Metropolis
New
The
Now
11 — 14 AUGUST 2021 • Berlin and Online
Fourth edition of Berlin questions announced
From 11 to 14 August, the conference Berlin questions will take over the city of Berlin for the fourth time. Under the title Metropolis: The New Now, international speakers will meet in iconic locations across the city to discuss the most pressing issues of our time.
Michael Müller will host Berlin questions in 2021
The host of this year’s conference is Michael Müller, Governing Mayor of Berlin. He will welcome international politicians, scientists, activists and other trailblazing speakers in Berlin, for four days of disruptive keynotes, panel talks and discussions.
Berlin questions is an annual, multi-day conference and a platform for transdisciplinary dialogue - providing ideas for structural change and collective action. Since 2017, the conference has made Berlin a home for debate, inviting politicians, journalists and artists from all over the world to address topics of global importance. This year's edition of the conference, Metropolis: The New Now, is dedicated to local solutions to global challenges, with a special focus on the future of the city after the Covid-19 pandemic. Hosted by Governing Mayor of Berlin Michael Müller, the conference will take place in a hybrid format for the first time: both in person at various locations in Berlin and online, via livestream or in a 3D virtual environment.
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Nadia Murad, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 2018 at Berlin questions 2019, Photo: Kevin McElvaney
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Vicente Fox, Former President of Mexico at Berlin questions 2018, Photo: Sebastian Gabsch
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Berlin questions 2019, Photo: Kevin McElvaney
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Berlin questions 2019, Photo: Kevin McElvaney
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Berlin questions 2017 at Schillertheater Berlin, Photo: Sebastian Gabsch
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Author Nathaniel Rich at Berlin questions 2019, Photo: Kevin McElvaney
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Berlin questions 2019, Photo: Kevin McElvaney
Mayors Statement
Message from the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller
The New Now – What does the present mean for the future? What lessons do we need to learn from the here and now in order to hit the ground running after the pandemic? What role will metropolises play in this process? And why are we asking this question in Berlin? One thing is certain: around the globe, for more than a year now, we have seen the coronavirus turn our world upside down. All spheres and all facets of the urban life we knew are under siege. As though it were a magnifying glass, the pandemic is bringing not only ordinary challenges into sharp focus, but society’s big questions as well. That’s because the pandemic struck in the midst of what were already sweeping changes – digital transformation, urbanization, and climate change – and their corollary impact on social justice, democracy, and freedom. These are all issues that still have special urgency in these pandemic times. (...)
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Rosebell Kagumire, Editor African Feminism at Berlin questions 2019, Photo: Kevin McElvaney
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Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus at Berlin questions 2017, Photo: Sebastian Gabsch
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Berlin questions 2019 at Station Berlin, Photo: Kevin McElvaney
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Author Chad Sanders at Berlin questions 2018, Photo: Sebastian Gabsch
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Activist Eugenia Chow at Berlin questions 2019, Photo: Kevin McElvaney
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Architect Rem Koolhaas at Berlin questions 2017, Photo: Sebastian Gabsch
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Berlin questions 2017 at Schiller Theater, Photo: Sebastian Gabsch
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Actvist Ivan Lam Long-Yin at Berlin questions 2018, Photo: Sebastian Gabsch
WED 11.08.21
Main Conference Day
Dating back to 1885, E-WERK is Germany’s oldest surviving electrical substation. With its impressive quadrant-shaped control room, it is one of the few architectural remnants of the country’s industrial past, and served for years as a techno club. Today, E-WERK is an events venue in the heart of Berlin Mitte that welcomes people from across the worlds of art, culture, business and media. Versatile and central, it is the quintessential urban location, and as such will welcome international mayors on the opening day of the conference.
Thu 12.08.21
Deep Dive Program
Public Luxuries
Spreepark Berlin
Quarantine Economies
San Gimignano Lichtenberg
What is the fair balance between individual and collective interests?
Vicente Fox
An appeal against sexual violence and human rights violations
Nadia Murad
Urban Angst and Stamina. What are the promising concepts to handle the rise and fall of the cities?
Rem Koolhaas
What do we do when there is nothing left to do?
Muhammad Yunus
Imagine yourself as the other self. How do we embrace tolerance and difference?
Cao Fei
Culture and AI - Creatives can never be replaced by AI - or can they?
Florian Illies
Revolutionary revelations in climate studies
Dr. Friederike Otto
Women’s empowerment through volunteer work
Suhani Jalota