The Sustainable Smart Cities research cluster at HTW Berlin conducts interdisciplinary research as an inter- and transdisciplinary scientific institution and combines research and teaching activities from all five faculties of the University. Engineering, natural science, economics and social science approaches are pursued. The thematic field Sustainable Smart Cities raises many questions that are just as interesting for science and academia as they are for the practice of urban development - a special focus is therefore placed on what can be termed a transdisciplinary and transformative approach to research. The HTW Berlin Living Lab Campus is intended to provide space and structure for this research.

With its strategy “Common Digital:Berlin”, the city of Berlin is pursuing the goal of sustainably transforming the capital digitally. In Berlin’s understanding of the concept “Smart City”, “smart” is interpreted as a creative, open and participatory approach - it is about bundling diverse perspectives and interests and jointly tackling concrete projects for a sustainable and smart city. A city is only smart if digital technologies are used for society and the democratic community. Concurrently, the Berlin Strategy 2030 specifically names Schöneweide and Adlershof as transformation sites that are to be further developed in a smart, urban, green and solidarity-based manner. Specifically, the Strategy states: “In 2030, Adlershof and the Wilhelminenhof Campus in particular stand for innovation, excellent research and education. The excellent connection to BER connects science, innovation and media from Schöneweide and Adlershof with Europe and the world and ensures international exchange and competitiveness.”

HTW Berlin responds to developments in the city of Berlin and cultivates profile-enhancing, externally effective research cooperations with civil society, business and politics in this area. However, the University’s responsibility for its regional environment is also formulated as a guiding principle with regard to research activities in both the research and the transfer strategies. Numerous district-based activities in teaching, research and the Third Mission confirm the professors’ efforts to take on regional responsibility and to collaborate with actors from the surrounding area to jointly shape the future. Teaching projects such as the Innovation Workshop should be mentioned here, as well as local advisory activities on sustainability and democracy development or research projects such as the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals in the district of Treptow-Köpenick.

On the one hand, the research cluster aims to make a contribution to the “smart transformation” of Schöneweide and Adlershof, yet, on the other, it also seeks to contribute to the city-wide discussion on sustainable Smart City Berlin as well as to national and international networks.