Pufferstreifen

Pufferstreifen is a term in German-language geographic information systems (GIS) and urban planning that describes a buffer stripe around a linear geographic feature, such as a road, railway, or river. The word combines Puffer, meaning buffer or padding, with Streifen, meaning stripe. In this usage, a Pufferstreifen is a polygonal corridor created by extending a line feature into an area that represents its zone of influence, protection, or impact.

The width of a Pufferstreifen can be constant along the feature or vary according to data attributes, environmental sensitivity, or regulatory standards. Variable widths may reflect factors such as noise propagation, air quality considerations, flood risk, or ecological value. The concept is used in environmental impact assessments, land-use planning, transportation safety analyses, and emergency planning to visualize and analyze interactions between infrastructure and surrounding land uses.

Because widths depend on policy and data quality, the term emphasizes the conceptual approach of modeling protective or interaction zones around linear features rather than a universal standard. In English-language GIS literature the generic term buffer is more common; Pufferstreifen appears mainly in German planning documents, regional GIS workflows, and related documentation.