Story & Vision
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.
Story & Vision
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 2027
Fab City Hamburg is laying the groundwork today for the city of tomorrow. Using concrete measures:
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.