Environmental Atlas Urban Climate Planning Advisory System
Solution Overview
Since 2016, the Environmental Atlas, Berlin's map and information server on environmental issues, has provided a new climate model called 'Planning Advices Urban Climate' that identifies areas suffering from adverse climatic conditions and locations where the city has capability of relief.[2][7][5] This mapping system serves as an essential building block for construction and planning decisions in Berlin, providing information on the climatic significance of different urban areas and offering recommendations for urban and landscape planning.[3][1] The approach is intended to serve as a basis for climate-oriented and sustainable urban development, helping to identify areas with climatic deficits and areas with high potential for climate-ecological compensation.[1]
Technical Components
The Planning Advices Urban Climate map is based on the overall assessment of climate functions and distinguishes between five classes of planning advices, ranging from areas with very high climatic significance to areas with very low climatic significance.[1] Two model runs were conducted with the meso-scale climate model FITNAH for a high-summer weather situation with a horizontal resolution of 10 meters.[6][5] The first model run was based on an allochthonous west wind weather condition occurring relatively frequently in Berlin during the summer months, while the second model run was based on an autochthonous weather condition without higher-level wind influence used regularly for urban climate analysis.[6] The geometric spatial reference is formed by the units of the Information System City and Environment 2020 (ISU5), with each area uniquely assigned to one of three usage categories.[5] The main map differentiates mainly between three spatial evaluation units: settlement area, green and open spaces, and public roads, paths, and places.[6] The spatial unit for public roads, paths and places includes around 22,000 individual areas derived from the detailed map of Berlin's road network representing actual screen sections, enabling a spatial link between air-hygienic and thermal stress levels on the roads.[6]
Implementation Details
The EFRE project 'GIS-supported modelling of parameters relevant for urban climate in the basis of high resolution building and vegetation data' was carried out from 2013 to 2015, financed by European Funds for Regional Development (EFRE) and the City State of Berlin with project number 027EFRE GDI.[4] The Environmental Atlas Berlin 2016 edition represented an update of the 2009 edition, with main changes including use of an updated urban structure database and improved methodology for evaluating climate functions.[1] The refinement from 200 meters by 200 meters to 10 meters by 10 meters grid resolution represented a multiplication of detailing by a factor of 400, compared to the previous update of 2008/2009 which had a resolution of 50 meters by 50 meters.[4] The processing of an investigation area of this expansion with a screen width of only 100 square meters represented a first country-wide achievement at the time of study and required model attributes of FITNAH-3D optimised and customised mainly to these requirements.[4] Out of the approximately 890 square kilometers of Berlin city area, 373 square kilometers (41.9%) were classified as settlement area, 351 square kilometers (39.5%) as green and open spaces, and 121 square kilometers (13.7%) as road space.[6] The PHK 2015 consists, for the first time, of three supplementary maps as well as an explanatory accompanying document: a main map, supplementary planning instructions, and measures.[6] The measures level contains, depending upon area type and actual space, the assignment of 30 individual measures to all ISU5 block (partial) areas as well as to all sections of the detailed network of Berlin's road network.[6]
Benefits and Impacts
The 10 meters by 10 meters screen resolution enables usability of the analysis results for evaluation and assessment processes at the level of binding urban land use planning (land use plan level) or corresponding projects.[4] Together with StEP Climate/StEP Climate KONKRET and the Planning Advices Urban Climate, the AFOK provides a powerful framework for an overall climate adaptation strategy for Berlin.[2] The system helps to identify areas with climatic deficits as well as areas with a high potential for climate-ecological compensation and to derive appropriate planning measures.[1]
Climate Adaptation Relevance
This mapping approach directly addresses urban climate adaptation by identifying areas suffering from adverse climatic conditions and locations with capability for relief.[8][9] The system enables planners to assess thermal stress levels and air quality impacts across settlement areas, green spaces, and transportation networks, supporting climate-oriented development decisions.[6][1] By distinguishing between five classes of climatic significance, the tool facilitates targeted interventions in areas with the greatest climatic deficits and protection of areas with high climate-ecological compensation potential.[1]