Water
The city as a sponge
Water is a valuable resource. In the Urban Tech Republic consideration is given to how it can be used sustainably and fairly in Berlin but also worldwide.
It’s said that water will be the oil of the 21st century. And Berlin has lots of it. Of the best quality, actually. Yet 1.1 billion people in the world have no access at all to clean drinking water. Wastewater disposal is a real issue in many regions of the world. How can we handle our water resources better? Use them? Protect them? What do innovative supply and disposal systems look like? What measures need to be taken for water treatment? It’s good that you don’t have to answer such questions by yourself. Berlin has Germany’s biggest water supplier. The Berliner Wasserbetriebe [Berlin Water Utilities] takes care of the basic public services of the community in terms of its supply of drinking water and its wastewater disposal. They shape and support our livable, modern Berlin metropolis – just as we do! So, working together with the Berliner Regenwasseragentur [Berlin Rainwater Agency] and the Kompetenzzentrum Wasser Berlin (KWB) [Berlin Competency Center for Water] we have strong partners on our side who can bring innovative urban research to bear.
An innovative rainwater concept
In the Urban Tech Republic we are setting a good example by making use of rainwater, whether through targeted seepage, evaporation, storage, irrigation, or in our operational processes. In a quite ‘incidental’ manner, by doing this we also improve the microclimate and cool the district on hot days. Thus we shape the city in a sustainable way and make it climate-resilient and viable for the future.
