40 Minutes for Freiburg 2040: Impulses for a Sustainable Urban Region

What impulses can research provide for a sustainable urban region? And how can we translate them into action? Researchers will come together with stakeholders from business, the city’s administration and society to discuss these questions in a series of live events o be held Monday evenings at the centrally located co-creation room in the Old University. The conversations will be made available as a recorded podcast afterwards.

What will the urban climate be like in 2040? Where will our electricity come from? What will the (black) forest look like in 2040? What will the economy need (no more)? How will we work? What will we die of (no more)? We are confronted with many questions on the path to a sustainable urban region – questions that are best answered together.

Therefore, the new science communication format ‘40 Minutes for Freiburg 2040’ will bring together experts from academia with leading figures from city administration, business, and civil society.

The discussion series is open to all who are interested in taking a transdisciplinary look at the sustainable urban region of the future – by listening to the moderated 40-minute discussion, by asking questions, and by engaging in informal exchange over drinks and snacks afterwards.

‘40 Minutes for Freiburg 2040’ is part of a joint project between the University of Freiburg and the City of Freiburg, funded by the Stifterverband within the context of the ‘Transformation Lab University’ (Transformationslabor Hochschule) programme. The goal of the Transformation Lab is to strengthen universities together with a partner from the region as active designers of transformative processes. The Freiburg project is one of a total of nine nationwide.

Dates & Topics

• 20 November 2023
  What Will the Urban Climate Be Like in 2040?
  Prof. Dr. Andreas Christen, Chair of Environmental Meteorology
  Verena Hilgers, City of Freiburg Climate Adaptation Manager

• 4 December 2023
  Where Will Our Electricity Come From in 2040?
  Prof. Dr. Moritz Diehl, Chair of Systems Theory, Control Engineering, and Optimization
  Sebastian Sladek, Director of Elektrizitätswerke Schönau (EWS)
  Listen to the podcast episode Where Will Our Electricity Come From in 2040? in German.

• 18 December 2023
  What Will We Die Of (No More) in 2040?
  Prof. Dr. Dr. Karin Michels, Director of the Institute for Prevention and Cancer Epidemiology
  Dagmar von Cramm, nutrition expert & journalist

• 15 January 2024
  What Will the (Black) Forest Look Like in 2040?
  Prof. Dr. Christiane Werner, Chair of Ecosystem Physiology
  Nicole Schmalfuß, Director of the City of Freiburg Forestry Office

• 22 January 2024
  How Will We Work in 2040?
  Prof. Dr. Gregor Dobler, Chair of Ethnology
  Uwe Michaelis, founder & director of whatever.works

• 29 January 2024
  How will we live in 2040?
  Prof. Dr. Caroline Karmann, Chair of Architecture and Intelligent Living (KIT)
  Simone Wörner-Justies, Justies Architekten & Board Member Architekturforum Freiburg

• 5 February 2024
  What Will the Economy Need (No More) in 2040?
  Dr. Matthias Kranke, Fellow Young Academy for Sustainability Research (YAS)
  Alma Spribille, Gründerin & Geschäftsführerin WEtell

Moderator: Maria-Xenia Hardt

Poster for the series ‘40 Minutes for Freiburg 2040’

All important information on the discussion series are also collected on the following poster:

Contact

If you have further questions about ‘40 Minutes for Freiburg 2040’ or the ‘Transformation Lab University’ programme, please contact the University and City of Freiburg tandem partners: