinheim an der Murr (central city)Sulzbach an der Murr (main town)Uhingen (main town)Waldenbuch (main town)Weilheim an der Teck (central city)Wendlingen am Neckar (central city)Wiesensteig (central City)
Transport The VRS is responsible for the regional transport planning and the regional significant local public transport. In the regional transport plan it makes forecasts of the traffic development for longer periods of time and names and evaluates urgent measures to cope with traffic. The VRS is sponsor of the S-Bahn Stuttgart and stakeholder of the Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart (VVS). Moreover, he co-finances Stuttgart 21.
Out of the 323 million Euro in the budget of 2015, 300.4 million Euro went to the transport budget. Of those, 80.5 Million Euro was for the operation of the S-Bahn, the Schuster and the small Teckbahn.
According to a financing agreement the VRS receives for the S-Bahn Stuttgart 9,1 % of the states regionalization budget from 2018 until 2031, 88 million Euro in 2018.
Economic promotion In order to exercise as required by law, the regionally important task of economic promotion, the VRS founded together with other Stakeholders the die Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH (in 1995). Besides the recruitment and the guidance of companies which want to locate in the Stuttgart Region (Exogenic economic promotion) the about 50 employees of WRS consult and assist within the scope of site development already locally based companies (endogenous economic promotion).
Besides the classical economic promotion in the narrower sense (e.g. through the marketing of industry sites, guidance of investors at their search for a location as well as location marketing) one focus is on the economic promotion activities of the Stuttgart Region and the Support of certain business clusters. Amongst others.:
Automotive industry and engineering Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering Energy and Environmental Engineering Information Technology (especially in the field of Open-Source-Software) Health based economy Aerospace Engineering Cultural industry
In order to support these Clusters, the WRS initiates, coordinates and mentors the WRS branch networks (e.g. the Clusterinitiative Automotive CARS, the MedienInitiative Region Stuttgart or the Initiative Open Source Region Stuttgart), organises Symposiums (as for example the annual fuel cell congress f-cell) and gathers and publishes a variety of branch information.
In order to promote the employer attractiveness of the regions small and medium-sized employers to the pupils, students and graduates, the Wirtschaftsförderung Region Stuttgart GmbH hosts an online Stuttgart Region employer directory. There organizations have the possibility to present themselves and their current offers for junior employees.
In order to improve the knowledge transfer and contacts between industry and science, 15 competence and Innovation Centers have been established in the Region within which organisations, universities and research facilities work together interdisciplinary on industries related projects. Examples for such competence and Innovation Centers are the Virtual Dimension Center (VDC, competence Center for virtual reality in Fellbach), the Kompetenznetzwerk Mechatronik in Göppingen, the Packaging Excellence Center (PEC, competence Center for packaging and automation technology) in Waiblingen or the Software center Böblingen/Sindelfingen.
Further activities aim at the supply of skilled employees (for example through advancing the compatibility of family and careers and model projects on professional development). As well as the support of company foundations (for example through the partner network Partnernetz für Unternehmensgründungen aus Stuttgarter Hochschulen (PUSH) or the agency of founders and private Investors; see also Business Angels). In order to sponsor the music and film industry the Region has established two separate institutions: The Film Commission Region Stuttgart and the Popbüro Region Stuttgart.
Honorary Chairmans The designations were: 1974–1994 „Vorsitzender des Regionalverbands Mittlerer Neckar“ respectively „Vorsitzender des Regionalverbands Stuttgart“; since 1994 „Vorsitzender des Verbands Region Stuttgart“.
March 1974 until 1 October 1994: Walter Hirrlinger (former Minister of Labour) 19 October 1994 until 29 March 1995: Hans Jochen Henke (Lord Mayor City of Ludwigsburg) 29 March 1995 until 26 June 1996: Wolfgang Rückert (former mayor) 26 June 1996 until 7 December 1999: Eberhardt Palmer 7 December 1999 until 21 August 2000: Helmut Xander 21 August 2000 until 20 September 2000 Peter Hofelich (temporary after the step-down of Helmut Xander) 20 September 2000 until 31 Dezember 2006: Jürgen Fritz since 1 January 2007 and reelected for 5 years on 16 September 2009: Thomas Bopp
Regional Directors The designations were: 1974–1994 Verbandsdirektor des Regionalverbands Mittlerer Neckar respectively Verbandsdirektor des Regionalverbands Stuttgart; since 1994 Regionaldirektor des Verbands Region Stuttgart.
1 February 1974 until 1 October 1994: Erich Stoll 1 October 1994 until 25 September 2008: Bernd Steinacher (1956–2008) 1 July 2009 until 1 July 2013: Jeannette Wopperer since 19 March 2014: Nicola Schelling
Infrastructure