The city belongs to children!
What will life be like in the city of the future? “SuperCity 3000: Our City of the Future” addresses a highly topical and socially relevant issue, as urban planning is a pressing challenge of our time that shapes every aspect of people’s lives. Already today, 90 percent of children in Germany live in urban areas. Their voices must therefore be given greater consideration in urban planning.
SDTB/ Photo: Ériver Hijano
In the exhibition “SuperCity 3000: Our City of the Future,” children therefore had—and still have—the same rights as adults. Staff at the German Museum of Technology developed the exhibition together with 60 children, our future curators. The models these children from four Berlin schools built for the exhibition take center stage in the exhibition space. Spanning 500 square meters, the space showcases innovative ideas and new technological developments designed to make city life better for everyone in the future.
Try it out and get involved
Throughout the exhibition, there are interactive stations that invite visitors to explore the theme in greater depth. Visitors can play with the Invisible Shield, which visually teleports them to another location; gather on the conversation bench, which encourages interaction with others; or get creative by building their own models of the city of the future using sand and other materials.
Using kinetic sand and colorful building blocks, children and adults can work on their own or in workshops to bring their ideas for a livable city of the future to life.
SDTB/ Photo: Ériver Hijano
A smart trash can uses a sensor to let you know when it's full and needs to be emptied. Children can try this out for themselves at the exhibition.eren.
SDTB/ Photo: Ériver Hijano
Does the lizard feel at home on the street? Or the hedgehog on the balcony? At this interactive station with audio commentary, children can learn which urban environments are ideal for which animals.
SDTB/ Photo: Ériver Hijano
Let's make our city better!
The ideas developed through a participatory process involving 60 future curators are divided into six sections in the exhibition: Space, Growth, Resources, Nature, Climate, and Community. These sections address the various questions the children explored in their work for the exhibition. Fantastic ideas like time travel and flying cars seem to belong to a distant future. The exhibition draws comparisons and takes a closer look.
How can we all live well in the city?
SDTB/ Photo: Ériver Hijano
We asked ourselves: How can the city accommodate more people? What keeps the city running? What does the city need as the climate changes? How can we live well together in the city? How can all living beings find their place in the city?
Plants and animals belong in the city just as much as people do. But they are usually given less space. The exhibition organizers have given this some thought, and steps toward a future in which cities are home to more plants and animals are also becoming evident in politics, research, and the construction industry.
The future is wide open—we can help shape it!
The exhibition especially invites children to participate in the democratic process shaping the city’s future and offers insights into how this can be achieved even at a young age. The future starts now—let’s shape it together!
In addition to the hands-on activities in the exhibition, there are bookable workshops for elementary school classes as well as programs for small family groups on weekends and during school breaks.
Duration: March 27, 2026, to June 27, 2027
The longer you jump in the air at this interactive station, the more energy you generate for the city of the future—and the more you fill its energy storage systems. It’s the perfect way to burn off some energy after a long day at the museum. Not just for kids.
SDTB/ Photo: Ériver Hijano
The models created by the elementary school students depicting their “City of the Future” form the centerpiece of the exhibition in the museum’s Ladestraße.
SDTB/ Photo: Ériver Hijano
The historical model of an underwater research station off the coast of Heligoland makes it clear that research into underwater living has been underway for decades.
SDTB/ Foto: Ériver Hijano
Fact or Future? The kids' podcast for the exhibition
Imagine a city that’s friendlier, smarter, and fairer! Together, Jana, Anastasiia, Jaro, and Mia explore this city of the future. They talk to experts about technology, the environment, and urban planning. Along the way, they ask big—and sometimes pretty crazy—questions: Will houses grow like plants? Can cities put you in a good mood? What if animals had a say in what our city looks like? And in every episode, they play “Fact or Future?”. You’ll hear stories that seem crazy and have to guess: Is this already a reality, or is it an idea from the future? Join in and guess! The future is closer than you think!
Click here to listen to the podcast (in German only).
