Urbanity in Transition

How can cities benefit from collaboration with science?

The image of the world has changed enormously in recent years: While urbanisation is largely complete in Western countries, new cities are emerging in the global South, some growing into megacities in many cases. At the beginning of our century, more than 50 percent of the world’s population lived in cities for the first time. The development of the infrastructure, economy and also ecological conditions of urban space is a global challenge, not least in order to also delay/stop climate change.

Cities are subject to a constant process of transformation. They can and must react to changing circumstances with innovations. In particular, digitalisation and advancing climate change are changing the image of the city and leading to important trends such as networked cities, the circular economy, alternative mobility concepts and an increased participation by citizens which is also being practised in many places.

Individual cities cannot be considered in isolation and Hamburg’s development cannot be thought of without the metropolitan region. How is Hamburg facing the challenge of maintaining or improving the quality of life of its inhabitants? How can cities become more resilient? How are other cities and regions shaping their future? And how can science, as a source of innovation, support the constantly progressing change? Answers to these questions will be found at the event, which is being held as part of the tenth anniversary of the Innovations Kontakt Stelle (IKS) Hamburg/Innovation Contact Service Hamburg.

To answer these questions, IKS Hamburg, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economics and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, has invited speakers who will contribute different perspectives on the topic.