Overview

Rapid urbanisation is an indisputable fact in Africa, and cities across the continent are increasingly driving national economies. Despite their growing role, many cities lack the institutions and instruments necessary to manage urbanisation in a sustainable way that includes their poorest residents. To counter traditional sectoral thinking and divided responsibilities and move towards a deeper, more systemic form of urban practice, an urban NEXUS approach for the design of sustainable urban development solutions is required. The approach guides stakeholders to identify and pursue possible synergies between sectors, jurisdictions, and technical domains, so as to increase institutional performance, optimize resource management, and service Quality.

The Workshop aims at further developing and applying the urban NEXUS approach in regard to the integration of social, economic and environmental dimensions in planning, management, and governance of slum upgrading programmes. Furthermore, it will address housing - land use - pro-poor economic development - environmental protection - citizen participation - education - risk reduction and look at existing good practices and emerging challenges to define innovative approaches that go beyond conventional urban practice.

Keynotes

Mr. Luyanda Mpahlwa, Design Space Africa
Urban upgrading in Sub-Saharan Africa

Mr. Schilling, City of Bremen
Urban upgrading in Germany / Urban renewal in Germany

Ms. Irina Velasco, ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, Africa Secretariat
Urban NEXUS approach

Results

During the three days workshop, the practitioners presented good practices, participated in peer-to-peer advisory sessions tackling concrete challenges of urban upgrading in their home cities and developed action plans based on the Urban NEXUS Approach which aims at improved integration between actors, sectors and levels of urban development.

Key take-home messages are: 

i) Urban development is a dynamic process and therefore needs laws and policies that are flexible

ii) Citizens, especially urban upgrading beneficiaries, should become agents of change through stable partnerships instead of only taking part in short-term participatory measures

iii) The mainstreaming of innovative technologies, designs and delivery models for housing and basic services requires political will and community support, and 

iv) Communication between stakeholders should be improved to allow practitioners to identify NEXUS opportunities to enhance their projects´ performance

Video

Exchange & Practitioners' Workshop in Durban, South Africa