The Tecklenburg Region 2030: Our Values, Our Vision #Zukunftsstadt How do we want to live in the future? What is a “good life“? The objective of “The Tecklenburg Region in 2030: Resilient Lifestyles in Rural Areas” project was finding local answers to global questions. Launched in August 2015, its vision was officially presented and celebrated last month. The much anticipated full-length report is now available online. Beautifully illustrated by Käthe Wenzel, “The Tecklenburg region 2030: Our Values, Our Vision” report literally paints a picture of a Tecklenburg future that, while remaining very realistic, dares to be innovative and hopeful. It is realistic as it clearly identifies demanding challenges and trends in different societal sectors until 2030. It is innovative in the way that it provides direct recommendations both on how to act and who can act on these challenges. Lastly, it is hopeful because it does not just stop at problem solving but aims to truly enable communal wellbeing, knowing that a fruitful tomorrow is more than just the solution of today’s problems. The report functions as a useful tool for building the future as envisioned by the local Tecklenburg people by providing an outlook over sustainable living in the area in 2030 as well as the regional soft skills and social innovation that will be required to succeed. One of the practical assets of the report is its way of directly identifying change agents. For example, the report names kindergartens, schools, and local women as relevant actors for knowledge sharing and society-wide education with regards to raising awareness for conscious consumption and healthy foods. Approaches like this one also demonstrate the cross-generational understanding of sustainable development that formed the baseline of the Tecklenburg vision. Initiated as part of the “Zukunftsstadt” competition, the project can be used as a model of civil society engagement and consultation for rural social and technical development with its report functioning as a hands-on tool for areas in Germany facing similar structural changes by providing inspiration and opening up opportunities to actively transform such change into a chance. The report can be downloaded here.