In 1997, authorities and business circles worked together with the resident population to develop a mission statement for Zurich's city centre for the first time. A product of the 1997 mission statement is the Inner City Working Group. The Inner City Working Group is made up of various municipal service departments, the City Association and its affiliated street associations, department stores and the resident population in District 1.

After ten years, the working group initiated the review of the topicality of the mission statement and the adaptation to the new circumstances. Like the first mission statement, this new version is a compromise of the various points of view, which is now intended to serve as a solid basis for concrete projects. The new version "Leitbild Innenstadt 2008" was adopted by the Inner City Working Group and the Zurich City Council.