Organized by the German Ministry for Education and Research, Science Year 2015 is dedicated to the topic “City of the Future.” For many people, cities are the center of their lives and their everyday experiences; where people work, relax, learn and participate in cultural activities. Cities are also where issues critical to society’s future make themselves felt: good jobs, climate protection, sustainable transportation, health, immigration and demographic change, to name but a few. They are also where responses to these challenges are being rethought and reworked.
Cities: a source of identity in our globalized world?
Two out of three people in Germany live in cities. The city is their primary reference point when it comes to social, economic and political issues. People identify with the city they live in. They often get involved in a number of activities to make sure their community is cohesive and strong. Cities are where visionary ideas are born.
Cities also thrive on an exchange of opinions and experiences, as well as on differences of opinion and efforts to forge compromises that can help them develop further. All of this means cities – large and small – can continue serve as a source of identity and provide a sense of meaning in our globalized world.
As the topic for Science Year 2015, “City of the Future” can provide new momentum for finding solutions to these challenges.
MS Wissenschaft, a floating, hands-on exhibition
On behalf of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Education and Research, the MS Wissenschaft is sailing to 35 German cities between April and September 2015, carrying an exhibition on the “City of the Future.” If circumstances permit, the ship will also visit Austria and other neighboring EU countries.
The exhibition is made up of interactive displays that encourage visitors to get involved. The displays are designed to promote an exchange of ideas and a dialogue between researchers and the public. Ultimately, they are meant to inspire people to help shape life in their own community.
The exhibition focuses on the different areas that will influence how cities develop in the future. They include ecology, economics, social issues, politics, sociology/demographics, architecture, technology, infrastructure and history. The exhibition also examines what city life might look like in coming years.
The Bertelsmann Stiftung is participating in “City of the Future” by contributing an interactive photo booth that it developed exclusively for the exhibition. The photo booth allows visitors to snap a selfie in their preferred urban environment.
The project is using Wegweiser Kommune (Community Roadmap) to post information about the MS Wissenschaft as it travels throughout the country.
blog.wegweiser-kommune.de
Science station
In 2014, people traveling by rail were also able to learn more about modern life when the national Science Station exhibition was displayed in a number of train stations across Germany. Called “digital is . . . ,” the exhibition examined digital technology in its various guises and the tasks for which it can now be used.
Also a hands-on event, Science Station is exhibited throughout the country for a number of weeks each year. Offering a combination of interactive experiments and informative background material, it is designed to appeal to both young people and adults. Each year’s topic reflects the issue chosen by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research for its Science Year, which in 2014 was “Digital Society.”
The “digital is . . . ” exhibition also featured the Bertelsmann Stiftung’s Wegweiser Kommune (Community Roadmap) app.
