Digital Planning Tool: Blue-Green Infrastructure Planner (BGI Planner)

The BGI Planner

The BGI Planner is a map-based web application designed to assist staff in Berlin's planning departments at the Senate and district levels by integrating blue-green infrastructure measures into new and existing planning processes. Its aim is to enhance Berlin's resilience to the impacts of climate change, including heavy rainfall and heatwaves. The tool seeks to facilitate strategic decision-making during the initial planning stages and provides guidance in subsequent stages for implementing specific measures.

Project Milestones

2023: Initial Development

  • May 2023: A steering round for the BGI Planner took place at the Einstein Center Digital Future. Approximately 20 stakeholders from the Smart Water project participated in workshops and role-playing exercises to define initial requirements and expectations for the tool. The results of the steering round can be found here.
  • June 2023: During the Measures Workshop organised by the Technologiestiftung Berlin, planning processes from district offices and senate departments were analysed to establish specific requirements for the BGI Planner. This included four planning scenarios: new developments, urban renewal areas, green space planning, and street planning. Further details of this process can be found here. A comprehensive report on the Measures Workshop is also available.

    Learn more about how a Measures Workshop works here.

2024: Development of a Click Dummy

  • Since the summer of 2024, the Technologiestiftung Berlin has been developing a Click Dummy—a clickable prototype of the future user interface. This prototype is being created through an agile process alongside planners and is continuously refined via regular testing, known as hallway testing. Experts provide feedback on the tool's usability and functionality to ensure it meets users' needs.

2025: Usability Testing and Modelling

  • Usability Testing: Throughout 2025, urban planners will test the Click Dummy to assess its ease of use and overall user-friendliness.
  • Modelling Impacts: The Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin and the Berliner Wasserbetriebe will model the effects of blue-green infrastructure on urban climate, water protection, flood prevention, and water management. They will utilise 1D, 2D, and 3D models to simulate weather events in pilot areas, identifying heat hotspots, flood risks during heavy rainfall, and other vulnerabilities. The analysis will also look into the overflow of sewage systems into Berlin’s water bodies, including its impact on water quality. These findings will be directly integrated into the BGI Planner.
  • Prototype Development: The programming of the prototype is scheduled to commence in autumn 2025.

2026: Completion and Handover

  • The prototype of the BGI Planner will be finalised by September 2026. Initially, it will provide results for the pilot areas of Ostkreuzkiez (Friedrichshain) and Alte Schäferei (Pankow). The tool will then be handed over to Berlin’s Senate Department for Urban Development, Building, and Housing (SenStadt Berlin), which will be responsible for its further development and the expansion of available data.
  • The Blue-Green Infrastructure Planner represents a significant step towards making Berlin a more sustainable and resilient city in the face of climate change.