Living in Karlsruhe

The digital transformation can only succeed if it is approached holistically. To achieve this, it is important that society does not see digitalization as an opportunity to improve everyone’s lives. Karlsruhe is pursuing precisely this approach – and making digitalization a tangible experience for citizens.

Everyone in the fan-shaped city is familiar with the EVA shuttles (later continued in the SHOW project), three autonomous minibuses that operate in the Weiherfeld-Dammerstock district.

They are part of the Baden-Württemberg autonomous driving test field – and thus a real-world laboratory for mobility concepts that provides insights into the individual and local public transport of the future. The emission-free and fully automated minibuses can be booked for a free ride via an app if required. The shuttles run Fridays to Sundays from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm.

The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

As part of the state’s digitalization strategy, the Ministry of Science will be funding the “Artificial Intelligence” Living Lab at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), while the Karlsruhe Real-World Laboratory for Sustainable Climate Protection (KARLA) will focus on the climate and research local measures.

From daycare centers and schools to museums, libraries and hospitals, the “Robotic Artificial Intelligence” real-world laboratory at KIT enables people to experience artificial intelligence in a variety of experiments and real environments.

And in other areas, too, the focus is on people. In line with the open government concept, the City of Karlsruhe has set itself the goal of making government and administrative actions more transparent and comprehensible. Citizens are actively involved in projects and decisions via the participation portal. Anyone who discovers problems in the city, such as potholes or a faulty street lamp, can use KA-Feedback to easily report problems via smartphone app.

The Karlsruhe.app is the mobile, digital and lively forum for everyone in Karlsruhe. But it is much more than just an app. It bundles a large number of apps that are relevant for Karlsruhe citizens and guests (“marketplace”). There are special channels and overviews on a wide variety of topics (“Channels”). The Karlsruhe.app also has a calendar of events (“Events”). And users can put all of this together to suit their individual needs.
Downloading and using the Karlsruhe.app is absolutely free of charge. The app can be used anonymously as a guest or with an account after registering in the app. It is available in the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

Karlsruhe is living digitalization – but also has a lot to offer in analogue form. The region is one of the sunniest in Germany with a large proportion of green spaces thanks to beautifully landscaped parks and gardens that invite you to relax and linger. Local recreational areas such as Alsace, the Palatinate Forest or the Black Forest are in the immediate vicinity of the fan-shaped city – and can also be reached quickly, conveniently and, above all, in a climate-friendly way by public transport.

Speaking of climate-friendly: in summer, up to 200,000 cyclists are on the road in Karlsruhe every month. No wonder, because thanks to regular investment in cycling, Karlsruhe was once again named Germany’s most bicycle-friendly city in 2020. So you can easily leave your car behind and explore Karlsruhe’s numerous green spaces and the region’s unique natural and cultural landscape emission-free.

If you don’t want to do without digital support entirely, the augmented history app “Stadtgeist Karlsruhe” allows you to take a virtual journey through time on your own smartphone at various locations.
Download
Stadtgeist Karlsruhe is available for Android from version 4.2 and iPhone with iOS 7 and higher.

Whether art, architecture, pleasure, bathing fun or wild party nights – with its numerous leisure and sports activities and a remarkable cultural scene, Karlsruhe offers its citizens and visitors a variety of opportunities to enjoy life in a completely analog way. It was not for nothing that Karlsruhe was named “Germany’s most liveable city” in 2015.

In 2019, Karlsruhe was the first and so far only city in Germany to be awarded the title of Creative City of Media Arts [Stadt der Medienkunst] by UNESCO and was included in the international UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). Karlsruhe thus stands for social and technological innovation, for creativity, networking and interdisciplinarity, and brings art and science together in a variety of ways. Immerse yourself in the vibrant cultural metropolis at the Seasons of Media Arts. The urban media art festival addresses issues of a global nature such as the climate crisis, technological change and democracy in the age of social media.

During the Schlosslichtspiele open-air media art festival, the 170-meter-wide baroque façade of Karlsruhe Palace is brought to life with artistic projection mappings. The endowed “BBBank Award Projection Mapping” also invites international artists to participate with their ideas.

The ZKM | Center for Art and Media is a unique cultural institution worldwide. With its collection, publications, archives and artistic-scientific research on the electronic arts, it stands for a program of interdisciplinary projects and international cooperation. Whether exhibitions, symposia, concerts or workshops, the ZKM conveys the theoretical discourses of philosophy, science, technology, politics and economics from a contemporary artistic perspective.