Think global - act local

“Meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the opportunities of future generations to satisfy their own needs.” This is the concept of sustainability as defined by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Norwegian Prime Minister.

„In 1992, “Sustainable Development” became the guiding principle of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) with the recognition that sustainability is not only limited to the field of ecology, but that economic, social, and societal aspects must be considered equally as well.

A sustainable future strategy must be developed in cooperation with the people: Specific, vibrant, integrative, and in a dialog with engaged citizens. That’s tradition here in Esslingen. With the launch of the local Agenda 21 process in 2008, a broad strategic discussion was began in order to broach the issue of the “city of the future” with all citizens and begin to work towards a common goal in small steps.

Various work groups set objectives and used indicators to determine strengths and weaknesses, identify possible paths of action, and develop various measures and project scenarios that should help achieve these goals. The central topics of Esslingen’s future strategy are: