Use case – Bergen maps vegetation for a resilient Climate Policy

To prepare for the challenges of climate change, the city council of Bergen has launched the “Plan Canopée.” In collaboration with GIM, Arcea, and the Belmap DT platform, the city is mapping its vegetation and urban heat islands. The goal? Targeted greening to prevent heat stress and ensure a higher quality of life.

The global climate report from Copernicus leaves no room for doubt: 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded. This alarming fact highlights the vulnerability of cities, which are at the epicenter of climate impact. Urban heat islands, intensified by dense construction and paved surfaces, can cause temperatures to rise by as much as 8°C compared to surrounding rural areas.

By 2100, heatwaves could push temperatures above 30°C for up to 33 days a year (compared to just 7 days today). This is why the city recognizes the urgency of visionary action. Alexis Gilbart, project manager at Ville de Mons, explains: “This phenomenon poses a risk to quality of life. It is urgently necessary to reintegrate nature into our urban landscapes and to place trees at the heart of our fight against climate change.”

Bergen is committed to a sustainable approach through its Energy and Climate Plan. The so-called “Plan Canopée” (literally: tree canopy plan) includes the large-scale planting of trees. The city aims to create cool zones, improve air quality, preserve biodiversity, and reduce CO₂ emissions.

The first step? A preparatory study to inventory existing vegetation and identify vulnerable areas prone to urban heat islands. “By leveraging geodata, the city will initiate iterative greening based on this analysis. The results will also encourage residents to support the ambitious goal of achieving 30% tree canopy coverage in our city.”

Following the publication of the public tender, GIM and Arcea were awarded the contract to carry out the study. “Their proposal perfectly matched our expectations,” says Alexis Gilbart. “GIM helped us generate a wide range of original data, while Arcea contributed its expertise in urban planning and environmental matters.”

This collaboration included analyzing existing vegetation, mapping heat islands, and identifying greening potential with concrete action plans. A technical report, complemented by an educational appendix, ensures clear communication with residents. “The technical quality of their proposal, as well as access to Belmap DT, their Digital Twin platform, confirmed our choice.”

GIM and Arcea combined aerial imagery and LiDAR technology to analyze urban vegetation across three layers: herbaceous, shrub, and tree canopy. Aerial imagery enabled the identification of vegetation cover using indexes such as NDVI, while LiDAR provided detailed information on vertical structure, measuring tree heights and classifying vegetation by layer.

“These geodata, linked to LoD2 building models and integrated into the Belmap DT Digital Twin platform, allowed for precise localization of heat zones,” explains Alexis Gilbart. The results were then processed with FME software to combine three scores: heat islands, biodiversity, and cost-effectiveness. “This approach enables us to target greening efforts in the areas that need it most.”

“In addition, with Belmap DT’s Digital Twin technology, we can run simulations of heat stress based on the city’s urban and vegetative structure,” adds Alexis Gilbart.

Our partnership proved to be highly instructive and revealed unexpected insights. “Some rural areas in Mons, which are generally considered green, actually contain very few trees,” says Alexis Gilbart. “Moreover, only 20% of the territory is covered by tree canopies, with significant regional differences—from just 5% in agricultural plains to 30% in the northeast thanks to the Bois de Ghlin. These findings are crucial for developing a planting strategy that requires active citizen participation.”