Padang is a city of over one million inhabitants located on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The Arau River flowing through the city center of Padang is heavily polluted with household garbage and is a main recipient of untreated wastewater. In order to make Padang more attractive to tourists and a more livable city for its inhabitants, the Padang administration developed the objective to clean Arau River with the support of a water sanitation expert.
Author: erik
Developing a climate change strategy in-house
External consultants often develop climate protection strategies for municipalities, which then end up in the shelf because their implementation does not match the capabilities of the municipality, the measures are too costly or there is little ownership in the departments of the municipality. Kouga municipality was able to successfully conduct the in-house development of a climate strategy. They followed a cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach, including various departments of the municipal administration. This was supported by a development advisor funded by the “Experts fund for Municipal Partnerships worldwide” between 2021 and 2023. It was a challenge to bring together and activate all these players and at the same time gain political support, but eventually this approach enabled an integrated and therefore feasible strategy.
The climate change strategy consists of three implementation lines. The first line focuses on mainstreaming climate change into the municipal management, the second line talks to responses to main climate change vulnerabilities and the third line lists short-term measures that were identified through the process. Several of these are already being implemented now such as tree planting and dune rehabilitation.
Hosting a SDG Partnership Conference in 2024
Implementing the 2030 Agenda with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a global task, and one in which cities and municipalities worldwide have a vital role to play. Municipal partnerships provide an important network for sharing a wide range of lessons learned in localising the 2030 Agenda and for working together to achieve the SDGs.
In 2024, the Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW) of Engagement Global will support up to three German municipalities to organise a “SDG Partnership Conference”, by providing financial and professional support. Different perspectives and experiences on the 2030 Agenda are discussed with partner municipalities from all over the world, ideas for further cooperation on the 2030 Agenda and activities for implementing the SDGs in partnership are jointly developed.
A SDG Partnership Conference is usually a two- to three-day event format that can be held both in person and digitally. It is also possible for several German municipalities to organize a joint event at a single venue.
Please note that exclusively German municipal authorities are eligible to apply. Proposals cannot be submitted by municipalities or organisations outside of Germany. If you are interested in this format, please contact your German partner municipality.
The Service Agency is looking forward to receiving your application by 31 January 2024!
City-to-city collaboration is key to streamlining climate neutrality and decentralized energy production
Together with the Connective Cities, the Association of German Cities organized a side event in the German Pavilion at the COP28 World Climate Conference in Dubai on the question of “What solutions are there for sustainable and decentralized energy generation and supply at local level”. On 6 December at 2 p.m. local time, representatives from German and African cities (Cologne, Bonn, eThekwini and Abuja) discussed their local innovations for climate-friendly energy solutions.
In her keynote speech, Katja Dörner, Vice-President of the German Association of Cities, Mayor of Bonn, and ICLEI Co-Chair for Climate Action, emphasized the importance of a socially just and participatory approach to a climate and energy transition. She emphasized that the voice of cities in climate negotiations is essential to achieve global goals.
She showed how the city of Bonn can achieve climate neutrality by 2035 and called on the federal level to make swift changes to support the local level. The EU and the German federal level must create the framework for a climate-friendly energy transition. She again emphasized the importance of making climate protection and adaptation a mandatory task for local authorities.
Rebuilding, but better!
From the German participants, the urban planning offices of the cities of Münster and Munich presented current examples of integrated urban development. It became clear that “integrated” encompasses all levels, from spatial planning to the participatory design of a square. To link these levels, Munich relies on the development of specialist guidelines (climate change adaptation/sponge city, avoidance of heat islands, mobility, strong residential districts) and the definition of action areas. Münster relies above all on the instrument of center funds (smaller sums to promote new ideas for redesign, simple application) and, upgrading the city center as a leisure and recreation area.
Flood Management for Risk-Informed Urban Development in eThekwini
The Second Live Event for the Learning Process on Flood Management for Risk-Informed Urban Development was hosted in eThekwini, South Africa from November 7th until 9th 2023. Building upon the lessons of the previous session in Windhoek, Namibia, the second installment of the yearlong learning process allowed for a great diversity of participants, ranging from academics, technical experts to regional, national and municipal governmental and/or non-governmental representatives. Participants reconvened and continued the peer-to-peer exchange and sharing of methodological approaches, for finding risk informed solutions in their respective cities. More than 40 participants from 14 different cities across 12 countries from Sub-Saharan Africa, the SADC Region and Germany, engaged in a face-to-face consultation and intervision round-tables benefitting from a wide range of knowledge and experiences. GIZ’s Connective Cities hosted the event together with the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM) and the Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA), to promote cooperation and coordination across sectors and strengthen the capacities of regional, national and local state and non-state actors to implement risk informed development in urban disaster risk management.
The key corner stone of the Learning Process is the framework of Risk informed Urban Development (RIUD), a newfound path towards urban resilience that has been gaining momentum within the landscape of greater development. Dr. Mmaphaka Tau (GIZ-RIA), emphasized the importance of having all actors responsible for the governance of cities such as NGOs, academics, municipal, provincial, national, and regional actors, local communities, and technical experts working jointly to ensure that development pathways are coherent, reduce existing risk and prevent the creation of new risks. Under the RIUD framework set for the learning process, the thematic foci included the following structuring and/or guiding entry points for the development of solutions for RIUD including inter alia DRR and climate change adaptation strategies, bankable concepts and/or projects:
- Understanding and managing the various and interconnected drivers of flood risks, that cities are exposed to.
- Identifying possible green infrastructure and nature-based approaches as risk informed solutions to address flooding in cities.
- Improving the flows of risk communication and risk governance
The workshop was opened with speeches from the Deputy Mayor of eThekwini, Zandile Myeni, and the Mayor of Cologne, Andreas Wolter, both of whom detailed the significant risk flooding posed to their respective communities. eThekwini and Cologne both lay along significant waterways, the former exposed to vast coast lines of the Indian Ocean, and the latter split by the historic Rhein River.
eThekwini is no stranger to the perilous nature of flood damage, just last Spring the city faced heavy damage from floods which barreled through its community. eThekwini municipal representatives demonstrated their ability to learn from the experience and aim to make their city risk-informed and more resilient. This is particularly relevant in the context of development, as communities need to consider an ever-broader array of interdependent, yet transboundary and dynamic risks.
Mayor Andreas Wolter, a sitting member of Climate Alliance‘s Executive board, emphasized that resilience building and climate justice require bolstering global funds and grant mechanisms to ensure that local governments and national governments can sufficiently invest in RIUD. Mayor Wolter alluded to the 2021 Western European floods, that caused unprecedented damages in North Rhine-Westphalia. While reconstruction and build back better programs are still in implementation, the Mayor of Cologne stressed that Germany does not have the capacity to carry out the scale of reconstruction needed, should this recur. From the lens of climate justice, He appealed towards the urgent need for mobilizing climate funds and investing into preparedness and prevention measures to protect populations and developmental gains, especially in cities and their urban catchments.
“Disaster management is everybody’s business, and its success depends on collective efforts.” Mr. Thabo Khupari, representing the Head of the National Disaster Management Center of South Africa (Chief Directorate: Disaster Preparedness, Response and Recovery Coordination of the NDCM) echoed the urgent need for mobilizing funds and investing into risk-informed urban development by speaking on the importance of preparedness. Mr. Khupari spoke about the increasing weather and climate change related risks, and their link to social and sectoral vulnerabilities as well as the urbanization trends in South Africa. While these urbanization trends speak to the shared continental challenges on the “urbanization of poverty (townships, informal settlements, and inner cities), Mr. Khupari highlighted the relevance of RIUD as well as the role of the NDMC. In doing so he provided insights to the legal frameworks, their architecture (Institutional capacity, risk assessments, risk reduction, response and recovery) and the enablers (information & communication, training, education & research, and funding) for RIUD in South Africa. A selection of measures as i.e. understanding flood lines, designing systems to separate rainwater from sewer systems, enforcing spatial development practices, building codes, etc. where also highly appreciated by the participants.
Climate-friendly construction with organic and recycled materials
Steel and concrete are the most widely-used construction materials around the world, but producing and using them in construction produces high levels of carbon emissions. So how can we build the cities of the future in a more climate-friendly way? In this, using organic materials or recycling and reusing materials are promising approaches. This was the outcome of an international event held by Connective Cities in Potsdam from 13 to 15 November 2023 in partnership with the City of Potsdam as State Capital of Brandenburg, Bauhaus Erde and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
“Action for Cool Cities”
As part of the session organised by CitiesAdapt at the Adaptation Futures conference, the representative of the Kisumu county in Kenya (James Nyagol) participated in a panel discussion on nature-based solutions and involvement of the indigenous people for the sustainability of climate adaptation solutions. Mr. Nyagol, who holds the position of the Senior Climate Change Officer at Kisumu county, has shared his experience in developing solution to employ green infrastructure for inducing urban cooling and reducing risks of flooding along the Auji creek in Kisumu. The solution was developed as part of Connective Cities learning process “Action for Cool Cities”.
Furthermore, some of the outcomes of the learning process “Action for Cool Cities” were presented at 59th ISOCARP World Planning Congress. Under the title “Inclusive Climate Action in Cities: An elusive goal for local authorities?”, examples of the solutions developed were presented and discussed including the aspect of financing. Similarly, some insights from the learning process and the developed solutions were also presented at the Urban Thinkers Campus “Heat Stress Resilience: Translating Strategy into Urban Climate Actions” in Cairo.
Similarly, the municipalities of Irbid, Bab Amman and Kufranja presented and discussed with their peers’ solutions developed on green infrastructure during the Green Action Workshop in Amman organised by “Cash for Work” project at GiZ Jordan in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Greater Amman municipality.
Renewable Energy Options on the Municipal Level
Discover the highlights of the Connective Cities Dialogue Event held from 10 – 12 October 2023, focusing on ‘Renewable Energy Options at the Municipal Level.’ In this insightful gathering in Tbilisi, Georgia, 35 urban practitioners from 19 municipalities across 8 countries convened to exchange experiences. Representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Germany, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine collaborated, sharing valuable insights and collectively crafting innovative solutions for sustainable energy practices at the municipal level. Dive into the dynamic discussions and collaborative efforts that unfolded during this event, driving positive change in the realm of renewable energy within diverse urban settings.
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Cooperation in disaster management: German and Philippine experts share their experiences
As a follow-up activity to the international dialog event organized by Connective Cities, the Cologne Fire Department and the Cologne Public Order Office on the topic of “Evacuation and accommodation of evacuated people in urban areas – Planning evacuation beyond its early stages” (in March 2023), municipal experts from Germany from the disaster control sector travelled to the Philippines in October.
After the event in March, it became apparent that the Philippine and German municipal experts continued to be interested in delving deeper into the topics: evacuation, volunteerism in disaster management, digital communication strategies, multiplier effect, and inclusive personnel development within the fire department. Besides that, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) is high on the political agenda at all levels in the Philippines due to the often occurrence of volcanic activities, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, landslides and heavy rainfall events. The expertise of the Philippine experts was already evident at the event in Cologne, such as in evacuation planning and the use of digital communication strategies as well as the use of multipliers to strengthen civic engagement, education and communication with citizens.