Metropolises and megacities - once and now. An event in the Science Year 2012 - Future Project EARTH
Press release from 09/06/2012
More than half of the world's population already lives in cities. The trend towards megacities is continuing. At the event "Metropolises and megacities - past and present" on 12 September 2012, experts will shed light on the phenomenon of urbanisation from a historical and current perspective and discuss similarities and differences between the past and present. The joint event organised by the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Akademienunion is taking place as part of the Science Year 2012 - Future Project Earth.
"In the Science Year 2012 - Future Project Earth, this event shows against the historical background that two factors are decisive for sustainable urban development: On the one hand, it is important to develop innovative technologies and system solutions for urban spaces. On the other hand, we need modern forms of public participation for citizens who actively help to shape the transformation to a sustainable city," says Federal Minister Prof. Dr Annette Schavan, who will open the event with a welcoming address.
Energy problems, supply issues, environmental pollution, mobility and the establishment of a social and legal system have always been challenges that the inhabitants of large cities have had to face. The key questions that have always had to be answered in this context, both in the past and today, are: How do we want to live? How should we do business? And how do we organise our coexistence?
"At our event, we would also like to focus more on the social aspects, which are sometimes pushed into the background in the discussion about urban technologies, but which are of central importance for the functioning coexistence in cities," says Prof Dr Günter Stock, President of the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities.
However, metropolises are not just a characteristic of our time. Large cities already existed in prehistory and early history, and Rome was the first city with a population of millions to emerge in antiquity. Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, emphasises: "Historical metropolises ultimately posed similar questions to those faced by large cities today. But we are also interested in the role they played in the emergence of political systems, the development of civilisation, culture and technology or the social and medical care system. The exhibition "Pergamon. Panorama of the Ancient Metropolis" shows how such knowledge about cultural contexts can be communicated in an exciting way and illustrates that museums are not only repositories of the past, but also unique sources of knowledge for the present and future."
At the event, experts will give four lectures on the topic of urbanisation using the example of metropolises and megacities, starting with the large settlements from prehistoric and early historical times (Prof. Dr. Hermann Parzinger), the metropolis of Pergamon (Prof. Dr. Bernard Andreae), the European metropolises of modern times (Prof. Dr. Friedrich Lenger) and the megacities of the present (Prof. Dr. Frauke Kraas). In a concluding panel discussion, similarities and differences between metropolises and megacities past and present will be discussed.
Afterwards, there will be an opportunity to visit the exhibition "Pergamon. Panorama of the Ancient Metropolis" (Pergamon Museum, Museum Island Berlin).
Further information on the event and the detailed programme can be found at: www.akademienunion.de and www.preussischer-kulturbesitz.de.
Time and place:
Wednesday, 12 September 2012, from 2 p.m.
Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Leibniz Hall
Markgrafenstraße 38
10117 Berlin
Media representatives are cordially invited to the event. Please register at: sekretariat(at)akademienunion-berlin(dot)de.Please note that you must register in writing in advance to visit the Pergamon Panorama.
The event is part of the Year of Science 2012 - Future Project Earth and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The media partner is Deutschlandradio Kultur.
Press contact:
Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities
Head of Press and Public Relations
Dr Annette Schaefgen
Tel.: 030 / 325 98 73 70
schaefgen(at)akademienunion-berlin(dot)de
www.akademienunion.de
Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation
Head of Press and Public Relations
Dr Stefanie Heinlein
Phone: 030 / 266 41 1440
pressestelle(at)hv.spk-berlin(dot)de
The Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities is the umbrella organisation of eight science academies. More than 1900 scientists from various disciplines, who are among the nationally and internationally outstanding representatives of their disciplines, are united under the umbrella of the Academies' Union. The Union coordinates the "Academies' Programme", currently the largest research programme in the humanities in the Federal Republic of Germany. The Union promotes communication between the academies, carries out press and public relations work and organises events on current problems in science. The Academies' Union communicates with academic organisations in Germany and abroad and sends representatives to national and international academic organisations.
With its internationally outstanding museums, libraries, archives and research institutes,the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK) is one of the largest cultural institutions in the world. It combines art and culture with science and research in a special way. Its collections document the cultural development of mankind in all parts of the world from its beginnings to the present day. The tasks of the SPK are the preservation and expansion of its holdings, their research and cataloguing as well as their presentation and communication to the public. Established in 1957, the foundation emerged from the collections of the Prussian state. It is supported by the federal government and all 16 federal states. The five SPK institutions are Staatliche Museen zu Berlin(www.smb.museum), Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin(www.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de), Geheimes Staatsarchiv PK(www.gsta.spk-berlin.de), Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut(www.iai.spk-berlin.de), Staatliches Institut für Musikforschung(www.simpk.de).
Year of Science 2012 - Future Project ERDE
The Science Years are an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) together with Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD). They have been promoting dialogue between the public and research since 2000. The Science Year 2012 - Future Project Earth focuses on three central questions: How do we want to live? How should we manage our economy? And: How can we preserve our environment? The Year of Science 2012 thus promotes social debate on the goals, challenges and fields of action of sustainable development.
www.zukunftsprojekt-erde.de
This press release as PDF document (PDF, 282 KB, not barrier-free)