As increased migration, particularly to urban centres, and digitalisation play a greater role in development cooperation, more research on how these phenomena interact will become critical. Information communication technologies (ICTs) offer pathways for potentially making it easier for migrants to settle in, whether it be through e-government programmes or by accessing social networks that can help in finding housing and work. To better understand how ICTs fit into urban migrants’ lives, researchers from the German Development Institute have used new survey data in Bogota comparing how long-term residents, short-term residents, and Venezuelan migrants access and use ICTs.
Author: erik
Towards the Localization of the SDGs
"This Report explores the involvement of Local and Regional Governments (LRGs) in the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Following UN guidelines, it complements the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) submitted by 143 countries to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) throughout the first four- year cycle of voluntary reporting. It delivers first-hand information from LRGs in 80 different countries, including 24 of the 47 countries reporting in 2019."
Integrated Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Cities and City-Regions
GIZ and the authors in this publication series observe increasing spatial and functional interrelations between cities, settlements and their surrounding rural areas and argue that the city-regional scale is highly relevant and call for paradigm shifts towards urban and regional planning, financing and implementation across sectors, stakeholders, administrative borders and governmental level. The studies and discussion papers in this publication series cover a diverse set of cityregional challenges and solutions gathered around the focus areas “Integrated Implementation of Global Agendas”, “Metropolitan Governance”, “Integrated Territorial Development for Strengthening Urban-Rural Linkages – including City Region Food Systems”, “Urban Resource Management and Climate Change”, “Digitalisation and Urban Development – Smart Cities” and “Regional Economic Development and Innovative Business Regions”. The studies and discussion papers aim at promoting the local implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Climate Agreement and the New Urban Agenda (NUA) which acknowledge the mutual dependencies between cities and regions as key potentials for inclusive and sustainable development.
The GIZ publication provides an overview of studies, discussion papers and digital sources related to urban and metropolitan issues from the perspective of German development cooperation.
Climate Protection and Air Pollution Control
Many air pollution control measures also help to protect the climate and vice versa. It is essential to use the synergies for environment and health.
The publication presents examples of various strategies and measures for clean air in municipalities and provides ideas on how these two areas can be interlinked.
Resilient Cities, Resilient Lives
“The world is more densely populated and more interconnected than ever before. From extreme weather to refugee crises, from disease pandemics to cyberattacks, today’s state of play requires new models of governance to mitigate risk and respond to challenges. Business-as-usual models of reactive planning and siloed decision-making will not generate the fundamental strength and flexibility essential for us to thrive in the face of the shocks and stresses of the 21st century. […] The launch of 100 Resilient Cities program (100RC) by the Rockefeller Foundation acknowledged that the escalating trends of urbanization, globaliza- tion, and climate change pose tremendous risks, but also offer a tremendous opportunity. This report shares 100RC’s knowledge about what it takes to catalyze an urban resilience movement.”
Heatwave Guide for Cities
"Heatwaves are deadly and their impacts are on the rise globally due to climate change. People living in urban areas are amongst the hardest hit when a heatwave occurs because these are hotter than the surrounding countryside. Along with climate change, urbanization is one of the most transformative trends of this century and the last. Over half the world now lives in urban areas and this is projected to increase to two-thirds by 2050. It is crucial that cities incorporate heat-reduction tactics such as green spaces into their plans for growth or retrofit them in built areas. […] This practical guide is designed with, and for, people working in city government to understand, reduce the risk of, and respond to, heatwaves in their cities."
Towards Our Common Digital Future
The report makes it clear that sustainability strategies and concepts must be fundamentally further developed in the age of digitisation. Only if digital change and the Transformation towards Sustainability are synchronized can we succeed in advancing climate and Earth-system protection and in making social progress in human development. Without formative political action, digital change will further accelerate resource and energy consumption, and exacerbate damage to the environment and the climate. It is therefore an urgent political task to create the conditions needed to place digitalization at the service of sustainable development.
In addition to the summary,research recommendations are also available as pdf downloads.
Note: The full text of the report will be published in the coming months.
The Silent Revolution of Public Spaces in Afghanistan
"The Silent Revolution of Public Spaces in Afghanistan is the untold story of hope and peace in urban areas. The provision of public spaces in cities across Afghanistan is shaping the lives of the citizens, especially women and the poor, and the relationship with their cities. It is a social and cultural revolution that has empowered women, created jobs for the poor and improved the living standards of the citizens. It is a silent and peaceful revolution that has transformed the people and the city, building trust and confidence in public institutions. The photobook serves to portray the Afghan government’s response to the immediate urban challenges through impactful photos and stories. […]"
Affordable housing: profiles of five metropolitan cities
Global urban growth is a fact. Cities have expanded beyond their own administrative borders, resulting in metropolitan territories with large physical dimensions. The metropolises of the world are engines of growth, the nodes in major streams of people, goods, wealth, knowledge, creativity and innovation. […] On the other hand, because they are diverse and complex, the same metropolises also tend to be fragmented, generating profound inequalities within their own territories. Metropolitan opportunities and inequalities arise in almost every aspect of the lives of urban dwellers, starting with one of the most fundamental universal human rights: the right to adequate housing and shelter.
The report portrays the efforts of the city authorities of Berlin, Buenos Aires, Kuala Lumpur, Montréal and Singapore in order to ensure affordable housing for all citizens.
The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5°C World
New ways of measuring the climate footprint of cities show that urban consumption is a key driver of global GHG emissions. Cities therefore have a responsibility to significantly reduce their GHG emissions. This work has mostly focused on transport, buildings, energy and waste. This report assesses the impact of urban consumption on climate breakdown and explores the type and scale of changes needed to ensure that cities reduce their GHG emissions in line with internationally agreed, climate-safe limits.