Overview
- The Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft, in a study commissioned by the Regionalverband Rhein‑Ruhr, ranked twelve metropolitan regions and placed the Ruhrgebiet first using 23 indicators across family, housing, culture, leisure, transport and provision.
- Measured advantages include reported daily time savings of about 26 minutes for families due to short distances and an average five‑minute car trip to primary schools compared with more than seven minutes in the Nuremberg region.
- Housing costs were a major differentiator, with average rents around €8.30 per square meter in the Ruhrgebiet versus roughly €15.50 in Munich, which placed last overall alongside low scores for cultural and leisure density.
- The full table cited shows the Ruhrgebiet ahead of the Rheinland and Rhein‑Neckar regions, with Berlin‑Brandenburg and Hamburg in the lower tier of the ranking.
- Reactions highlight a contrast between the strong aggregate score and persistent local hardship, as critics point to high unemployment and poverty in cities like Gelsenkirchen and Duisburg and question whether planned municipal debt relief and a roughly €60 billion federal infrastructure fund will reach the communities most in need.