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Future Cities – A Transatlantic Townhall: Closing Conference

    • October 12, 2023
  • -
    • October 12, 2023

Cities are a hub for political, economic and social developments. They not only stand for innovation, progress and change, but also bear a great responsibility with regard to climate change, social justice and inclusivity, mobility, health and the future of work. The transatlantic cooperation project “Future Cities” raised awareness of the complexity of tomorrow’s city among different stakeholders in society and provided new impetus for the development of future scenarios. It supported sustainable and future-oriented development in cities and to promote transatlantic exchange between them. What should the city of the future have looked like? What role could transatlantic relations have played in shaping it? How could cities have been made more sustainable, inclusive, innovative, and resilient? As part of the project, Aspen Germany hosted a transatlantic hybrid conference in Berlin on October 12, 2023. This recorded conference brought together more than 80 high-level participants from Germany, Europe, the United States, and other parts of the world. Aspen Germany also worked with print, broadcast, and digital and social media to facilitate and engage discussion and debate across borders.

Agenda

Final Conference

9:30 – 10:00 Welcome Coffee and Registration
10:00-10:15 Welcome Remarks by Stormy-Annika Mildner, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Germany
10:15 –10:30 Opening Keynote with Florian Hauer, State Secretary for Federal, European and International Affairs, Plenipotentiary of the State of Berlin to the Federal Government 
10:30 –11:45 Discussion “Cities through the Looking Glass” with Nedra Deadwyler, Founder & CEO, Civil Bikes, Eli Lipmen, Executive Director, Move LA and Sanna Richter, Project Manager, Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing. Moderated by Alanus von Radecki, CEO of Data Competence Center for Cities and Regions – DKSR
11:45 –12:45 Lunch
12:45 –13:15 Keynote “Building futures, future buildings” with Erin Bromaghim, Deputy Mayor of International Affairs, City of Los Angeles
13:15-14:15 Panel Discussion “Why Smart Cities matter” with Rolf Erfurt, COO, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Frauke Janßen, Commissioner for Digitalization, Association of German Cities, Stefan Kögl, General Manager Siemensstadt², Siemens AG – Siemens Real Estate, Alexa Möller, COO and Managing Director, Polyteia and Frank Wolters, CEO, Tegel Projekt GmbH. Moderated by Matt Petersen, President & CEO, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator  
14:15-15:15 Panel Discussion “Summer in the City: Climate Mitigation and Adaptation as Catalysts of Transformation” with Mohamed Attia, CEO and Co-Founder, NEX Aero, Alexander Cox, Former Deputy Director for Economic Mobility, The White House and German Chancellor Fellow, Julia Epp, Research Fellow, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Co-Founder, Women in Green Hydrogen, Thomas Heilmann [virtual], Member of Parliament, CDU/CSU, Anja Liebert [virtual], Member of Parliament, Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and Susanne Schmelcher, Head of Unit Quartier & Stadt, German Energy Agency. Moderated by Cathryn Clüver Ashbrook, Senior Advisor, Programm Europas Zukunft, Bertelsmann Foundation 
15:15-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:00 Panel Discussion“Fair for All? How to Combat Social Inequality in Cities” with Nicola Brandt, Head of Centre, OECD Berlin Centre and Catherina Hinz, Executive Director, Berlin Institute for Population and Development, Ana-Maria Trăsnea, Member of Parliament, SPD. Moderated by Angelika Hinterbrandner, Freelance Journalist and Architect
17:00-18:00 Transatlantic 2-on-1 with Norbert Gorißen, Deputy Special Envoy for International Climate Action and Climate Foreign Policy Commissioner, Federal Foreign Office and Nina Hachigian [virtual], Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State. Moderated by Stormy-Annika Mildner, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Germany 
18:00 End

Contact

  • Annika Mattes

  • Junior Program Officer
  • Phone: +49 (0) 30 804 890 34
  • a.mattes@aspeninstitute.de
  • Tobias Röttger

  • Program Assistant
  • Phone: +49 (0) 30 804 890 23
  • roettger@aspeninstitute.de
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