My name is Bahareh Hassanpourmansour. I’m a master’s student of urban planning and policy design at and I was granted this great opportunity to carry on my thesis research in a joint collaboration with Technische Universität Berlin. During my 3 months stay in berlin from September to November along with an additional month during March for carrying out field research on my case study, I had the pleasure to work with research assistant Dora Heygi and Professor Jochen Rabe as my supervisors at the host university who offered me a lot of support and guidance through my research.  Additionally, I also had my supervisor, Professor Grazia Concilio at my home university. I kept receiving consultations and regular meetings from my supervisors in berlin till I successfully finished my research.
The subject was presented to me on the general topic of “Assessment tools for evaluating the benefits of blue and green infrastructure” which, on further steps of my research and consultation with my supervisors I reflected on and expanded into a more specific perspective.  I proceed to put my focus on evaluating the benefits of blue and green infrastructure on stormwater management with SWMM modeling. The topic was rather challenging due to the confidentiality of databases I needed for my case study and the interdisciplinary nature of it. This has abled me to learn a new technical view on nature-based interventions and learn new software and modeling and extend my knowledge in my field of interest.
The ide3a coordinator team was really responsive and well-organized in helping me prepare for my arrival, especially regarding finding accommodation which can be challenging for a short stay. also, during the period of my stay in berlin, the welcoming tour, for introducing the university campus and other scholarship holders along with the coordinators was lovely and helped me adjust to my environment and find new friends. The Technische Universität Berlin offers diverse study places and libraries in different places on the campus which I enjoyed working on and borrowing relatable books to my topic. I was lucky enough to find accommodation near the university so I could easily access the facilities.
As an urban planner, I really enjoyed my time in berlin, for its lively and exciting environment in bringing old and new together in a harmonic way. I took delight in exploring the history of the city in its fantastic museums and monuments besides experiencing the unique sense of place, especially during Christmas in its exquisite local markets.
Being part of this program was an honor for me as I’ve gained so much academic knowledge and insights for my future career. I would like to thank the coordinator team for their support and especially my mentor Dora Heygi for her dedication and work ethic in helping me overcome the challenges of my work. At last, I would like to advise students who are interested in this scholarship to manage their time and have a pre-research before going to berlin so they wouldn’t lose time on figuring out their approach to their presented topic and be able to make the most use of the available network and opportunities during your short stay.
