Ever since re:publica this year, we’ve been busy working on an idea I had way earlier this year. See, last year we had an amazing conference here in Berlin, called atoms&bits which was wonderful especially since it happened at the crossroads of so many different fields of activity. We had a politics track alongside a DIY/Makers track which was complemented with a track about art in the digital age.

I loved it especially because of that, but there were problems, of course. We rarely had time to organise this thing, and with this widespread an audience, making sure people speak the same language (metaphorically) can be hard. So the idea was to have something similar this year, but with a thematic focus. To get those groups talking to each other again, but with an overarching theme. This was where the development of cities came to my mind.

Allow me to crosspost the introductory post from cognitivecities.com:

ANNOUNCING: THE COGNITIVE CITIES CONFERENCE Our future will be played out in cities. The projections tell us that our planet will resemble some very familiar fictional fantasies: 75% of the global population will be living by 2050 in cities or mega cities. Between slums and mass poverty on one hand and eco-sustainable living on the other hand, there will be both tough problems to solve and exciting visions to realize. We are at a point in time where the paths are set for the future of cities. The Cognitive Cities Conference wants to pick up the vibrant global conversation about the future of cities and bring it to Germany. By bringing bright minds with different perspectives together, it is our ambition to enable not only an in-depth exchange about the current state of affairs, but also to foster new projects. We believe that collaboration and diversity lead to the best results. We see the Cognitive Cities Conference as a platform for exchange and mutual inspiration and invite urban planners, designers, technology geeks, environmental experts, public officials, urban gardening enthusiasts and cultural influencers to be part of the conversation. We can only make our cities more liveable if we work together to improve them. The format of the conference will be a combination of lightning talks and workshop style sessions. Participants will share ideas, thoughts and challenges based on their diverse backgrounds, thus presenting different perspectives and approaches to the challenges we share. We are planning a one track only event, with the option for break-out sessions at any time. Where and when? Cognitive Cities Conference 02./03. October 2010 Coworking Cologne Who is Cognitive Cities for? We believe that diversity is essential for mutual inspiration. Cognitive Cities is aimed at designers, architects, futurists, urban planners, web geeks, activists, urban dwellers, you name it. If you are interested in the future of your city, you are most welcome. Who is behind Cognitive Cities Conference? Axel Quack, Igor Schwarzmann, Johannes Kleske, Markus Reuter, Martin Spindler, Peter Bihr, Welf Kirschner. Powered by CognitiveCities.com. Cognitive Cities is organized on a non-profit basis. We will provide more details and a dedicated link soon. Official hashtag is #cocities

I’m thrilled to see this going. And I’d love to hear from you what you’d like to talk about in this context. If you got speakers you’d wish to see, if you know sponsors which would be a perfect match, let me know.

And in the mean time: save the date. I hope I’ll see you in Cologne.

Update: The conference site can be found here: Cognitive Cities Conference

(Image: “Intersection of Day and Night” by 24thcentury under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 License)