Vision & Strategy
Imagine "
" in Hamburg in the year 2054
A city that operates within a circular economy
- more local economic value creation
- More Repairs
- more collaborative work
- less trash
- less dependence on fragile supply chains
The Future Is Taking Shape Here
That's exactly what
is: Fab City
A Fab City (Fabrication City) aims to produce nearly everything it consumes locally and in a circular manner.
Blueprints, expertise, and digital production data are shared worldwide. Manufacturing and recycling take place on-site.
That is
- environmentally sound
- resource-efficient
- emission-reducing
As a Fab City, Hamburg is evolving into a place that once again
makes itself
reused
thinks ahead
This makes Hamburg more independent and economically strong. It also has a positive social impact, because people don’t just consume—they are once again more closely involved in the value chain and, as a result, experience a sense of self-efficacy and social cohesion.
Vision & Strategy
Why This Matters Now
The climate crisis, waste of resources, digital upheavals, and a changing world of work are hitting cities particularly hard, because many people already live there—and that number is set to grow. At the same time, cities offer the greatest opportunity: here, we can test new solutions more quickly, tackle everyday problems in a practical way, and make change tangible—in our neighborhoods, at school, at work, and in workshops.
How do we get there?
Open source and urban production are not science fiction. More and more technologies are available as open-source hardware, and blueprints and software can be freely used, improved, and shared.
Combined with digital manufacturing (e.g., 3D printing, CNC), a new paradigm is emerging: products can be designed globally and manufactured locally, tailored to local needs. Maker spaces, fab labs, and open workshops are the “places of making” for this purpose. They bring people, knowledge, and tools together.
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Next Steps Through 2030
Hamburg can be a Fab City. Now it's time to make it happen:
The Strategy of Fab City Hamburg e.V.
You can download our complete strategy paper as a PDF here:
Fab City Hamburg is laying the groundwork today for the city of tomorrow. Using concrete measures:
The Hamburg metropolitan region is a place of action. Yet for many of the things we need every day, we currently rely on global supply chains, raw materials, and production sites located elsewhere. What if we brought some of this value creation back closer to home? What if products could be developed, manufactured, repaired, and reused right here in Hamburg and the surrounding region? What if digital technologies, local expertise, and circular business models could help us turn less into more?
This is exactly where the Fab City Vision 2054 comes in.
Hamburg has been part of the international Fab City Global Initiative since 2019. More than 60 cities and regions around the world are working to shift their production from the global “Product In – Trash Out” model to a new principle: globally connected, locally produced, and circular in design.
Fab City Hamburg e.V. is bringing this vision to life in the Hamburg metropolitan region. Since 2020, we have brought together people and organizations from business, science, education, government, and civil society, and through concrete projects, we have demonstrated what is possible—from digital manufacturing to repair and reuse, and on to new forms of collaboration. Hamburg has thus positioned itself internationally as one of the leading Fab Cities. Now the next phase begins.
Reaching People: Workshops and programs that make the circular economy easy to understand and encourage participation.
Turning Ideas into Products: Challenges and maker formats that highlight circular innovations and support prototyping.
Strengthening workshops: a growing network of open spaces providing low-threshold access to learning, repair, and digital fabrication.
Promoting education: so that children and young people can become “Fab Citizens”—with practical skills for the future.
Making repairs easier: Guidance through tools and maps that highlight repair services in Hamburg.
Highlighting local production: Collecting data and knowledge about “Made in Hamburg” to identify and expand opportunities.