Opening Week

Cities generate our future. They provide early experience of progressive ideas - both technical and social ones. They keep significant and cultural symbols and represent economic wealth. Due to their fast-growing digital innovation, cities embody the idea of a new era of prosperity.

At the same time, cities face major challenges and severe problems of these days: housing shortage, traffic density, air pollution, climate change, structural vulnerability and growing social inequality.

Worldwide, severe ecological and social problems become visible in cities. There is a call for transformation – in favour of a more liveable and sustainable future.  

The Opening Week 2020 entitled „Future Meets Cities” focuses on this area of tension. You as first-semester students are cordially invited to take a close look at both chances and challenges of current and future cities. More than 30 project topics will be analysed: What makes a city sustainable? How do cities deal with the effects of climate change? How can urban health systems cope with crises such as the corona pandemic? In which way do social movements such as “Recht auf Stadt” and “Fridays for Future” influence the development of cities?

During the Opening Week that marks the very beginning of the semester, your ideas will be essential. Together with around 1500 first-semester students, you will create a digital collage comprising both visionary videos and journalistic commentaries. We will collect and save your ideas during the semester up until the conference week, the final of the semester.

Renowned guests and keynote speakers will take part in the Opening Week. Through a modular programme, you can exchange your ideas digitally with international experts from different fields of social relevance such as politics and science. At the same time, you will work within your project groups - both digitally and, hopefully, also on the campus.

We look forward to generating the Opening Week together with you.