District Future – Urban Lab
How can we live well in the city today and tomorrow - while respecting the environment and posterity? Together with you, we want to find answers and try out and explore the good life of tomorrow. The aim is not to completely remake what is, but to transform it carefully and over the long term in cooperation with citizens, science, politics and business.
We're taking a vacation. The Quartier Zukunft team is taking a short break. Our Zukunftsraum will therefore be closed from August 1 through September 10, 2026. We'll be back to serve you as usual at the Zukunftsraum starting Tuesday, September 15, from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.
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In 2021, young authors like Pia and Kajsa took part in our short story contest, “FutureFiction – Stories for the Future.” At the time, we were delighted by the enthusiastic response and the large number of submissions. Today, five years later, it’s worth taking a look back.
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Die Karlsruher Künstlerin Renate Helene Schweizer verwendet gebrauchte Teebeutel als Basis ihrer künstlerischen Arbeit. Zum 20-jährigen Jubiläum der Zero-Waste-Künstlerin zeigt das Quartier Zukunft ab 10. Mai 2026 ihre Werke. Die Ausstellung ist ein Beitrag zu den Aktionstagen "Zusammenhalt in Vielfalt" und zum "Tag der Demokratie".
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What does Quartier Zukunft – Labor Stadt do?
"District Future – Urban Lab" is a real-world lab of the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis (ITAS) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). Together with local stakeholders and people, the real-world lab aims to make the city of Karlsruhe - especially Karlsruhe's Oststadt district - fit for the future.
The real-world lab is run by the Karlsruhe Transformation Center for Sustainability and Cultural Change (KAT). The team is driven by the conviction that an eco-socio-technical transformation towards sustainable lifestyles and a future-proof world can only succeed together. Interdisciplinary cooperation between science, politics, administration, business and committed citizens is an important starting point.
Tomorrow to join in.
The following video introduces Quartier Zukunft and provides insights into our research work in the real-world lab. The footage was recorded during the Joachim Reutter Award Ceremony for Social Innovation in October 2021 (length: 3:14 min.).
