Analysis of digitization strategies of German municipalities: trends, topics and sustainability aspects (No. 523)

The discussion paper examines how German municipalities are using digitalization strategies as a tool for greater sustainability and thus strategically interlinking digitalization and sustainability. Municipalities are already using digital technologies to implement more sustainable solutions, such as the intelligent control of streetlights or the needs-based irrigation of green spaces, which reduces personnel and material costs as well as energy consumption.

Using text mining methods, digitalization strategies of 214 German municipalities were analyzed to identify priorities and sustainability aspects. Four case studies were selected and outlined regarding their contribution to greater sustainability. A workshop with around 40 municipal digitalization officers and climate protection managers provided additional insights into strategic integration. 

The results show that only a minority of the approximately 11,000 German municipalities have published digitalization strategies. Since 2017, cities, municipalities, and districts have been using these strategies to address the growing demands of a modern society, focusing in particular on administrative digitalization, mobility, and education. Larger municipalities are placing greater emphasis on economic topics, while smaller ones are prioritizing administrative digitalization in particular as a separate focus area. The municipalities take ecological, economic, and social sustainability aspects into account. Half of the digitalization strategies we analyzed even include sustainability as a key topic, with larger municipalities more likely to prioritize it.

The long-term success of the strategies depends largely on the support of municipal leadership and the council as well as the involvement of local stakeholders. Flexibility, continuous monitoring, and cooperation between municipalities are crucial in order to be able to react to new developments and utilize synergies effectively.