Draft of the updated land use plan will be on public display from 22/08/2025
The draft version of the city of Jena's land use plan, which is currently being updated, is now available. From 22.08. to 22.10.2025, citizens will have the opportunity to comment on the 2nd phase of the plan update as part of the public participation process.
"With this draft, we have reached an important milestone in the development of this complex plan," says Dirk Lange, Head of Urban Development and Environment for the City of Jena. "An update is essential to ensure the long-term and sustainable development of our city and against the backdrop of the challenges in the areas of housing supply, further securing the positive development of Jena's economy and the consequences of changing climatic conditions," Dirk Lange continues.
At the end of 2023, the city of Jena had around 108,400 main residents - significantly more than the 90,600 predicted for 2020 in the 2006 land use plan, which is still in effect. At the same time, the local economy continues to develop at an above-average rate, supported by high-growth industries. This is leading to increased demand for housing, which is reflected in the current (2023) vacancy rate of around 2 %.
In order to meet the demand for housing, jobs and infrastructure, the plan relies on a combination of redensification, reactivation of existing areas and careful designation of new building areas. A target agreed by the city council envisages the creation of 4,830 additional residential units by 2035 - an important contribution to stabilizing land and rental prices.
"With the land use plan as a strategic basis, a framework is set to further develop Jena as a liveable residential and business location in the future and at the same time ensure a sustainable and climate change-adapted future."
The update of the plan is based on numerous updated specialist concepts supported by city council resolutions, including strategies for residential and commercial development, urban climate and garden design as well as infrastructure planning for schools and playgrounds. The cross-departmental "Integrated Urban Development Concept Jena.2030+" (ISEK) also forms a further basis.
"In a developing and attractive city like Jena, it is no easy task to bring together the various interests in a kind of overarching master plan. The limited amount of available space requires a strategically sensible approach to land use. This will be one of the major challenges for the coming years," explains Dirk Lange and continues: "An important goal is therefore to further develop Jena as a business location with a view to ensuring a high quality of life for citizens and companies.
Public participation
Citizens can participate in the draft in various ways from 22.08. to 22.10.2025:
- All documents relating to the draft can be viewed onthe City of Jena's websiteduring the publication period .
- During the publication period, comments can be submitted electronicallyvia the online participation platform (accessible via jena.de/fnp).
- Alternatively, participation is possible by post or e-mail to the city administration.
(Jena City Council, P.O. Box 100388, 07703 Jena | fnp@jena.de) - The documents are also available for public inspection in the administration building at Am Anger 26 during this period.
After evaluating and weighing up all feedback, the city council will decide on the final land use plan. This will then be submitted to the higher administrative authority for approval.
What is a land use plan?
The land use plan organizes the land requirements for the individual land uses with a certain degree of abstraction. In contrast to development plans, which are generally limited to individual settlement areas, the land use plan depicts the type of land use for the entire urban area and sets a framework for a long-term time horizon of approx. 15 years. It presents this in a coarse-meshed structural concept for larger areas of use and refrains from making plot-specific statements (no parcel definition).
The updating of the land use plan is a mandatory municipal task in accordance with the German Building Code. As a so-called "preparatory land-use plan", it does not produce any direct legal effects vis-à-vis citizens, but rather has the function of a planning commitment of the municipality and the authorities involved in its preparation.
Note
The public announcement of the publication of the draft of the land use plan update will be made on 14.08.2025 in the official gazette no. 32/25 of the City of Jena.