Berlin's Tree-Watering App Has Inspired Copycats Across Europe
Gieß den Kiez ("water your neighbourhood") lets residents adopt a street tree and see when it is thirsty.
Berlin's street trees now have an army of volunteer carers. Good News Network, drawing on a Guardian report, describes Gieß den Kiez, an open-source app from CityLAB Berlin that shows residents which trees need watering during hot, dry spells.
How it works
The app was launched in 2020, during Covid lockdowns. It maps around 900,000 street trees as pins. Users can adopt a tree and get watering guidance based on its species, age, location and the weather.
- Colour-coded map: trees that need water show as orange or red dots
- Water sources: public taps and pumps are marked so people know where to fill their cans
- Heat context: the summer in question saw Berlin pass 39°C (103°F)
Why it matters
City trees cool streets and clean the air, but young trees in particular can struggle through heatwaves. Turning watering into a neighbourhood habit spreads that work beyond city crews. One user, Amanda Gläser-Bligh, told the Guardian it feels "almost like a video game," and she named her adopted linden tree Linda.
Spreading
Because the code is open source, other places have built their own versions, including Potsdam, Leipzig, Magdeburg and Paris's 17th arrondissement.
Worth noting
The coverage describes the app's popularity and spread, not measured tree survival rates, so how much difference it makes to tree health is not established in these reports.
