They came from every corner of the globe – from Amsterdam and Riga, and cities as far afield as La Paz, Dar es Salaam and Surabaya: political leaders, municipal decision-makers and experts in sustainable urban development. Their common destination: Berlin, and the chance to compare notes on the latest in smart-city thinking at Metropolitan Solutions 2016.

For three whole days, Berlin is hosting high-level dialogue on the way forward for the world’s urban centers as they seek to navigate the challenges of the future and become smart cities. As of today, political leaders, urban planners, municipal decision makers, scientists and businesspeople from around the globe are converging on Berlin’s CityCube complex for Metropolitan Solutions 2016, one of the world’s leading events on smart city themes.

Cities play a driving role in global economic development. As economic centres as well as intersections of human coexistence, cities are more and more dependent on smart solutions for efficient interlinked structures in order to solve problems like congested infrastructures, lack of housing, insufficient water and electricity supply as well as inadequate water and waste removal services in a sustainable way.

“Refugees welcome? Refugees integrated!” is the topic of an expert symposium at this year’s Metropolitan Solutions combined congress and exhibition, which runs from 31 May to 2 June at the CityCube venue in Berlin.

How can we make our cities more livable? In what ways can cities contribute to the achievement of global climate targets? What is the way forward for improved urban mobility and energy supply? These are the sorts of questions that lie at the heart of Metropolitan Solutions 2016.

Berlin, the capital of Germany, is home to one of the world’s leading urban development summits: Metropolitan Solutions.