Coaching Toolbox
The coaching toolbox contains four thematic modules that can be used in municipalities as part of the coaching process: blue-green infrastructure planning; costs, benefits, and financing; law; and governance.
In this project, we understand "coaching" as supporting and advising municipalities on the implementation of blue-green infrastructure. The approach used in this project is based on the principles of systemic organizational consulting (see Königswieser/Hillebrand 2007). At its core, this consulting approach assumes that the solution to the problem (in this case, overcoming barriers to the widespread implementation of blue-green infrastructure) is already inherent in the respective municipality. The coaches support the municipal stakeholders in developing and implementing their own solution. In addition to purely technical consulting, this approach does not solely assume a lack of expertise (specialized knowledge) within an organization, but also examines the organizational culture, structures, processes, and cooperation patterns that may hinder or facilitate problem-solving.
The starting point is therefore a systematic analysis of the barriers and resources in each municipality for the widespread implementation of blue-green infrastructure. This is carried out jointly with representatives of the municipalities during a foundational workshop. Based on this analysis, strategies for the broad implementation of blue-green infrastructure in the individual cities are developed, and concrete goals for the project period are agreed upon. Depending on the identified needs, the project then provides the municipalities with various technical, content-related, and methodological input. This can include expert knowledge on the functionality and impact of individual blue-green infrastructures, concrete guidance on addressing legal issues during implementation, or practical organizational support for the operation of the blue-green infrastructures.
The coaching of the selected blue-green urban regions is led by the German Institute for Urban Affairs (Difu) and follows a fundamentally similar, but city-specific, approach. On-site coaching sessions are planned for each municipality; in addition, municipalities can also request digital consulting services. All municipalities participate in three inter-municipal expert meetings, in which various current topics are presented and discussed, and in which inter-municipal exchange of experience, i.e. peer learning, is made possible.
The components of the coaching toolbox will be continuously developed throughout the project. The content will initially be presented to and made available to the cities. During the inter-municipal expert meeting and in the foundational workshops, the content will also be aligned with the cities' needs. Subsequently, further written formats will be developed, so that the coaching toolbox will be available as a handbook by summer 2027.
