Berlin is getting hotter and drier, and when rain falls, it often falls too much at once. The consequences are drought, low groundwater levels, dried-up small water bodies, weakened urban greenery and heat, but also flooding, overloaded sewers and polluted waterways.
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The Rainwater Agency wants to counter the consequences of climate change and transform Berlin into a sponge city. Unsealing, green roofs, storage and infiltration areas are meant to strengthen the natural water cycle.
We are responding to their call for ideas to make Berlin the sponge capital, because preserving the forest supports exactly these functions: according to the Senate administration, the soil is classified “as particularly worthy of protection”; its regulating function for the water balance as well as its buffering and filtering functions are rated highly. Areas like the Emmaus Forest make a substantial contribution to groundwater recharge and rainwater infiltration and significantly enhance soil functions. Even in hot summers it stays cool here and the soil stays moist, while parks and green spaces elsewhere wither.
An independent jury selects ten promising ideas. If our initiative is chosen, we will present our idea at this year’s Forum Regenwasser on 21 June 2023 and discuss it with guests from politics, administration, business, science and civil society.