Metropolitan Solutions 2016 – International summit on urban development
Berlin. Berlin, the capital of Germany, is home to one of the world’s leading urban development summits: Metropolitan Solutions. In 2016, the combined congress and trade fair will again bring together decision-makers and leaders from around the globe for high-level dialogue on current and emerging issues and challenges in innovative, sustainable urban development. Held from 31 May to 2 June, Metropolitan Solutions is unique in that it comprises more than 30 high-power conferences and workshops organized by various independent operators. This wide-ranging program is rounded out by an exhibition featuring the latest urban development technologies and solutions from leading international companies and organizations. The topics covered include urban mobility, urban energy systems, architecture, urban planning and city management.
While the challenges faced by urban centers can differ widely depending on their size, they are united in seeking to reduce their carbon footprints, conserve energy, cut costs, attract viable long-term businesses and enhance the quality of life for their inhabitants. Conferences on various aspects of urban development are held at venues around the world, but what sets Berlin apart is that it is home to Metropolitan Solutions – the only multi-conference cluster to deal with all the challenges facing the world’s cities. And one of the big highlights of the upcoming Metropolitan Solutions is the German Habitat-Forum 2016 – Germany’s principal contribution to the UN-Habitat III program. The UN Habitat III Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development will take place in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016. Other conferences in the lineup will be staged by a range of organizations, including the EU, Germany’s Bertelsmann Foundation, and the ICLEI global cities network.
“Metropolitan Solutions delves into all the key themes and issues relating to urban development and presents integrated solutions for efficient, livable and sustainable cities,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, the Deutsche Messe Managing Board member in charge of Metropolitan Solutions. “It is a one-of-a-kind format that brings together a diverse array of conferences, backgrounds and disciplines. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration among companies and urban decision-makers, it paves the way for sustainable, long-term solutions for tomorrow’s cities.”
This year, Metropolitan Solutions relocated from the Hannover Exhibition Center to Berlin’s prestigious CityCube complex. The CityCube comprises three levels, with levels 1 and 3 housing the conferences and workshops, and, sandwiched between them, Level 2 housing exhibitions of smart city technologies and solutions by international companies. It’s a potent and highly productive combination of event formats which reflects the pivotal role of technological integration in making cities greener, more energy-efficient and generally more livable. The conference participants are able to discuss urban planning and development ideas and designs directly with around 200 companies. And for their part, the companies have direct access to a highly qualified and extremely well informed audience. In short, Metropolitan Solutions is the perfect setting for networking among all urban stakeholders, effective matchmaking and international dialogue on current best practice.
The exhibition visitors and conference attendees include urban decision makers – from municipally owned corporations and the real estate and local public transport sectors – and investors, providers of key services and solutions, NGOs, energy companies, urban planners and developers, research experts, government policymakers and representatives from all key technology industries. This diversity and breadth of scope stems from the fact that interdisciplinary collaboration is crucial to implementing smart city solutions.
Berlin – the perfect location
Metropolitan Solutions began its life in Hannover as part of the HANNOVER MESSE family of trade shows. It is now a standalone event and, as of 2015, is based in Berlin. The city is the perfect location for such an event, having made a name for itself internationally as the capital of Europe’s energy transition and being home to an extremely well developed science and research sector, not to mention Germany’s biggest startup scene. Berlin is also a growing city with a diverse, cosmopolitan population and ample space and potential for urban development. Berlin’s political leadership has set its sights on making the city one of Europe’s foremost smart cities.
In the future, the bulk of the world’s population will be concentrated in megacities – large urban centers that are home to many millions of people. In 2010, about half of the world’s population was already living in urban areas. According to UN forecasts, the world’s urban population will rise to around 5 billion by 2030 and 6.4 billion by 2050. While the urbanization megatrend has been around for some time, the difference today is that it is no longer driven by the western industrialized nations, but rather by emerging economic powers such as Brazil, Mexico, India and China. By 2025, China alone will have over 221 cities with populations exceeding one million. The need for sustainable megacity solutions is colossal, and the economic, ecological, political and social challenges confronting not just large cities but medium-sized and small urban areas as well are enormous. This is just as true for cities in the developed countries of Europe and North America as it is in for those in the developing world. That’s why more and more urban planners around the globe are embracing smart-city strategies and working hard to improve the quality of life of their cities’ residents. In nearly all cases, the strategies are centered around digital integration, increasing the number of green spaces and building intelligent infrastructure. The aim of these strategies is to maintain the attractiveness and competitiveness of cities and to meet the challenges posed by climate change and shifts in the social makeup of urban populations.
Deutsche Messe AG
With revenue of 280 million euros (2014), Deutsche Messe AG ranks among the world’s ten largest trade fair companies and operates the world’s largest exhibition center. In 2014, Deutsche Messe planned and staged 134 trade fairs and congresses around the world – events which hosted a total of over 41,000 exhibitors and some 3.6 million visitors. The company’s event portfolio includes such world-leading trade fairs as CeBIT (digital business), HANNOVER MESSE (industrial technology), BIOTECHNICA/LABVOLUTION (biotechnology and lab technology), CeMAT (intralogistics and supply chain management), didacta (education), DOMOTEX (floor coverings), INTERSCHUTZ (fire prevention and rescue), and LIGNA (woodworking, wood processing, forestry). With approx. 1,200 employees and a network of 66 representatives, subsidiaries and branch offices, Deutsche Messe is present in more than 100 countries worldwide.