00:01Berlin, like any big city, has its share of problems.
00:06Six years ago, a major project involving citizen initiatives was launched.
00:10The goal? Make the German capital greener, cleaner and more sustainable.
00:15Has it been a success?
00:20In 2020, some 2,000 volunteers took to the streets to water trees.
00:25This was organised by a neighbourhood plant watering platform called Gieß den Kiez, meaning water the neighbourhood.
00:34Over the past five years, Gieß den Kiez has done a lot.
00:38Over two million litres of water have been used.
00:41Berlin has a very active community with over 11,000 neighbourhood waterers.
00:46There are nearly 440,000 trees on Berlin's streets.
00:52Word of the successful neighbourhood platform is spreading.
00:56It started with Leipzig adopting the initiative.
00:59Then Magdeburg made one as well.
01:01Now it's in Potsdam too, and it's even gone international.
01:06In Barcelona and Paris too, volunteers are now watering city trees.
01:12The latest project? The Treebot.
01:15A tree that can answer visitors' questions thanks to artificial intelligence.
01:20I was wondering, is there anything I could do to make you feel even better?
01:26Ah, how kind of you.
01:28Simply appreciating and nurturing nature around you is wonderful.
01:32Planting more trees or reducing waste in your daily life helps me thrive too.
01:36Profitez de votre temps près des arbres. Ils ont temps à offrir, surtout en cette belle journée.
01:43The Treebot can be placed anywhere. It speaks many languages. That's the beauty of it.
01:48We're using AI for a good cause, in inverted commas.
01:53It's self-powered, so we can hang it on any tree.
01:57It could be here in Berlin, it could be in Boston. We've even taken the tree to Paris.
02:04CityLab is a public innovation laboratory working on digital solutions for Berlin.
02:11We focus on Berlin's future and digitalisation and develop various projects to improve the city.
02:19Like the climate dashboard, where data is compiled for everyone to access online.
02:30Now we have 16.5 days a year over 30 degrees. In the 1950s there were only 5.5 days.
02:38So what will the future look like?
02:40We have a strong foundation in Berlin for using these kinds of digital tools,
02:45because we have a lot of open data and a wide range of publicly accessible maps.
02:51These show potential heat and stress zones and areas with lots of concrete and asphalt.
02:59In 2020, the FixMyBerlin app mapped out the city's bike lanes.
03:05Residents could submit requests for where they wanted bike lanes or spots to park their bikes.
03:11Many of these citizen-led initiatives have made progress,
03:14like in the Kreuzberg district with so-called Keats blocks.
03:1835 of these Keats blocks were approved in Berlin,
03:22thanks in part to the political support of the organisation Changing Cities.
03:30The idea comes from Barcelona, where they're called Superblocks.
03:34The concept is taking a residential neighbourhood with a lot of traffic and very little green space,
03:39which is what you want to change, to filter out traffic and make it greener.
03:46The goal is to discourage cars by forcing them to navigate a one-way system.
03:53The Keats blocks encourage people to switch to other transport.
03:57People aren't stupid. If it's easier to walk or bike than they do.
04:01In the long run, it shifts transport patterns.
04:05Simon Wehr's NGO helped plan the project, which was quickly accepted in the Graeferkeits neighbourhood.
04:15In Germany, there are about 650 cars for every 1,000 citizens, and in Berlin, it's 350 cars for every
04:231,000 residents.
04:24But here, we're only about 170.
04:27So naturally, people here are more likely to want to use their street space for something other than parked cars.
04:35It's not just traffic that's diverted. Nearly 80 parking spaces have been converted into flower beds and seating areas.
04:43In other parts of Berlin, the so-called traffic transition has failed.
04:48Like on Friedrichstraße, one of Berlin's major thoroughfares.
04:52Close to cars and open to bicycles by the previous city council, heavy traffic is now rolling through again.
04:59Another example, the Radbahn. Like an autobahn, it was supposed to be a bicycle highway, nine kilometres long, running beneath
05:08a subway line.
05:09But only 200 metres were approved. The rest remains a vision.
05:18The advantage is that you're in the middle of the road, but protected from traffic.
05:23There are no cars crossing your path, so it's like a tram track running down the middle, which we often
05:29have in Berlin.
05:31There are some resting spots. It's infrastructure created for bikes.
05:38The issue of water has only come into focus in Berlin in recent years, with hot summers increasing concern.
05:46Water is one of the city's most vital resources.
05:53CityLab developed the digital platform SmartWater, for urban planners to make Berlin more resourceful and resilient.
06:05SmartWater's goal is essentially to design and adapt infrastructure measures.
06:09For example, by installing green roofs and facades, creating green spaces through the installation of drains, tree pits or simply
06:19planting new trees.
06:21In such a way that the city becomes more livable, less hot and less prone to flooding.
06:31Berlin's controversial transport plan means there are new bike lanes, yet the city maintains a car-centric stance that leaves
06:39little room for cyclists and pedestrians.
06:43That's the big problem with Berlin. There isn't really a grand vision. It keeps changing.
06:55Other cities like Paris and Barcelona are ahead of us, because even in the city legislation, there's a goal that's
07:04been agreed upon and that they're moving towards.
07:08But there's hope. Green spaces have increased, thanks to citizen initiatives and a grassroots movement that's making life more sustainable.
07:20I would say it's thanks to Giesting Keats that Berlin has started a small movement.
07:26It got off the ground here, and now everyone knows that a green city is a livable city, so public
07:33awareness has steadily grown.
07:34In this case, the awareness of the population has grown steadily.
07:38The world has grown steadily.
07:47Academiaaki!
07:47Madeline, you become the largest city.
07:47Mamma, you're welcome to see the raus for the new life of Yusuf.
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