Paving stones and asphalt should give way, many hollows and puddles are planned on the street trees. Well thought out, but such a city cannot be kept clean, says Gunnar Schupelius.
A “sponge city” is a city in which as much rainwater as possible seeps into the ground and as little as possible is fed into the sewage system. Berlin should become such a sponge city.
This was announced last Wednesday by Environment Senator Manja Schreiner (CDU), together with Christoph Donner, CEO of the water company and Darla Nickel, head of the “Rainwater Agency”. This state company was founded in 2018 at the instigation of the Greens. She works out suggestions on how to remove paving stones and asphalt so that rainwater can seep away.
The Rainwater Agency is requesting that the unpaved areas around street trees be increased. Hollows are to be created between the tree and the road, in which rainwater collects in puddles. “We need to rebuild the city,” said Darla Nickel. Otherwise, the soil will dry out due to climate change and increasing heat in summer.
The district offices are in demand. You should start the renovation. Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg reported at the end of last week that this would start in the “Graefekiez”. Here the “tree slices” would be enlarged. “We need unsealed areas for a sustainable urban design,” said Environment Councilor Annika Gerold (Greens).
That sounds nice, but what does it look like in practice?
If you look at the unpaved areas at the foot of the street trees, you will see that they are overgrown and dirty. They are not maintained by the district offices and therefore cannot be cleaned by the BSR. There the weeds grow rampant, there lies rubbish. Dog poo cannot be removed. It looks bad.
And now imagine that these areas are enlarged. Imagine the hollows: who keeps them clean? Then there are the puddles and everything that is now on the trees is swimming on top of it.
When it’s dry, on the other hand, dust whirls up from the unsealed surfaces, “fine dust”, as the authorities call it. It is known to be very unhealthy.
Cobblestones and asphalt are a huge step forward in civilization, as is sewerage. They rid cities of mud, dirt and dust and made people live healthier lives.
Anyone who breaks the seal and creates hollows and puddles risks enormous pollution that is harmful to health.
Money wasn’t even mentioned here. The unsealing costs an average of 210 euros per square meter. Christoph Donner (Wasserbetriebe) estimates the conversion of Berlin into a “sponge city” at ten billion euros.
The sponge city brings with it enormous hygienic problems and is priceless. But that’s not the point at all. Those responsible simply ignore it.
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