Berlin Urban Tech Platform Lets Residents Adopt and Water City Trees
Berlin's open-source Gieß den Kiez platform lets residents adopt urban trees, track watering needs via weather data, and coordinate irrigation across 900,000 mapped trees.
Berlin residents do not need a private garden to become urban gardeners. It is enough to choose a tree on the street near home, open a smartphone, and check whether it is time to bring a bucket of water. An urban platform that started as a small initiative now allows residents to "adopt" trees across the city, monitor their condition, and coordinate who waters them and when.
The system, called Gieß den Kiez (loosely translated: "Water the Neighborhood"), was launched in 2020 by CityLAB Berlin following several hot, dry summers that severely damaged urban trees. An interactive map currently displays more than 900,000 street and park trees, accompanied by data on species, age, and estimated water requirements.
Technology Meets Community
The application combines the municipal tree database with local weather and precipitation data. Through a simple interface, users can see which trees are in urgent need of irrigation and which have already received water from another resident. Those who wish to regularly care for a specific tree can "adopt" it and log the exact amount of water delivered after each session.
The technological concept has evolved into a thriving community over the years. According to CityLAB Berlin, the platform currently boasts about 12,000 active users. One participant, Amanda Glaser-Bley, shared that she even named her adopted tree "Linda" and enjoys watering it while updating the website on the water volumes provided.
Expanding Beyond Berlin
The initiative focuses heavily on young trees, which in their first years have not yet reached groundwater levels with their roots and therefore depend heavily on rain and artificial irrigation. During a dry summer, a few buckets from a friendly neighbor can make a significant difference.
"The city provides the data, the residents provide the attention, and the tree outside the house is no longer anonymous."
Berliners have already poured considerable amounts of water. According to CityLAB data, volunteers have documented more than two million liters of water delivered to urban trees since the platform's launch, with over 10,000 people participating over the years.
The initiative is already expanding beyond Berlin's borders, sparking interest in other cities. Because the software was developed as open-source, municipalities can integrate their local tree databases and launch similar systems. Leipzig and Magdeburg have already implemented versions based on the Berlin model, and CityLAB continues to assist other authorities wishing to adopt the approach.
