Christian Hansen

A journey from the first settlements through today's cities to imaginable smart cities beyond tomorrow. In this keynote I will take you on a journey through the evolution of our cities. Starting with the first settlements and the invention of agriculture, I trace the arc to the disruptive impact of the industrial revolutions that laid the foundation for today's world of metropolises and mega-cities. Urban centres around the world are facing enormous challenges in the context of climate change, population growth, demographic change and social inequalities. While "smart" solutions offer promising approaches to address some of these pressing issues, there is a growing realisation that technological progress alone is not enough. A holistic vision that fuses innovation, communication and collaboration is needed to ensure that a sustainable, inclusive and liveable urban tomorrow remains possible.

A keynote about the value of bold experimentation in a rather perfectionist world. Human progress is inextricably linked to the concept of failure: Just about every great invention, every scientific breakthrough and every cultural revolution has its roots in thought experiments, trials, and often also: in countless failures, which, however, hardly anyone talks about any more. In our modern world, driven by competition and perfection, we have learned to fear failure. This stands in the way of our ability to grow and develop - and thus threatens the success of necessary transformation processes. To remain competitive in our rapidly changing world, both individuals and organisations must have the courage to experiment and occasionally fail. By overcoming the fear of failure and recognising its valuable role in the learning process, we can become a stronger, more resilient, and ultimately more successful society.

Based on my own medical history, this keynote treats cities as patients. What do they suffer from? How do we treat them? And how can urban prophylaxis work? In this keynote, I put cities at the centre of an analysis based on my personal story. What if we look at our cities not as mere structures and systems but as patients with symptoms and an individual medical history? If we interpret deficient infrastructures, insufficient public services, growing social inequalities and the challenges of climate change as maladies of an "urban system"? An effective cure for these urban "diseases" goes beyond technical solutions and superficial remedies. It requires deep diagnostics to identify core problems and generate sustainable solutions beyond linear thought patterns. Join me on this journey between urban development, psychology and storytelling as we discover the powerful role of narratives in transforming and reshaping urban spaces.