Urbane Liga

What Urbane Liga does

Urbane Liga is a German non-profit youth civic engagement program that operates as a project of the Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Stadtentwicklung und Bauwesen (BMWSB), the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building. Founded in 2018/2019 and headquartered in Berlin, it functions as a Projektschmiede, Denklabor, and Lernplattform (project forge, think tank, and learning platform) for unconventional participation formats in urban development. Its core activity is running 18-month cohorts of 24 selected Stadtmacher:innen (urban makers) aged 16-27, recruited from nationwide open calls (with 110+ applicants per cycle). Participants engage in collaborative research (Ko-Forschung) across thematic groups and three Denklabor workshop weekends in Berlin, with results presented directly to ministry officials at the Jugendforum (youth forum) hosted at BMWSB. The organization is led by a 9-person core team and supported by BBSR and the consulting offices Wandelwerft and Rurbane Realitäten.

The product surface is essentially non-commercial and comprises three pillars: (1) the Jugendforum as a structured policy dialogue platform, (2) the Denklabor workshops as a cohort-based research and learning environment, and (3) a publication portfolio distributed as free PDF downloads — including yearbooks, position papers, and guides on urban governance, climate adaptation, circular economy (e.g., 'Gemeinsam Kreislaufen' on material depots), digital self-organization ('Recht auf Stadt 4.0'), and climate-just urban development ('Hitparade Klimagerechtes Stadtmachen', 'Klimaanpassung sozial gerecht denken!'). Distribution is purely domestic and digital-first, supplemented by Facebook/Instagram channels and conference participation (notably the Bundeskongress Nationale Stadtentwicklungspolitik).

Urbane Liga has no commercial revenue model: it is funded as accompanying research under the federal Städtebauförderung program, with no pricing structure, no products sold, and free participation. The customer base is effectively a single institutional buyer — BMWSB — making the organization's continuity entirely dependent on continued federal project funding. The alumni sub-brand ULA (Urbane Liga Alumninetzwerk) extends the community post-cohort. Geographic scope is national (bundesweit) only, with no international footprint disclosed.

Name

Urbane Liga

Legal name

Urbane Liga

Website

https://urbane-liga.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Urbane Liga is a German non-profit youth civic engagement program under the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building. It runs 18-month cohorts of 24 young urban makers aged 16-27 through collaborative research, Denklabor workshops, and policy dialogue, publishing free position papers on climate adaptation, circular economy, and urban governance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement Programs

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (925), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Cities & Urban Innovation Programs (Digital Planning, Civic Tech for Cities) (BPAIANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA), Sustainable Cities, Urban Development & Green Infrastructure (BPADALAL), State/Provincial Housing, Urban/Regional Planning & Community Development (BPAIABAM)

Keywords

• Youth urban development
• Participatory urban planning
• Civic engagement programs
• Climate adaptation policy
• Circular economy research

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Project Funding: Funded as a project by the Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB), part of the accompanying research of the Urban Development Promotion (Städtebauförderung). Supported by BBSR (Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs, and Spatial Development) and consulting offices Wandelwerft and Rurbane Realitäten.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Urbane Liga is a government-funded youth civic engagement forum for urban development, functioning as a project forge, think tank, and learning platform for unconventional participation formats. It selects young urban makers aged 16-27 through open applications, runs them through 18-month cohorts with Denklabor workshop sessions and co-research groups, and produces policy publications and position papers on urban governance, climate adaptation, and circular economy topics.

Product overview

Urbane Liga is a youth civic engagement forum for urban development, functioning as a project forge, think tank, and learning platform for unconventional participation formats. The organization is a project of the German Federal Ministry for Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB). Its offerings include the Jugendforum (Youth Forum) for youth participation, Denklabor workshop sessions for collaborative research, and various publications including position papers, guides, and yearbooks covering topics such as urban governance, circular economy, climate adaptation, and digital self-organization in cities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ULA: Urbane Liga Alumninetzwerk - the alumni network of Urbane Liga former participants

Quantifiable outcome

• Produced 4+ policy papers and publications on topics including coproductive climate adaptation, material depots for circular economy, and digital self-organization in urban development
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Netzwerk Initiativen für Materialkreisläufe (IfM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Network of material initiative organizations; co-developed the 'Gemeinsam Kreislaufen' publication on central material depots for circular economy in municipalities.
• Common Ground (Munich)supportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Alumni collaboration partner working on PRIMA BImA project researching potential uses of vacant Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben (BImA) properties for community-oriented purposes.
• Bundesministerium für Wohnen, Stadtentwicklung und Bauwesen (BMWSB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary institutional partner providing project funding and policy framework. Hosts the Jugendforum (youth forum) where participants present findings directly to ministry officials including Bundesbauministerin Verena Hubertz and department heads.
• Bundesinstitut für Bau-, Stadt- und Raumforschung (BBSR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal research institute providing scientific accompaniment to the program as part of the Städtebauförderung (urban development funding) companion research.
• Wandelwerft & Rurbane RealitätensupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConsulting offices supporting program implementation and methodological guidance for participant cohorts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mehr Demokratie e.V. German association advocating for direct democratic participation at municipal, state, and federal levels. Comparable as a civil-society organization pushing for citizen voice in public planning decisions, with a narrower participatory-tooling focus than Urbane Liga's research-oriented position.
• Netzwerk Junge Bürgermeister:innen: Network of young German mayors promoting intergenerational perspective in municipal leadership. Comparable as a youth-focused civic engagement channel interfacing with municipal and federal political structures, though oriented toward elected officials rather than grassroots researchers.
• BUNDjugend: Youth arm of BUND (German environmental organization) engaging young people in sustainability and environmental policy advocacy. Comparable as a structured youth civic engagement program producing policy positions and training cohorts, with thematic overlap in climate adaptation.
• Stiftung Mitarbeit: German foundation supporting citizen participation and democratic innovation through funding and advisory services. Comparable as a participatory governance intermediary offering tools, publications, and conferences to civic initiatives, with a similar civil-society-to-administration bridge.

Broad incumbents

• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – Stadtgrün & Demokratie: Green political foundation funding urban ecology, civic participation, and democratic innovation projects across Germany. Comparable as a publicly recognized, multi-year funder of youth-oriented urban research and advocacy outputs, with significantly larger scale.
• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): Federal agency for civic education that funds and runs youth participation and political education programs nationwide. Comparable as a federally resourced platform that channels youth voices into political discourse, though at a much larger scale and broader thematic scope.
• Deutsches Institut für Urbanistik (Difu): Germany's central municipal research institute, also produces research and policy guidance for urban development. Comparable as a research-and-knowledge intermediary operating between municipal administrations and federal policymakers, with a broader portfolio than Urbane Liga's youth-focused niche.
• Bertelsmann Stiftung – Programm Lebendige Werte: Major private foundation that runs programs on civic participation, urban development, and democratic innovation. Comparable as a well-funded producer of policy publications and participatory formats serving urban and municipal decision-makers, though at vastly larger scale.

Regional players

• Allianz für Beteiligung Baden-Württemberg: State-level participatory governance network that supports citizen participation in municipal and regional planning. Comparable as a structured participation framework connecting civil society with public administration, though focused on Baden-Württemberg rather than federal urban policy.

Direct peers

• Common Ground (Munich): Civic innovation organization co-developing Urbane Liga research outputs (e.g., PRIMA BImA on vacant federal properties). Comparable as a participatory urban research partner working with civil society and public institutions on alternative uses of public space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/urbaneliga
• Facebookfacebook.com/urbaneliga
• Instagraminstagram.com/urbaneliga
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbane-liga

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urbane Liga