The district town of Homberg (Efze), located in northern Hesse, consists of the core town and 20 other districts. It has just under 14,000 inhabitants and is located about 40 kilometres south of Kassel. Since summer 2015, Homberg (Efze) has been one of six towns in the model project of the Herbert Quandt Foundation and the State Foundation “Together in Hesse”. Communities that are particularly affected by demographic change were selected. The aim is to develop and implement projects in the localities. After the first meetings of the round table in Homberg (Efze), the topic of mobility emerged as the most important. A citizens’ bus, according to the idea of the local activists, could improve the accessibility of the core town and the individual districts. In the coming months, the team of the Herbert Quandt Foundation will receive comprehensive technical advice from the nexus Institute and support in planning a citizens’ bus. Several events in the city will inform interested citizens and motivate them to participate. A community bus always requires advice and information. Legal, geographical, financial and social conditions must be taken into account. In addition, a citizens’ bus itself is planned locally and developed precisely to meet existing local needs. Furthermore, the citizens’ bus should complement existing public transport, but not replace it. The aim of the joint work of the project partners is that a citizens’ bus can start operating in Homberg (Efze) in 2016.

Duration: 12/2015 – 06/2016
Client: Herbert Quandt-Stiftung, Landesstiftung “Miteinander in Hessen”
Team: Dr. Holger Jansen