Pankow is becoming climate-fit: Together for green streets and cooling oases!

Pankow is becoming climate-fit: Together for green streets and cooling oases!

On November 6, 2025, the Pankow district office invited citizens to participate in a new climate adaptation concept (KLAK). This concept aims to make the district more resilient to the challenges of heat and heavy rain. The plan is to use the concept development as a basis for sustainable urban development. To address the city's specific needs, various measures are being taken, including greening streets and squares and unsealing areas. These measures are intended to improve rainwater management and enable the creation of shade and cooling zones in public spaces.

The KLAK is being developed under the leadership of the Pankow Environment and Nature Conservation Office, in close cooperation with the district's climate protection control center. Financing is provided by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). The office Group F – Freiraum für aller GmbH was commissioned to create the concept. This means that a comprehensive analysis of the existing areas should be carried out, taking into account concrete, asphalt, trees as well as meadows and water areas.

Focus on affected groups

Another important aspect of the KLAK is to focus more closely on particularly affected groups. This includes children and older people as well as important facilities such as daycare centers, schools and hospitals. In order to best incorporate the opinions and ideas of the population, public participation is carried out in which citizens, initiatives and institutions are invited to contribute their experiences and suggestions.

A central concern of the plan is to take into account the climate protection policy anchored in the Basic Law in accordance with Article 20a. The new legal situation must be integrated into the KLAK, which also necessitates a discussion about natural consumption, climate protection and water balance in relation to new construction projects. Another critical point is the importance of the Pankow Gate as the last cold air corridor in the center of Pankow. This aspect becomes particularly relevant against the background of a strategic water shortage in Berlin, which is exacerbated by the withdrawal of brown coal mining in Lusatia.

The challenge of a new water balance

Given the changing environmental conditions, there is a need for a new water balance and a water balance forecast for larger construction projects. This shows the urgency and importance of the measures as part of the climate adaptation concept to make Pankow weatherproof for the future.

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