Working and living in Aachen

Working and Living in Aachen: Your Career Location for Environment, Planning and Geodata

An overview of the city

Aachen, the westernmost major city in Germany with around 260,000 inhabitants, is a traditional university town in the border triangle of Germany-Belgium-Netherlands. As home to RWTH Aachen University, one of Europe's leading technical universities with over 47,000 students, Aachen combines historical significance as Charlemagne's coronation city with modern science and innovation. The city impresses with its location in the Eifel, its proximity to three countries and its role as a center of science and technology. Aachen as a place of work stands out with RWTH Aachen as a University of Excellence, the Geodetic Institute and Department of Geography, innovative companies and a lively research landscape. Living in Aachen means student flair, an international atmosphere, historic old town and a city that combines tradition with the future. For professionals who want to combine a career in Aachen with scientific excellence and an international atmosphere, the imperial city is an excellent choice.

Labor Market for Environmental and Planning Occupations

The Aachen Job Market offers excellent prospects for specialists in the environmental, planning and geodata sectors. The City of Aachen is working on sustainable urban development and the Urban Data Platform (UDP) to support climate protection and climate adaptation. The Department of Geoinformation and Land Planning operates the geodata portal with comprehensive maps on planning and environmental protection law, aerial photographs, cadastral maps and city maps. GIS Jobs Aachen benefit from RWTH Aachen with the Geodetic Institute (Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, GIA) and the Geothermal Information System (GetIS). Environmental Planners in Aachen find tasks with the city, in particular coordinating urban data for spatial, environmental, social and school planning.

Aachen's particular strength lies in research: The Geodetic Institute (GIA) at RWTH researches BIM, GIS, digital twins, geothermal energy, photogrammetry and indoor positioning. The Department of Geography researches physical geography, economic and human geography with applications in urban planning, climate research and cartography. Geodata jobs in Aachen are created by the city, engineering firms and research. Surveyors in Aachen benefit from RWTH's excellent geodesy courses. Vacancies in Spatial Planning Aachen include positions at the city, at planning offices such as the Kaulen City and Traffic Planning Office and at RWTH. Geoinformatics Aachen is excellently positioned by RWTH with Geodesy, Geoinformatics and Applied Geography. The unique combination of a university of excellence, international flair and a border triangle makes Aachen an attractive location for skilled workers.

Quality of life and infrastructure

Working in Aachen means living in a lively university town with international flair. The cost of living is moderate. Living in Aachen is affordable compared to western German cities, and the housing market is tight due to many students. The transport connections are good: Aachen is located on important rail lines to Cologne, Düsseldorf and Belgium. Cologne/Bonn, Düsseldorf and Maastricht airports are easily accessible. Aachen's work-life balance benefits from the location: The Eifel, the Netherlands and Belgium are on the doorstep. Aachen is culturally lively: Aachen Cathedral as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Historic Old Town, the Carolus Thermal Baths, a student cultural scene and the proximity to three countries characterize the city.

Career prospects

Aachen's job opportunities for specialists in the environmental, planning and geospatial sectors are very good. RWTH Aachen is one of Europe's leading technical universities and offers excellent research and teaching with its Department of Earth Sciences and Geography. The Geodetic Institute (GIA) and the Department of Geography with the courses Applied Geography (B.Sc. and M.Sc.) and Economic Geography offer first-class education. RWTH offers unique minor subjects such as geodesy, urban planning, transportation and spatial planning, waste management, and environmental technology. This university excellence creates a dynamic environment for the career of environmental engineer Aachen. Vacancies in spatial planning Aachen wants to continue to increase as a result of research projects and the city. For qualified specialists, Aachen is therefore a university city with excellence, international flair and a border triangle character.