Author: burkhard

Green Corridors: Inclusive and Accessible Cities in the MENA Region

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Connective Cities, in cooperation with GIZ projects in the region, will bring together representatives from Constantine (Algeria), Hebron and Gaza (Palestine), drawing on experiences from other cities in the MENA region.

The workshop will focus on accessibility and inclusion in urban development. How can cities ensure that streets, parks and green public spaces are safe, welcoming and usable for everyone – including children, older people and people with different mobility needs?

Through peer exchange and AI-supported visualisations, participating cities will explore practical solutions for greener, more inclusive and climate-resilient urban spaces.

The exchange forms part of the ongoing Green Corridors learning process, fostering municipal cooperation and knowledge sharing across the region.

Insight Session: Bringing Nature Back into Bhutan’s Urban Future

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As Bhutan’s towns and municipalities continue to grow, they face the challenge of accommodating urban development while preserving the country’s strong environmental legacy. Urban heat, flooding, habitat loss and changing relationships between people and nature are making new approaches to urban development increasingly important.

In this virtual Connective Cities Insight Session, the Bhutan Ecological Society (BES) will share how Nature-based Solutions and eco-regenerative development can help create greener, healthier and more climate-resilient urban areas.

Drawing on practical and emerging initiatives from across Bhutan, the session will explore how biodiversity conservation, ecological restoration, green-blue infrastructure, recreation and community development can be integrated into urban development.

A particular focus will be the planned Eco-Regenerative Park at Rinchending, Phuentsholing, where biodiversity conservation, green space, nature interpretation, sustainable recreation, wellness, regenerative tourism and benefits for local communities are being brought together. Further examples from Samdrup Jongkhar and the Gelephu Mindfulness City landscape will illustrate how ecological restoration and nature-based experiences can contribute to more resilient and liveable urban areas.

The session will feature

  • Nawang Norbu, Executive Director, Bhutan Ecological Society
    Setting the Scene: Nature, Climate Resilience and Bhutan’s Urban Future
  • Namgay Dendup, Nature-based Solutions Specialist, Bhutan Ecological Society
    Bringing Nature Back into Bhutan’s Urban Future: Nature-Based Solutions in Practice

 

The presentations will be followed by an open discussion and exchange with participants, offering municipalities and practitioners from different regions an opportunity to reflect on Bhutan’s experiences and share how Nature-based Solutions are being translated into practical and locally appropriate urban interventions in their own contexts.

Date: Thursday, 22 October 2026
Time: 10:00–11:00 CEST
Format: Online
Language: English

More information and registration: https://community.connective-cities.net/en/node/1616

Voluntary Local Reviews as a Steering Instrument for Sustainable Municipalities

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How can municipalities systematically track their progress on sustainable development while learning from one another? Twenty-three South African and German municipalities set out to answer this question together at two week-long workshops, held in Frankfurt in June 2026 and in Durban, South Africa, in September 2026, as part of the project ‘VLR Knowledge Transfer South Africa – Germany’.

The South African participants were Bergrivier Local Municipality, Buffalo City Metropolitan, City of Cape Town Metropolitan, City of Tshwane Metropolitan, eThekwini Metropolitan (Durban), Lephalale Local Municipality, Matzikama Local Municipality, Moses Kotane Local Municipality, Mossel Bay Local Municipality and Waterberg District Municipality; the German participants were the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Municipality of Spiesen-Elversberg, the Hanseatic Cities of Bremen, Buxtehude and Lüneburg, Böblingen District, the Cities of Aschaffenburg, Bonn, Geestland, Neustadt in Holstein, Cologne and Pirmasens.

Municipalities play a central role in implementing the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To make progress measurable and to communicate it transparently, a growing number of towns, cities and communities are using Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) or, in Germany, also the Sustainable Municipality Reporting Framework (Berichtsrahmen Nachhaltige Kommune, BNK) – voluntary reports, produced by municipalities themselves, on the status of SDG implementation at local level.

In practice, municipalities often face similar challenges: reliable data and suitable indicators are lacking, monitoring systems are still being set up, and producing a VLR requires good cooperation across departments as well as a clear methodological approach.

This is precisely where the project comes in. In the two workshops, the participating municipalities exchanged experiences and solutions and jointly developed ideas on how sustainability reporting can be used as a tool for municipal steering. The project is being implemented by the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW) together with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA). The Connective Cities learning process ‘Sustainability Reporting and Voluntary Local Reviews’, carried out in 2025, laid the foundation for this cooperation. The project continues to be supported by the agency Creative Climate Cities and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

For participation, municipalities that were already engaging with the SDGs and municipal sustainability reporting were approached in early 2026. In addition, municipalities that are still at an earlier stage and stand to benefit from the experiences of the group also took part. Subject to funding approval, a further call for participation is planned for 2027.

A key outcome of the project will be a practical guide that leads municipalities through the process step by step. The publication is intended to help municipalities plan and carry out their own Voluntary Local Review in a structured way. It is scheduled for publication in early 2027.

Impressions

All photos: Connective Cities

Call for Participation – Global Green Sports: Implementing Sustainability Strategies for Major Sports Events

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Version française ci-dessous

Major sports events inspire billions of people worldwide – while also standing at the centre of the global sustainability debate. How can cities design major sports events in ways that create ecological, social, and economic added value? Which solutions are already proving successful in practice – and what can cities learn from one another?

In Berlin, these questions are being explored intensively. Together with Connective Cities, the district of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf and the Berlin Senate Department for the Interior and Sport are inviting five additional German and six international municipalities to participate in a dialogue event on sustainability strategies for major sports events.

Who is the call for participation addressed to?

We look forward to welcoming two experts from your municipality, particularly from the fields of event management, sports, sustainability & climate action or Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

The event language is English. Travel costs will be covered by Connective Cities.

How can you participate?

If you would like to participate in the dialogue event, please send us the following information via email:

  • the name of your municipality / organisation (including universities or NGOs) and your role/function,
  • a short description of a project from your municipality that you would like to present to the other participants as a good practice. You are also welcome to describe a local challenge you are currently facing and would like to discuss with the other municipal experts.

 

Applications still possible. If you are interested, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:
Nikola Krause, project coordinator Connective Cities
nikola.krause@engagement-global.de; +49 (0)228 20717 2922 and connective-cities@engagement-global.de

Further information can be found in the Call for Participation (download on the right).

Appel à candidatures – Global Green Sports : mise en œuvre de stratégies de durabilité pour les grands événements sportifs

Invitation adressée aux experts municipaux à participer à la rencontre de dialogue à Berlin, du 20 au 22 octobre 2026

Les grands événements sportifs enthousiasment des milliards de personnes – tout en étant au coeur du débat mondial sur la durabilité. Comment les communes peuvent-elles organiser les grands événements sportifs
de manière à créer une valeur ajoutée écologique, sociale et économique ? Quelles solutions fonctionnent déjà dans la pratique – et que peut-on apprendre les uns des autres ?

À Berlin, les responsables s’occupent déjà activement de ces questions. Aujourd’hui, l’arrondissement de Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf et l’administration sénatoriale chargée des affaires intérieures et des sports, en collaboration avec Connective Cities, invitent 5 autres communes allemandes et 6 communes internationales à échanger, lors d’une rencontre de dialogue, sur les stratégies de durabilité pour les grands événements sportifs.

À qui s’adresse cet appel à participation ?

Nous nous réjouissons de la participation de deux experts de votre commune, notamment issus des domaines de la gestion d’événements, du sport, de l’éducation au développement durable ou des services de l’ordre public.

La langue de l’événement est l’anglais. Les frais de déplacement seront pris en charge par Connective Cities.

Comment participer ?

Si vous souhaitez participer à cet événement de dialogue, veuillez nous envoyer les informations suivantes par e-mail :

le nom de votre municipalité / organisation (y compris les universités ou les ONG) et votre rôle/fonction, une brève description d’un projet de votre municipalité que vous souhaiteriez présenter aux autres participants en tant que bonne pratique. Vous pouvez également décrire un défi local auquel vous êtes actuellement confronté et dont vous aimeriez discuter avec les autres experts municipaux.

Il est toujours possible de postuler. Si cette offre vous intéresse, veuillez nous contacter dans les plus brefs délais.

Vous trouverez toutes les informations complémentaires dans
l’appel à participation [pdf]

Si vous avez des questions, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter:

Nikola Krause, coordinatrice du projet Connective Cities
nikola.krause@engagement-global.de ; +49 (0)228 20717 2922 et connective-cities@engagement-global.de

Call for Participation: Strengthening Local Economies – Globally Competitive, Profitable and Fit for the Future

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Rising energy costs, changing supply chains, climate impacts and new technologies are reshaping local economies worldwide. At the same time, new markets, innovative technologies and new forms of cooperation offer municipalities significant opportunities to strengthen their economic base, attract investment and create new prospects for businesses and employment.

Connective Cities invites municipalities and other local economic development actors to join the new international Deep Dive “Strengthening Local Economies – Globally Competitive, Profitable and Fit for the Future.”

Over approximately 1.5 years, participating municipalities will exchange experiences internationally, analyse their local economic structures, challenges and opportunities, and develop concrete strategies, partnerships and local projects for more resilient, innovative and future-oriented local economies.

Depending on the priorities of participating municipalities, the Deep Dive may address topics such as:

  • local competitiveness and structural change
  • business- and investment-friendly municipalities
  • innovation ecosystems and future technologies, including AI and sustainable energy
  • cooperation between municipalities, businesses, universities and other local actors
  • financing growth and turning ideas into implementable projects

 

The programme combines in-person workshops, digital exchanges, expert input and peer learning, with opportunities for short expert missions and peer visits.

Key information

  • Virtual kick-off: End of November 2026
  • First in-person workshop: Early February 2027 (3 days)
  • Duration: Approx. 1.5 years
  • Target group: Municipal and regional administrations, economic development agencies, municipal enterprises and other relevant institutions
  • Regions: Germany, Southeast Europe and the South Caucasus, Sub-Saharan Africa, and MENA
  • Working language: English
  • Submit your Expression of Interest by 31 October 2026

 

Interested in participating?

Find further information on the objectives, thematic focus, participation conditions and application process in the full Call for Participation [PDF].

Apply here: https://community.connective-cities.net/en/form/connective-cities-deep-dive-stre

Green Corridors in Egypt: From Urban Challenges to Practical Solutions

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Connective Cities brings together Egyptian municipalities and international experts to explore innovative approaches to greener, more resilient urban spaces.

On 28–29 September 2026, Connective Cities organised a two-day hybrid peer-learning workshop in cooperation with the Urban Development Fund (UDF) and GIZ Egypt. Representatives from Aswan, Port Said and Alexandria worked with international experts to develop practical solutions for urban greening and climate-resilient public spaces.

The workshop focused on a central question: How can cities transform existing streets and underused urban spaces into green corridors that improve urban liveability and strengthen climate resilience?

Three cities, three urban challenges

Aswan explored opportunities to introduce shade, greenery and pedestrian-friendly spaces in a residential area affected by high temperatures and limited vegetation.

 

A street intersection in front of yellow, partly dilapidated apartment buildings with satellite dishes. A car is parked in front of a pharmacy; a few people are walking along the sidewalk. Green and orange brushstrokes mark areas slated for redevelopment.
Residential neighborhood as it currently stands. Green and orange brushstrokes indicate areas slated for redevelopment.
AI-Visualization of a redesigned residential neighborhood: Green pergolas, sunshades, and a playground are nestled among white apartment buildings. People are strolling in the sun, and cacti and palm trees line the street.
An AI visualization for the redesign of the residential neighborhood. Advantages: Residents and children benefit from shaded, greener community and play areas. Disadvantages: Drivers must expect the street to be narrower and will only be able to drive through it slowly.

Port Said focused on greening public spaces despite saline soils, water scarcity and limited financial resources.

A bird's-eye view of a large, sandy vacant lot with scattered trash next to a road. Behind it lies a walled-off open area with a multi-story building and residential houses.
Unused open space in Port Said
AI visualization of the previously barren vacant lot as a city park: Paths wind through flower beds, trees, and shrubs between residential buildings; people are strolling, and benches invite visitors to sit down.
AI visualization of the previously barren vacant lot as a city park. Advantages: Residents and pedestrians benefit from shade, recreational opportunities, and safer, step-free paths. Disadvantages: Drivers lose through traffic capacity and faster access.

Alexandria examined ways to improve streetscapes and introduce appropriate vegetation while addressing poor soil conditions, water availability and maintenance challenges.

A wide, nearly empty street between multi-story apartment buildings under a blue sky. A soccer goal stands in the middle of the road. A yellow tuk-tuk is parked on the right.
Sealed surfaces worsen the urban climate in Alexandria.
An AI visualisation of the previously empty street as a green communal space: beneath a sunshade, people tend to raised beds; older people sit on benches; and in the background is a playground. Trees provide shade.
AI visualisation of the previously empty street as a green communal space. Advantages: Local residents gain shaded seating areas, play areas and vegetable patches for growing food. Disadvantages: Local residents lose parking spaces and have fewer opportunities to drop off passengers quickly.

 

Through structured Peer Advice, municipal representatives and experts jointly identified feasible interventions adapted to local conditions. Proposed solutions ranged from shaded pedestrian routes and small green pockets to soil improvement, locally adapted tree species and partnerships with schools, communities and local organisations.

Combining peer learning with AI-supported visualisation

A distinctive feature of the workshop was the integration of AI-supported visualisations into the peer-learning process. Based on photographs of existing urban spaces, alternative future scenarios were developed to illustrate how proposed interventions could transform the selected sites.

These visualisations helped translate technical recommendations into tangible spatial concepts, supporting discussion, comparison and refinement of different options. Rather than presenting predetermined designs, the AI-generated images served as a collaborative tool, enabling participants to explore possibilities and assess their feasibility against local realities.

From ideas to action: Backcasting—back from the future

The workshop also introduced Backcasting, a planning approach that starts with a desired future and works backwards to identify the steps needed to achieve it. Building on the Peer Advice and AI-supported scenarios, participants explored how long-term visions for greener urban spaces could be translated into practical priorities, partnerships and implementation steps. The backcasting method thus enriched the planning activities.

The combination of Peer Advice, AI-supported visualisation and Backcasting demonstrated how digital tools and structured international exchange can complement one another, helping cities move from shared challenges towards locally adapted solutions.

International expertise and regional exchange

The learning process benefited from contributions by Prof. Dr. Heba Khalil and Stefan Scharfe, who shared international experiences and technical perspectives on sustainable urban development, green infrastructure and climate resilience.

The workshop was conceived and led by Jelena Karamatijevic (Connective Cities) and facilitated by Aida Tarhouni. It was organised in close cooperation with Dr Marwa Ahmed of the Urban Development Fund (UDF) and GIZ Egypt. Special thanks go to Dr Marwa Ahmed for her collaboration with the Egyptian partners and to colleagues from the Connective Cities project (CBUID) for their valuable support in preparing and delivering the workshop. Positive feedback from the participating institutions highlighted the value of combining municipal experience, international expertise and innovative digital approaches.

What’s next?

The workshop in Egypt forms part of the broader Connective Cities regional learning process on Green Corridors in the MENA region. Further exchanges with municipalities across the region will build on the results, promote cross-border knowledge sharing and support the development of practical approaches to climate-resilient urban development.

The experience from Egypt illustrates how peer learning can evolve: from exchanging ideas to jointly visualising solutions and identifying pathways towards implementation.

Further Information:

Jelena Karamatijevic | Advisor on Sustainable Urban Development
Connective Cities · GIZ | jelena.karamatijevic@giz.de

 

When Facts Come Under Pressure: Strengthening Municipalities Against Disinformation

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Українська версія [pdf]

How can municipalities effectively counter disinformation, build trust and communicate reliably, even in times of crisis?

Disinformation and polarising narratives are posing increasing challenges for municipalities. False information can undermine trust in local institutions, intensify social tensions and spread rapidly, particularly in times of crisis. It is therefore all the more important for municipalities to be prepared and able to communicate quickly, credibly and effectively.

These questions are at the heart of the Connective Cities expert forum “When Facts Come Under Pressure: Strengthening Municipalities Against Disinformation”, taking place on 8 October 2026 from 14:00 to 16:30 in Berlin.

The expert forum is part of the 8th German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference, taking place from 7 to 9 October 2026. The conference brings together German and Ukrainian municipal representatives and other actors engaged in the partnership network to exchange experiences and successful approaches, discuss current challenges in their cooperation, and further strengthen municipal resilience and German-Ukrainian partnerships.

Learning from municipal practice

The expert forum focuses on the concrete challenges faced by cities and municipalities: How can a local administration recognise when disinformation is spreading? When and how should it respond? What roles do mayors, communication teams, local media and civil society play? And how can municipalities build trust so that citizens turn to reliable municipal information, particularly in times of crisis?

The forum brings together German and Ukrainian perspectives and experiences. Ukrainian municipalities face particularly intense information pressure under the conditions of Russia’s war of aggression. Their experience in crisis communication, responding to rumours and false information, and establishing reliable information channels provide important insights for mutual learning and exchange.

Alongside expert inputs and examples from municipal practice, the forum will place a strong emphasis on joint learning. In an interactive crisis scenario, German and Ukrainian participants will work together to explore how a municipality can respond when false information spreads rapidly and creates immediate pressure to act and communicate.

Participants will gain practical insights and concrete approaches to prevention, monitoring and crisis communication and exchange strategies for making municipalities and their partnerships more resilient to disinformation and societal polarisation.

Further information on the contributors and the detailed programme of the expert forum will be published shortly.

At a glance

  • Date: 8 October 2026
  • Time: 14:00–16:30
  • Location: Berlin
  • Languages: German and Ukrainian with interpretation
  • Target group: Mayors, municipal staff and local elected representatives, as well as other actors involved in German-Ukrainian municipal partnerships

 

The expert forum is part of the 8th German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference.

Further information about the conference: https://skew.engagement-global.de/german-ukrainian-municipal-partnership-conference-2026.html

Green Corridors Learning Process: From Exchange to Implementation

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Version française [pdf]

The Green Corridors Learning Process is entering its next phase, strengthening practice-oriented knowledge exchange among municipalities and urban practitioners across the MENA region.

Today, green corridors are increasingly relevant as an integrated response to multiple urban challenges. They can help mitigate urban heat, improve the urban climate and biodiversity, support stormwater management, and reduce exposure to traffic and noise. At the same time, they can create attractive walking and cycling connections between neighbourhoods, public spaces and everyday destinations, strengthening sustainable mobility, accessibility and quality of life. In this way, green corridors link climate resilience and environmental sustainability with healthier, better connected and more liveable municipalities.

On 28–29 September, the Learning Process will place a particular focus on Egyptian municipalities, which will meet in person in Cairo, while peers and experts from across the region contribute online. Together with Port Said, Aswan, Alexandria, and UDF Egypt, the exchange will build on local and regional expertise and provide space to jointly address concrete municipal challenges related to green corridors, climate resilience, public space and integrated urban development.

A key element will be peer consultation on concrete municipal cases. Participating municipalities will benefit from experiences and expertise from across the region, jointly explore possible solutions and identify approaches that can be adapted to their local context. AI-supported visualisation will complement the peer exchange, helping municipalities translate ideas into tangible spatial scenarios and visualise possible pathways for future development.

The Cairo gathering forms part of the wider regional Learning Process. Further regional gatherings will follow shortly, providing opportunities for other participating municipalities to bring their cases into focus and benefit from cross-border peer learning and expert support.

More information on the 28–29 September gathering and the upcoming regional activities will be published soon.

Nature at the Heart of Municipal Resilience: Paving the Way Forward

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The Connective Cities learning process “Nature at the Heart of Municipal Resilience” continues to bring municipalities from across Sub-Saharan Africa together to exchange experiences and develop locally adapted solutions. Following previous exchanges, participating municipalities are now refining their reform measures through online sessions and expert support, preparing them for the next stage of the learning process.

Examples from some of the participating municipalities, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) are taking increasingly concrete forms.

In Bosaso, Somalia, the municipality is developing guidelines for street tree planting to support the long-term sustainability of urban greenery. Sinda Town, Zambia, has identified community-owned land for an urban park that will provide recreational space and encourage community engagement.

In Méagui, Côte d’Ivoire, the municipality is developing small urban parks in the city centre while exploring suitable tree species for the local environment. Babadjou, Cameroon, is working on awareness and communication measures around the protection of indigenous trees and replanting in deforested areas.

Nanga-Eboko, Cameroon, is combining community engagement to address deforestation with opportunities for nature-based local economic development, including honey production and diversified fruit-tree cultivation.

In Cape Coast, Ghana, the municipality is exploring public-private partnerships for mangrove restoration to address coastal flooding while also considering opportunities related to carbon finance. In Nakuru, Kenya, a pilot tree-planting initiative along the River Njoro aims to reduce soil erosion associated with flooding.

Together, these examples show how participating municipalities are moving from the exchange of experiences towards locally adapted and implementable measures. The ongoing online exchanges provide an opportunity to further develop these approaches, address open questions and benefit from peer and expert feedback.

The next milestone will bring participants together in Kigali, where municipalities will share their progress and further develop their measures towards implementation.

Through the learning process, Connective Cities supports municipalities in translating Nature-based Solutions into practical responses to local challenges – shaped by local conditions, strengthened through international exchange and oriented towards implementation.

Further information:
Connective Cities Learning Process Kick-off Workshop in Naivasha, Kenya
From Challenges to Pathways: Advancing Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Contexts