Being a great fan of cycling, I did a short tour today through the city I am living in. Karlsruhe (http://www.karlsruhe.de). As I am a native Berliner, I would say that Karlsruhe is quite ... small. Anyways, there are some similarities. E.g. at least two autonomous centers (KA-City and KA-Durlach), much lawn, parks, etc. and many Pubs. Although the highest courts of Germany are located here and therefore the concentration of judiciary related jobs is big, there are also many young people from all over Germany and foreign countries, studying on one of Karlsruhe’s five universities.
I might post some more impressions from this small but enjoyable city in the future.