CLUB OF ROME SALON: Building the City of the Future
Building the City of the Future:
Cities, World Expos, and Stakeholders Driving Sustainability
A Collaboration between Arts & Nature Social Club & Club of Rome Germany
Tuesday, 9 December 2025
6:15pm: Entrance/Networking
6:50pm: Official Start
Data Space Berlin
Rosenthaler Str. 38 (Backyard)
10178 Berlin
Franziska Giffey, Deputy Governing Mayor and Berlin State Senator for Economy, Energy & Enterprise
Dimitri Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)
Dr. Dominik von Achten (TBC), Chairman of the Managing Board, Heidelberg Materials
Prof. Dr. Eckart Würzner, Mayor, City of Heidelberg; Chair, UN Forum of Mayors, Vice President, Association of German Cities (“Deutscher Städtetag”)
Welcome Remarks:
Dr. Hinrich Thölken, Member, Supervisory Council, EXPO 2035 Berlin; Exec. Vice President, Capgemini; former Climate & Energy Ambassador
Jörg Geier, Member, Club of Rome and Chair (Programs), ANSC (Curation & Moderation)
 Franziska Giffey |  Dimitri Kerkentzes |  Prof. Dr. Würzner |
 Dr. von Achten |  Jörg Geier |  Dr. Hinrich Tölken |
Seats for in-person participation are limited and by invitation only. If you would like to participate in person, please let us know by expressing your interest. We will get back to you as soon as a seat becomes available.
ABOUT THIS SALON:
What role can cities play in advancing global sustainability goals? How can World Expos serve as a launchpad for related projects and initiatives?
Cities are the chosen form of life for the majority of the world’s population. Naturally they can be the heart of sustainable development. They unite people, resources, and challenges—while also offering the greatest space for solutions. Cities drive innovation, economic activity, and cultural exchange, but also produce the majority of emissions and resource use. Since the adoption of Agenda 2030, cities have proven to be powerful drivers of global goals through sustainable infrastructure, inclusive planning, and resilient systems. Their actions on energy, housing, mobility, waste, and equity directly shape climate outcomes, social well-being, and economic sustainability are key for humanity—making cities both the front line of risks and the most powerful engines of transformation.
World Expos have historically acted as global stages for major themes like industrial progress, culture, and technology. In recent decades, sustainability has increasingly become a central idea. Expo 2000 in Hanover was the first to frame sustainability explicitly. R. Buckminster Fuller’s Expo 67 dome is often cited as an early architectural expression of sustainable design at a World Expo. In this sense, the sustainability concept has been woven into the fabric of Expos long before it became an explicit theme. World Expos of the future face an even bigger responsibility: to set examples for the creation of the kind of future we want to create. The current Expo in Osaka illustrates this pacemaker role.
Berlin, with its distinct history, culture, scientific, and artistic excellence, has a lot to bring to the table. How, then, could an Expo 2035 in Berlin contribute towards showcasing the city as a model metropolis for the 21st century? How might Berlin stimulate innovation and economic growth across products and services while serving as a platform for citizen participation and enabling collaboration with other German and international cities?
Cities like Heidelberg have already shown how linking global goals to local action can turn urban areas into living labs of innovation, planning, and citizen participation. By gathering best practices from cities of all sizes—nationally and internationally— and building networks for exchange, urban areas can share experiences and demonstrate how they can become drivers of change and lighthouses of innovation.
“Cities are at the forefront of active climate protection. In order to reach our 2030 and 2050 targets locally and globally, a culture of enabling is required on a national and international level. That is why the EU must also create a legal framework that accelerates green, just and sustainable recovery.
Prof. Dr. Eckart Würzner, Mayor of Heidelberg (July 12, 2021)
Franziska Giffey has been Senator for Economy, Energy and Enterprise of Berlin (and Deputy Governing Mayor) since April 2023. From 2018 to 2021, she was Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in Angela Merkel’s government. Earlier in her career, she was Mayor of the Berlin district of Neukölln (2015-2018).
Dimitri Kerkentzes is the Secretary General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). Since 2009, he served as the Secretary General’s Counsellor and Chief of Staff, before being appointed Deputy Secretary General in 2015. As Deputy Secretary General, he had overseen the establishment of the World Expo Museum and launch of impact studies on World and Specialized Expos.
Dr. Dominik von Achten (TBC) has been a member of the Managing Board of Heidelberg Materials AG since 2007 and CEO since 2020. Previously, he oversaw the North America Group area. He has been President of the German Federal Association of Building Materials, Stones and Earths since 2016, as well as a member of the BDI Executive Committee.
Prof. Dr. Eckart Würzner is the Mayor of Heidelberg and has served in this role since 2006, advancing sustainability, climate protection, and urban development. A global voice for cities, he is Chair of the UN Forum of Mayors and Vice President of the Association of German Cities (“Deutscher Städtetag”) and contributes to C40 Cities and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.