Overview

The project workshop “Developing strategies for resilient and liveable urban district development "planned in the framework of the initiative" Municipal Know-How for Host Communities in the Middle East", which is a new activity of Connective Cities in cooperation with Engagement Global, paying specific attention to municipalities hosting refugees. Jordan municipalities aim to improve their urban services and, therefore, seek a collaborative exchange with German cities and municipal enterprises.

The dialogue event took place in Amman, Jordan from 17 to 19 April 2018. The workshop facilitated the exchange of experiences between Jordan and German cities in the context of urban district development. With some project ideas having been developed at the first workshop in November, participants had the opportunity to refine the project ideas on basis of the Urban Nexus approach as methodological frame. New participants therefore had the chance to introduce their varying urban challenges, which have been developed into project ideas this time.

All in all, 5 German and 30 Jordan representatives from 14 different municipalities in Germany and Jordan took part in the workshop.

Keynotes

Renard Teipelke, Urban Development Specialist, Manila, Philippines

Introduction to the Urban Nexus Approach towards Integrated Urban Development

مقدمة الى منهجية الترابط الحضري نحو تنمية حضرية متكاملة

The Urban Nexus Approach Applied: Identify & Innovate towards Integrated Urban Development

تطبيق منهجية الترابط الحضري: التحديد والابتكار نحو تنمية حضريمتكاملة

Results

During presentations, discussions, excursions,  peer-to-peer consultations and joint group work  in the varying topics of sustainable urban development, participants exchanged experiences and know-how in order to process successfully their work on project ideas that were brought into the workshop by Jordan municipalities. German experts from Munich, Nuremberg, Gütersloh and Dresden introduced Good Practice examples from their municipalities, contributing to the thematic scheme with their presentations about integrated district development with action area plans and participatory approaches, planning of green and public spaces,  the use of solar energy and energy efficiency measures in retrofit buildings. With the support of the methodological approach of Urban Nexus the project ideas developed in the first Connective Cities Workshop in November 2017 were refined and innovated towards more integrated project design. Concrete new challenges and first project ideas of the newly involved municipalities were presented and developed in peer-to-peer working sessions.

One of the ways of putting the project ideas into concrete terms and implementing them will be via possible project partnerships in the context of the BMZ “Municipal Knowhow for the Middle East Initiative” (www.initiative-nahost.de). In addition to the development of a multilateral learning and development network for sustainable urban development, the pool of experts on municipal consultation through Connective Cities will be involved.

Video