The Idea

The goal of the MarktKulturBus is to revitalise town centres and to actively engage people living in rural areas. Municipalities and their residents use the MarktKulturBus platform to digitally match mobility solutions to their needs and with sufficient advance notice. In the process, regional suppliers may also be mobilised and integrated. After requests are collected and assessed, a visually iconic bus or a convoy of buses drives to the community for a weekend and functions as a pop-up market to meet many of the community's needs. For example, the MarktKulturBus can enable the sale of regional products, function as a stage for more civic dialogue and even as a "mobile doctor's office". Points of contact are created around the bus for various community target-groups. The bus thus provides important incentives to bundle loosely connected regional initiatives, topics and goods -- and to ultimately strengthen the sense of community.

The MarktKulturBus idea came about at the Hackathon #UpdateDeutschland, where various problems in rural areas became apparent, including:

• Discount grocery-store monotony versus regional value-creation and goods
• Lack of places for old and young people to gather, or simply a village pub
• The need for a car to access culture or to visit a swimming pool
• Lack of participation in democratic processes or community projects

The modular MarktKulturBus is designed to help solve these problems. After being booked by community representatives, a creative and organisational team provides the appropriate "equipment" of people, goods, structures, and so on. Together, these create a harmonious mix of urban and local offers, and bring "life to the countryside".