Small and medium-sized cities score in a city ranking with economic dynamism. The pandemic also plays a role in this.
Berlin – According to a study, the attraction of metropolises in Germany has weakened during the corona pandemic.
Some small and medium-sized cities, on the other hand, score with economic dynamism, as the study published on Thursday by IW Consult in cooperation with the Internet portal Immobilienscout24 and “Wirtschaftswoche” shows. Of the seven largest cities in Germany, the four metropolises Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart and Berlin lost residents in times of lockdowns and home offices in the Corona year 2020 compared to 2019.
“People are increasingly drawn to the surrounding area and to small to medium-sized cities, which are particularly impressive with their green spaces, a high quality of life and a good infrastructure,” explained Ralf Weitz, Managing Director of ImmoScout24. From 2015 to 2019, the population of the seven metropolises Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Düsseldorf grew by an average of 2.2 percent.
Lower immigration from abroad
The study names the slowed migration within Germany and lower immigration from abroad compared to the previous year as the reasons for the decline in the Corona year 2020. At the same time, the living preferences of many people have shifted as a result of the pandemic.
However, there was little movement in the annual ranking in terms of the current economic power of the 71 independent cities (level ranking). Munich was at the top for the ninth time in a row. The Bavarian capital scored among other things with the good location on the job market, quality of life and the economic structure. The top five again included Erlangen (2nd place), Ingolstadt (3), Stuttgart (4) and Frankfurt am Main (5). Heilbronn made it into the top ten for the first time. At the lower end were the Ruhr area cities of Herne (69), Duisburg (70) and Gelsenkirchen (71). 51 different indicators from the labor market, economy, quality of life and real estate market were compared.
The changes in economic dynamics, which analyzed the development of 36 indicators from the labor market, economy, quality of life and real estate market within five years, were clearer. The former front runner Munich slipped to tenth place. Above all, the collapse in trade tax income in the Corona crisis plays a role. “That hit cities with many large companies hard,” explained study author Hanno Kempermann from IW Consult.
