The aim of the preparatory module for an "Einstein Center Climate Change: Public Policy of Human Settlements (ECCC)" (12/2021-12/2023) was to utilise the unique potential of the Berlin-Potsdam university landscape and to jointly develop it further for specific climate protection projects, particularly in the urban environment. To this end, the ECCC cooperated with leading climate research institutes in the region, specifically with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Mercator Research Institute for Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC), and established international partnerships.
The core of the research team consisted of scientists from TU Berlin, UdK Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin, University of Potsdam, Hebrew and Princeton University from the fields of political science, economics, sociology, psychology, transport and urban planning, architecture, engineering, medicine, art and design. The systematic integration of practical fields from politics, administration, business and civil society in the region was piloted in an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary exchange of knowledge. An approach was pursued in which governance and public policy issues as well as new data-supported transformation tools for climate protection and adaptation were considered at the same time and in three sectors: "Mobility & Traffic", "Buildings & Shelter" and "Well-Being & Health".
The governance area included analysing top-down and bottom-up structures that support urban climate change mitigation and adaptation measures, as well as frameworks for urban planning and models for cooperative and participatory decision-making. In the area of new tools, innovative methods and technologies for decision-makers and planners were tested, in particular using big data and artificial intelligence. All research work related specifically to the Berlin metropolitan region, but also aimed to deliver results and findings that can be generalised and could be useful for other cities and regions worldwide.
An international symposium on climate research organised by the ECCC took place during the funding period. Scientists from the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region spent two days discussing pressing issues of urban climate transformation with 50 leading international experts from the USA, the UK, Israel, France, Austria, Australia and Argentina. Robert Socolow, US scientist and pioneer in the establishment of environmental and energy studies, opened the second day with a keynote speech.
The results of the symposium were published in 2024 in npj Urban Sustainability under the title "Towards a public policy of cities and human settlements in the 21st century". The paper addresses the special role of cities in achieving climate targets, while at the same time cities are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. These complex challenges and opportunities require a comprehensive perspective on urban public policy. To this end, the authors developed an analytical "Goals-Intervention-Stakeholder-Enablers (GISE)" framework. Using examples from Berlin, the authors showed that climate change mitigation and adaptation, public health and well-being are closely interlinked and mutually supportive when a comprehensive approach to urban public policy is taken.