Long day of the regions
June 21, 2023
On June 21, the annual Long Day of the Regions took place, during which actors in the Cologne/Bonn region exchange ideas on how to shape the future. Both the Rhine-Erft district and the Rhine-Neuss district are currently facing major spatial, infrastructural and economic transformation tasks, and will continue to do so in the coming years and decades. With topics such as energy and resource transformation, climate protection and climate change adaptation, mobility transformation or digitalization, structural change affects all areas of life and impacts the entire Cologne/Bonn region to varying degrees. During various excursions, the participants were able to visit showcase projects in the region and exchange views on regional approaches to solutions.
The Bedburg Resource Conservation Settlement as part of the SmartQuart real laboratory was also one of the excursion destinations. The SmartQuart project and the Bedburg neighborhood were presented to the more than 30 participants in the town hall. In addition, Sarah Welter and Lisa von Wittenhorst from RWTH Aachen University gave insights into the research work in the project. The focus was on the participation and involvement of citizens in the project and in the energy transition. Especially the use of renewable energies in the neighborhood aroused great interest among the participants. After an extensive round of questions, the participants then went on a tour of the resource protection settlement.