© Oliver Franke
KielRegion
Shaping the future with a view to the coast – SmarterLeben | KielRegion GmbH
As part of the SmarterLeben | KielRegion model project, digital solutions are currently being developed to make flood risks visible and to shape coastal protection together with citizens. The digital coastal map and the transnational citizen science project ClimateBlue show how regional responsibility and modern technologies come together.
The KielRegion, consisting of the districts of Plön, Rendsburg-Eckernförde and the state capital Kiel, is a region characterized by the sea. The Baltic Sea is not only a recreational area and economic factor, but also a sensitive habitat that is facing major challenges. Rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather conditions, erosion and flooding are putting increasing pressure on the coasts.
It is therefore a key concern of the KielRegion GmbH to actively protect its coastal areas and make them future-proof. This is precisely where the SmarterLeben | KielRegion GmbH comes in.
SmarterLeben | KielRegion is a joint project of the state capital Kiel and the districts of Plön and Rendsburg-Eckernförde and is being implemented together with the KielRegion. It is currently one of 73 Model Projects Smart Cities (MPSC) and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB).
The SmarterLeben approach: Digital technologies should help to better manage social, ecological and economic future tasks - also regarding climate adaptation and coastal protection. The project combines regional responsibility with digital tools and focuses on cooperation and participation.
© Oliver Franke
Seabridge Schönberg
Host City Partner
The Ocean Race Europe 2025
In the KielRegion's Regional Coastal Management, two central measures are currently being developed that show in concrete terms how digital tools can support coastal protection:
The digital coastal map - making risks visible
The KielRegion's is developing digital coastal maps that present complex scientific information on coastal protection and flooding risks in an understandable and practical way.
The special feature: The map shows various future scenarios between Hohwacht and Damp. Among other things, a sea level rise of 0.58 meters, 0.78 meters and a high-risk scenario of 0.87 meters are simulated - in each case in conjunction with a 200-year storm surge. This is based on geodata prepared and visualized by Kiel University (CAU).
© KielRegion
Digital coastal map Eckernförde
The differences are clear: while around 1,620 hectares of coastal area would be affected by a storm surge today, it could be up to 2,920 hectares in the pessimistic future scenario. The average flood depths also increase from 1.20 meters to up to 1.89 meters.
Extensive modeling has already been completed in the first year of the cooperation. This data will be cartographically processed and made publicly accessible in the KielRegion master portal in future. This will enable administrations, planners and citizens to understand which risks could affect the region and develop solutions together.
Initial consultations are currently underway with the local authorities involved to embed the digital coastal map in planning processes, participation procedures and educational offerings.
Citizen science for coastal protection – sharing and shaping knowledge
At the same time, the KielRegion is focusing on citizen science as a second component of regional coastal management. Together with partners such as Kiel University, GEOMAR and other institutions, digital tools are being developed with which citizens can record and share coastal observations themselves. After all, protecting our coasts requires not only specialist knowledge and technology, but also the participation of local people.
One concrete example is the new Interreg project ClimateBlue, which will bring together stakeholders from Germany and Denmark across borders from 2025 to 2028. An Interreg project is an EU-funded program that supports cross-border cooperation between regions in order to jointly develop solutions to common challenges.
© KielRegion
ClimateBlue Kick-Off in Haderslev, Denmark
The kick-off meeting took place in Haderslev (Denmark) on May 6 and 7. 47 participants from Germany and Denmark discussed initial ideas, exchanged views on challenges and agreed:
“It became clear that there is a great need and desire to make the involvement of citizens and other interest groups more effective.”
– Kristof Tomej, University of Southern Denmark
One practical example is the erosion atlas of the Baltic Sea coast, which is to be further developed together with local interest groups to be able to plan based on real data.
In addition to the KielRegion GmbH, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel, the Center for Constructive Educational Sciences (ZKE) and the Schleswig-Holstein State Agency for Coastal Protection, National Park are involved in the project. On the Danish side, the SDU Climate Cluster (SCC), the national coastal protection authority Kystdirektoratet, the municipalities of Guldborgsund, Middelfart, Vejle, Kolding and Haderslev as well as the Syddanmark region and the Klimatorium - the Danish climate research center - are involved.
The result is a practical collaboration in which local knowledge, real observations and scientific models come together - for better protection of the Baltic Sea coast. Citizen Science
Smart City meets coastal protection
© Oliver Franke
Coast Bülk in Strande
Both measures - the digital coastal map and the ClimateBlue citizen science project - are part of the smarter way of dealing with the challenges of climate change in the KielRegion. They therefore fit perfectly into the SmarterLeben | KielRegion GmbH project and show how digitalization is not an end in itself, but rather makes a concrete contribution to making our coastal region resilient and fit for the future.
© Oliver Franke
Cliff Stohl
You can find out more about the project on the KielRegion channels.
www.kielregion.de/
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