Metropolis

Representing our interests: Stronger together – worldwide

• With its 144 member cities, Metropolis (founded in 1985) is the voice and the largest international network of capital cities and cities with more than a million inhabitants.
• One important goal is to improve living conditions for the populations of cities and megacities by exchanging ideas, best practices, and experience.
• It maintains partnerships with global institutions and NGOs, such as UN-HABITAT, the World Bank, EUROCITIES, and GIZ.

Local action – global exchange

• A platform for exchange between local policymakers, city administrations, scholars, and practitioners from all over the world.
• New perspectives: Learning from each other shines a light on innovative options for dealing with urban challenges.
• Low-threshold services: Concrete best-practice examples of how to deal with sustainable urban development challenges are available free of charge on the online platform Urban Sustainability Exchange (USE).

Enhancing problem-solving skills

• The network assists its members with achieving their policy goals and with technical and financial questions.
• Possible solutions to local challenges are discussed and sought on the global level.
• Reinforcing the cities’ role on the international level: cities’ problem-solving skills in dealing with global challenges gain visibility.

Berlin in Metropolis

• Berlin has been a member since 1991.
• Michael Müller was a Metropolis Co-President from 2014 to 2017.
• He was President of Metropolis from August 2018 to November 2020, after serving as Acting President since November 2017.
• Since November 2020 Berlin is Co-President of the network.

Benefits for Berlin:

• Ideas, suggestions, and perspectives from other major cities inform Berlin’s own approach to dealing with current challenges in, for instance, the area of affordable housing or sustainable transportation policy.
• A strong voice when dealing with international organizations to which Berlin would otherwise have only limited access.
• Berlin’s own innovative ideas and problem-solving skills are given greater visibility.

USE (urban sustainability exchange) is an online learning tool and open knowledge exchange platform dedicated to sustainable city making. use connects citymakers and encourages the exchange of ideas and experiences to effect positive sustainable change.

You can find more information at www.use.metropolois.org.

What does the platform offer?

• A continuously growing database of international case studies with practical and innovative approaches to sustainable urban development.
• Comprehensive search and filter options (e.g. according to cities, topics, individual SDGs).
• Access to an active community of citymakers, including politicians, administrators, academics and urban practitioners worldwide.
• Interviews and news about events, awards and much more in the field of international urban development.

Learning tool: USE.cases

• Currently nearly 400 case studies, editorially processed and regularly updated.
• Comprehensive: wide-ranging background information and direct contact to initiators and people directly involved in case studies.
• Award-winning: regular supply of case studies by leading urban awards and by institutional partners like EUROCITIES, UCLG Learning, URBACT and Guangzhou Award.
• From citymakers for citymakers: exclusive case studies by members of the use community.

Platform for exchange: use.community

• Profiles of currently nearly 500 citymakers, including politicians, administrators, academics and urban Practitioners.
• Registered users are given case study alerts about new case studies, and the option of making direct contact with all community members. They can also publish case studies of their own.

Registration and contribution

• The database of case studies is freely accessible and can be used free of charge.
• To create a profile in the use community, to network directly with other citymakers and to submit case studies of one’s own, anyone who is interested can register on the platform in a few simple steps and activate their profile:
  www.use.metropolis.org

You can also find out more about current and past activities on those pages.