Berlin

Berlin/Brandenburg is already one of the regions with the highest number of DIY air quality sensors installed. Using these sensors and networks for evidence-based policymaking combined with other city datasets will lead to smarter cities and smarter citizens.

 

A first experiment is about creating more liveable city environments in Berlin neighbourhoods by extending existing proven formats like “Tag des guten Lebens”, which brings together neighbours at various street events where citizens, local businesses, and local civil society organizations discuss various subjects. KiezConnect is a second format that organizes citizen gatherings on the street to discuss policy-related subjects like climate change, mobility, liveable (car-free) zones to create a more liveable and greener city. Affordable DIY sensor technology will be rolled out to support both initiatives and to provide evidence-based information to support the debate and transformation of Berlin as a digital city for citizens and local businesses. 

 

A second experiment will focus on the effects of local car traffic-free zones. A first concrete implementation extending an already running initiative “Temporäre Spielstraßen” (temporary play streets) which have recently been introduced at a larger scale during the pandemic will measure the effect by using DIY traffic count and air quality sensors to measure the modal shift and air quality in the playstreet itself and the surrounding streets. A publicly available dashboard will monitor the effects before and after implementing. Similar approaches around schools, temporary events like local festivals will be scrutinized and where possible implemented.