All Things Urban

In this course you will get a unique insight into Berlin’s history and ambitions as a smart city. We will trace the development of Berlin’s official smart city agenda, appreciate the diverse landscape of actors who lead the change and visit some of the city’s most celebrated smart city projects and innovation hotspots first-hand. Berlin is growing. By the year 2030, there will be 250,000 more people living in the city than there are today. This will bring with it an increase in the demand for housing as well as in requirements for mobility, the adaptation of infrastructures and the availability of resources such as water, energy, data and building land. Like many major urban centres around the world, this means that Berlin is also facing a wide variety of challenges for the future: the growing city, the aging city or the city in the midst of structural change all require inter-disciplinary and inter-departmental approaches if solutions are to be found. The Smart City approach aims to find solutions to the ecological, social, economic and cultural challenges faced by Berlin through the use of intelligent technology. Berlin wishes to preserve – and as far as possible enhance – its appeal and its quality of life. “The 19th century was a century of empires, the 20th century was a century of nation states. The 21st century will be a century of cities.” – Former Denver Mayor W. Webb Like many cities around the world, Berlin wants to become a leading Smart City by 2030. But what does that mean? How can new technologies help to tackle some of Berlin’s biggest challenges? Who is leading the change? And what can Berlin learn from other cities? This course will challenge you to critically reflect and interrogate the “smart city” concept, contribute your own ideas and experiences from home and gain a broad perspective on how cities are innovating and cooperating all over the world for a more sustainable urban future. Jonas Schorr (MA/MSc) Jonas Schorr designs and facilitates new learning experiences for cities to share and better implement innovative and smart solutions for a more sustainable urban future. During the last few years, he has become an active part of Berlin’s nascent Smart City scene through his work as a research fellow at TU Berlin and as an independent consultant. He also coordinated the Policy Transfer Platform, an internationally recognized online knowledge platform for city professionals run by the city of Berlin and the Metropolis city network. Jonas previously worked at the London-based urban research centre LSE Cities and its Urban Age Programme on the future of megacities. He also gained a glimpse of the inner-workings of the European Union, working as a trainee for the European Commission’s environmental department in Brussels. Jonas holds a dual master degree in Global Media & Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Fudan University in Shanghai. He previously studied international management and corporate communications at a leading German business school and ran his own web design business for a few years. He studied and worked in a variety of cultural contexts, including Germany, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Singapore and China. + guest lecturers.

The course is ideal for participants with an interdisciplinary interest in urban planning, innovation and knowledge management, digital media & communications technologies, civic tech / engineering, sustainability studies, politics & governance, history.

The general prerequisites of the TU Berlin Summer University are: at least one year of university experience, plus at least B2 English (CEFR). This course requires C1 level English in order to fully participate in discussions.

5 ECTS

The internationally renowned Technische Universität Berlin is located in Germany’s capital city at the heart of Europe. Our academic activities are focused on achieving sharply-defined goals: building a distinctive profile for our university, ensuring exceptional performance in research and teaching, providing our graduates with excellent qualifications and a modern approach to university administration.

A scholarship is available, click "Register" to find out more.