Berlin's Digital Game Lets Citizens Redesign a Street for Climate Resilience

What if a video game could shape real-world cities? Berlin's City Spiel Raum turned virtual designs into actionable climate-adapted urban plans. Participants spent hours reimagining a street—now planners are taking notes.

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2026 April 7 . 8:10 AM

1 min read

The image shows a group of people walking down a street, holding a yellow banner with the words... — The image shows a group of people walking down a street, holding a yellow banner with the words "Vote for Climate" written on it. There are also balloons, sign boards, bicycles, trees, light poles, and buildings in the background, as well as a clear blue sky.

Berlin's Digital Game Lets Citizens Redesign a Street for Climate Resilience

A digital participation project called City Spiel Raum has successfully tested new ways for citizens to shape urban development. Running from May to July 2025, the initiative allowed residents to redesign a Berlin street virtually while learning about climate adaptation. The project officially concluded on September 29, 2025, with strong engagement from participants. The online game let players reimagine southern Bauhofstraße using climate-resilient elements. Over the three-month period, 1,292 game sessions were recorded, with each lasting an average of 32 minutes. Players placed between 100 and 150 objects per round, and 81 unique designs were saved for further analysis.

In addition to digital participation, workshops involved around 100 students to deepen the project's reach. An evaluation later revealed that the most diverse designs performed best against heat and heavy rain. Participants also reported a clearer understanding of how climate, urban space, and usage conflicts interconnect. Funded by the state initiative *My City of the Future*, the project aimed to test innovative public engagement methods. At its closing event, Mayor Michael Müller thanked everyone involved and highlighted its success in proving the value of digital tools for urban planning.

The Let's play Climate Adaptation project has now ended, leaving behind concrete insights into climate-resilient design. The saved game states and workshop results will inform future planning for Bauhofstraße. Officials have noted the model's potential for broader use in participatory urban development.