CityLAB Berlin: How innovative citizen participation is helping to shape the world of work of the future | Tempelhof Airport

22/10/2024

CityLAB Berlin, located at the Zukunftsort Tempelhof, acts as a hotbed of innovation for the world of work of tomorrow by revolutionizing administration and urban design. As an interface between science, business and civil society, CityLAB Berlin aims to create a sustainable world of work through technological innovation and citizen participation. Here, the future is brought to life by developing concrete projects aimed at improving the interaction between citizens and the administration in Berlin.

Citylab Berlin_Credit: Florian Reimann

Innovations for administration and urban design

One of the main goals of the CityLAB is to modernize the city administration through digital technologies while at the same time involving citizens more closely. A crucial tool in this process is prototyping, which makes it possible to test new ideas quickly and in a practice-oriented way. This approach makes it possible to quickly test innovative solutions and tailor them to the needs of the city’s residents. The focus is on citizen participation, as citizens can actively participate in urban development and thus help shape their future world of work and life.

CityLAB-Berlin_Credit: Sabine Zoltnere

“Hands-on AI experiments”

One of CityLAB Berlin’s flagship projects is the “KI-Experimente zum Anfassen” (“Hands-on AI Experiments”) initiative, which makes artificial intelligence tangible for citizens. In this project, AI applications are brought to life in an urban context to demonstrate how this technology can improve the work of the administration and simplify interaction with citizens. The project brings the possibilities and challenges of AI down to a comprehensible level and shows how it can help make the city and its work processes smarter.

CityLAB Berlin_Credit: Sabine Zoltnere

The Public Design Handbook

Another significant project is the “Handbuch Öffentliches Gestalten” (“Public Design Handbook”), which serves as a practical guide for public administration. It presents methods and approaches for making administration and urban development more dynamic. The aim is to enable administrations to work more creatively and in a more user-oriented way in order to meet the needs of a changing society. The manual promotes exchange between administrations and civil society, thereby creating a basis for jointly shaping the future.

CityLAB-Berlin: Handbuch Öffentliches Gestalten_Credit: Sabine Zoltnere

A bridge between science, business and society

CityLAB Berlin impressively demonstrates how innovative approaches can be used to build a bridge between science, business and society. This synergy is essential in order to create a sustainable world of work. Thanks to initiatives like CityLAB Berlin, new forms of collaboration are emerging in which technological innovation, public participation and public administration go hand in hand to shape a modern and livable city.

Citylab-Berlin_Credit: Florian Reimann

Further information about CityLAB Berlin and its projects can be found here.