STATE Secretary of the Federal German Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community (Bundesministerium des Innern, für Bau und Heimat, or BMI) Gunther Adler visited Manila from November 3 to 5, accompanied by a ministerial delegation from the Division for Smart Cities and Urban Development Policy.
The visit to Manila marked the last destination of their mission to Asia, which included visits to Beijing and Tokyo. The BMI visit focused on urban planning and smart cities.
More specifically, the delegation sought to learn the Philippines’s definition of smart cities, the problems the Filipino government encounters concerning urban development and the way they address these challenges.
The BMI is creating a dialogue platform for smart cities. Within a network of different countries, the ministry aims to open up a dialogue about different smart city concepts and their values.
During his visit, Adler engaged with representatives from different companies, institutions and government agencies such as the National Economic and Development Authority, the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, the Department of Finance and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.