Visiting the Ministry of Magic...err, British Council in Berlin

Tonight, I attended an event called "Future Agenda—The World in 2020" at the British Council. It's located in the center of Berlin at Alexanderplatz (right next to the tram lines where Matt Damon abducted Julia Stiles in The Bourne Supremacy).

After having to buzz in and enter through a slightly confusing (at first) automatic glass door, I had to take an elevator up to the fourth floor, where the British Council is located. When the elevator opened for me to step in, I had a brief moment where I felt like I was walking into a corridor in the Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter land, if you're confused—see photo from Google below).

The elevator had what looked like dark green tiles with gold trim and tinted-, mirrored-walls that made the space look larger than it actually was. Nevertheless, it made me pause before stepping into the elevator—the lights were all, for the most part, off.

Once I made it to the fourth floor though, I got my name tag and signed up for one of the four discussion groups. I was invited to pick up a copy of the book, Future Agenda—The World in 2020, which was quite a thick, comprehensive book. You can find an overview online too.

Since the project is sponsored by Vodafone, their Senior Communications Manager gave a short presentation on their "four macro certainties" that will need to be considered as 2020 draws nearer:

1. A continued imbalance in population growth;
2. More constraints on key resources;
3. An accelerating shift of economic power to Asia; and
4. Universal data access.

Now, whether you agree with these or not, they are certainly major issues to consider. For example, by 2020, the world's population is expected to have increased by 750 million people. Most of this growth will take place in regions of the world that can least afford to support them (limited resources, weak infrastructure, etc.). 

In four groups, we discussed four different themes, respectively: the Future of Wealth, Cities, Work, and Environment. I joined the group discussing the future of cities, and we discussed three insights: dense cities, bridging the last mile, and mega-city-states.

I plan to read the entire book thoroughly, but here are snippets from each of the three insights our group discussed:

• Dense Cities | "As urban migration increases, efficient, densely populated cities, not distributed options, are the blueprints for more sustainable places to live."
• Bridging the Last Mile | "Making public transport as flexible as private focuses attention on improving the last mile between multimodal hubs and the home/work destination."
• Mega-City-States | "Increasing competition between cities overrides national priorities as mayors lead bold initiatives to place their cities at the forefront of the global stage."

So that's what we discussed. My initial impression was that I did not necessarily agree with all of them. Frankly, the mega-city-states idea reminded me of Greek city states and made me wonder if they're proposing we revert to the system of the ancient Peloponnese with the major change being the advanced technology of today. All facetiousness aside, I do agree that developing more effective, more efficient public transportation is a major part of the future.

Clearly, there are many other factors to consider—many of which are addressed in the complete book such as local produce, scientific advances, and medical tourism—but I think such a discussion requires more than just a small group activity on a Wednesday evening. I'm not saying tonight's event was not useful, rather I think it must be part of a larger series of discussions and then action plans to create any kind of effective change.

I left the event tonight wondering how I was supposed to apply what I'd learned or even what the heck I was supposed to have walked away with. About the only solid thing I walked away with was a full stomach 'cause they fed us with a nice buffet dinner. 

I also met a number of other folks at the event. Besides two other Fulbrighters, I also met a number of Bosch Fellows, who were all pretty cool. After learning about their experiences, I have to say I'd consider applying for one of those fellowships. I also met someone who works for the German Marshall Fund of the United States, and it turns out he actually interned for Congressman Jim McDermott at one point. Small world as Congressman McDermott actually told me connect with another of his former aides who now works in Germany. Funny.

The ride home today was quite quick—only 40 minutes. I had new headphones, which I bought at Saturn before the event tonight, because my old ones had broken down. I could only hear out of one earbud. Not exactly good for my ears, I think, to be blasting music to just one ear. So I'm happy with my new headphones (only 5€!).

I also tried a new suit-shirt combo tonight that I actually like a lot. I wore a black shirt instead of my usual white. I decided to go with my blue tie instead of gold or silver. Turned out better than I'd expected! Here's my MySpace-like picture so you can see. :)

Things are picking up as I've got articles to read, interviews to transcribe, and papers to write. I've also got a presentation at a school on Friday that will cover the topic "Immigration, Integration, and Multiculturalism in the U.S." I asked the students to read an article on the Dream Act ahead of time too, and the teacher turned it into a fantastic lesson plan that I'll have to ask for her permission to share it. I'm really very impressed with how quickly she took the link I sent her and turned it into a very good exercise for the students in her English class. Respect.

Until next time,

Sam