Category: Categories

Developing a municipal Geoinformation System

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Beit Jala, situated on the western outskirts of Bethlehem in the Palestinian Occupied Territories, is a municipality of about 17,500 inhabitants. The town faces several challenges, including a lack of reliable spatial data and contemporary maps that eschews urban planning and development. For this reason, the municipality decided to develop a municipal Geographic Information System (EGIS), which helps to digitalize, update and use spatial data. This system serves as a tool for urban planning and development and a trigger for digital transformation. To implement this project, Beit Jala collaborates with the German city of Jena, with the aim to develop and strengthen and foster mutual technical cooperation between the two municipalities as well as working together to improve the GIS capabilities, as Jena can contribute knowledge and experience in municipal GIS development. From 2020 to 2024, a local expert supported the development of the municipal Enterprise GIS as well as the partnership between Beit Jala and Jena.

The development of an enterprise municipal Geoinformation system in Beit Jala has yielded specific and crucial lessons for future initiatives. One key insight is the imperative of an iterative approach, wherein projects are systematically broken down into manageable phases and where different synergies were created at both the local and international level.

Projects for the expansion of renewable energies

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Version française

The Regional Renewable Energy for Cities Workshop, held from October 23-25, 2024, in Tunis, Tunisia, was organized by Connective Cities, RoAid, the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), and the City Climate Finance Gap Fund (Gap Fund). The event was part of the Renforcement de la Gouvernance Locale et Modernisation des Service Locaux (REMO) project by GIZ Tunisia due to its close collaboration with Tunisian municipalities, key partners in the project, as well as its partnership with the Ministry of the Interior.

The regional conference aimed to strengthen renewable energy initiatives in urban areas, provide technical expertise, and promote peer-to-peer learning among cities in North and West Africa.

Tunisian cities participating in the workshop demonstrate a strong commitment to improving citizens’ quality of life, enhancing safety, and reducing energy costs through investments in green energy solutions. Their priorities include public lighting using photovoltaic panels and sustainable energy operations for public buildings (e.g., health, education, recreation).

The goal of these cities, regardless of their size or character, is to become more attractive for residents, investors, and tourists by fostering sustainable development and creating a healthy environment.

Tunisian cities face several challenges in their transition to green energy systems. Key obstacles include:

  • limited access to non-reimbursable funding,
  • modest technical and financial preparation,
  • political-administrative constraints, and
  • a shortage of technical expertise in the environmental sector.

Despite these hurdles, opportunities exist for cities to access support through initiatives like The Gap Fund, which provides assistance for feasibility studies, cost-benefit analyses, and securing international financing. International development banks prioritize projects that emphasize environmental health, community well-being, and the adoption of green technologies, adding significant value to local populations.

With immense solar potential and a favorable modernization context, Tunisian cities must focus on collaboration with other municipalities or regions to secure larger-scale funding. Leveraging the expertise of institutions such as GIZ, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and other development banks is essential. Additionally, adopting proven, cost-effective solutions from successful global projects can help tailor efforts to their specific needs. By aligning their initiatives with international standards, Tunisian cities can accelerate their transition to sustainable green energy systems and ensure a healthier, more attractive environment for citizens, investors, and tourists alike.

Day 1: Focus on project preparation, financing, and expert presentations

The workshop began with a welcome address by Madame Samira Abidi, President of the Instance Générale de Prospective et d’Appui à la Décentralisation, Ministry of Interior, Tunisia. She emphasized the importance of supporting cities in their renewable energy efforts, highlighting that the Ministry has available funds to support projects. Madame Abidi stressed the need for combined funding opportunities to maximize impact and welcomed all participants to collaborate towards sustainable solutions.

Jelena Karamatijević (Connective Cities) introduced the objectives of the workshop, stressing the organization’s commitment to peer learning and knowledge exchange among cities. She also introduced Connective Cities as a global network facilitating collaboration and capacity-building to tackle sustainability challenges through urban innovation and energy efficiency projects.

Romanian city expertise and good practices

The technical sessions began with a presentation by RoAid, focusing on the experiences of Romanian cities and how they have overcome challenges similar to those faced by cities in Tunisia and other African countries. Romanian experts discussed specific examples of solar energy integration, smart grid technologies, and energy-efficient infrastructure. These insights were particularly relevant, as Romania’s urban energy projects closely align with those of the participating cities. Romanian cities demonstrated innovative urban solutions in solar street lighting, community-driven energy models, and energy-efficient public infrastructure.

Inclusive nature tourism trails for the deaf, disabled and blind

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In recent years, the tourism industry has been expanding its offerings by providing more inclusive and sustainable options. However, access to tourist attractions is still a major challenge for the deaf, visually impaired and people with disabilities. Even people with temporary injuries or mild sensory impairments often find it difficult to relax and fully enjoy their vacation experiences. This guide aims to address these challenges by updating currently available tourism guidelines and incorporating contemporary design standards for inclusivity. It is one of the outputs of the working group ‘Destination management organisation in tourism in the MENA region’.

Arabic version:
مسارات سياحية طبيعية شاملة للصم والمعاقين والمكفوفين

Kragujevac – renewable energy in district heating

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‘ENERGETIKA’ Kragujevac, a state-owned company specialising in steam generation and air conditioning, has taken an important step towards environmental protection. In 2021, the old coal-fired boilers were replaced by modern gas-fired boilers, which have been in operation since the 2022/2023 heating season. This conversion has significantly reduced the plant’s environmental impact.

In a further project for the next three years, it is now planned to use the waste heat from a data centre located near the ‘Aerodrom’ boiler house heating plant and feed it into the district heating network using a heat pump. The data centre is planned for two expansion stages and the first has been in operation for less than two years. The currently installed cooling capacity of the 2 modules is 4.4 MW. The expansion of the data centre to 4 modules is expected to double the cooling capacity, which is planned for the coming years. The cooling system is designed for redundant operation.

By using the waste heat from the data centre in Kragujevac and other measures to increase energy efficiency in the hot water system, a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions will be achieved.

The initiative highlights the importance of continuous improvement through the exchange of expertise and experiences, ensuring medium to long-term success.

Kufranja municipality – city of oxygen in Jordan

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This is the first video in the second edition of ‘Voices from Connective Cities’. Dr. Anwaar Bani Salman, Head of Planning and studies at Kufranja municipality in Jordan talks about the competitive advantage of the municipality in agri- and eco-tourism due to its unique nature and high percentage of green cover. She highlights the benefits of peer learning particularly from Madaba municipality on the topics of local development strategies, proposal writing, and forging partnerships with stakeholders from different sectors. She noted that the moral support that she received from Connective Cities network helped her overcome various challenges such as fear of failure.

Watch video at YouTube: https://youtu.be/q6TZawYNglY

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Further information: Municipal Business Incubators in Madaba

Strengthening Risk-Informed Urban Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

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SADC Peer-to-Peer Learning Platform for Integrating Disaster Risk Management into Urban Planning and Development

The race against time to determine resilience-driven solutions to highly complex and existential urban disaster risk challenges is increasingly necessary more so in Africa. Projections point to the fact that by 2050, 90% of the global urbanization will be experienced in Africa and Asia. Despite Africa’s low contributions to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, the continent remains the most vulnerable to hazards and risk drivers like such as, but not limited to, climate change and (climate) variability. Evidently, Africa’s cities face exponential growth, unplanned urbanization trends and unfolding vulnerabilities threatening thus, to undo urban development gains. By 2050, most of the countries in the region will have made an urban transition, meaning that more than 50% of their population will live in urban areas, which are in turn, the cornerstone of Africa’s socio-economic development (IFRI 2022). As hubs of infrastructure, services, trade and people, cities are faced with one of the major urban threats in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), namely floods, subsequently challenging the continent’s socio-economic development ambitions. Urbanization is arguably an inevitable, unstoppable yet positive trend which nevertheless has the potential to greatly increase risk.

To incorporate integrated Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and climate change adaptation measures into multilateral and bilateral development cooperation programs – within and across all sectors -, Connective Cities (CC) and the Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA) have called the joint initiative on risk-informed urban development (RIUD) to enable peer to peer exchanges through a hybrid modular learning processes (LP). The LP focuses on strengthening risk-informed urban development by creating innovative solutions for flood risk management in urban systems situated in Sub-Sahara Africa with a focus in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region.

The LP enables the use of an agile, barrier-reduced learning and exchange platform for RIUD, which is used by regional, national, and local governmental and non-governmental actors. The modular and systemic approach of the LP for RIUD includes areas related to “Sustainable Urban Development” and “Good governance” facilitating the formation of new partnerships across vertical and horizontal scales for urban/regional resilience. Through the differentiated yet complementary political counterparts, between CC and RIA, the GIZ is able to ensure scalability and wide-spread transfer and communication of the results (i.e. RIUD SADC Publication).

To enhance resilience in southern African cities, CC and RIA developed a series of hybrid modular LPs (Live Events and virtual Insight Sessions) which focus on peer to peer exchange on integrated flood risk management in SADC as part of Sub-Sahara Africa.

The kick-off event in Windhoek, Namibia took place in April 2023 and marked the first round of the LEP by creating feedback loops to inform the development of context-specific, gender-equitable and climate-change-sensitive solution options directed at tackling urban flood risk challenges in both structural and non-structural terms. During the kick-off event, the peer-to-peer exchange was guided by initial thematic areas i.e: 1) Understanding and managing flood risk drivers, 2) Green infrastructure and nature-based approaches for risk-informed solutions, and 3) Risk communication flows and good governance.

Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) – Phase 1

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The Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) aims to improve connectivity and mobility within the city while reducing flooding through structural and non-structural measures. As part of the project, 67 kilometres of rainwater channels were built. The focus was on training local government experts, solid waste management and urban greening initiatives.

However, the DMDP also became aware of various issues and challenges that the city faces in drainage management. These include the effects of climate change, such as flooding, storms, heat, drought and sea level rise, as well as an inadequate stormwater drainage system due to a lack of suitable corridors and space for retention basins. Unrestricted access to stormwater drains has led to misuse for sewage and waste disposal.

The effects of rapid urbanisation also had to be taken into account: Around 70 per cent of Dar es Salaam’s population lives in unplanned settlements, mostly in very exposed locations. Community involvement is crucial here: it can help build trust, ensure sustainability and promote ownership of flooding control projects. Cooperation and coordination between different stakeholders, including authorities, municipalities and other organisations involved in the project, as well as effective communication and coordination are essential.

Lörrach plans Germany’s first timber-built commercial area

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In 2020 the town of Lörrach purchased the 8.5-hectare Lauffenmühle site which had formerly been home to a textile factory. The purchase was made possible by urban development grants worth €9.1 million from Germany’s federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Following discussions with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the idea arose of creating a timber-built climate-neutral commercial area on the site.

The historic factory buildings on the site and their stone facades are not protected monuments, but the project still plans to repair and retain their basic structure in order to utilise them for new commercial purposes. By doing this, the project hopes that people will be able to identify with the project, particularly in the surrounding areas.

The project can serve as a model for other municipalities in Germany and around the world, providing that entire commercial areas can be built of timber.

For more impressions, take a look at our Good Practice website!

Deep Dive: Heat in the city

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As a second milestone of the Deep Dive process, a workshop was held in Nairobi from 4 to 7 March 2024. The workshop marked the transition from the phase of sensemaking of the local contexts towards prioritization of challenges and solution options. Participants representing the cities of Nairobi, Aswan, Mombasa, Lviv, Lüdenscheid and Heidelberg discussed the observations and findings from the initial participatory field research including insights into how stakeholders and relevant actors perceive challenges related to the phenomenon of urban heat. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to learn about projects and initiatives implemented in Nairobi that are relevant to building resilience to urban heat.

Establishing a Primary Healthcare Center

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In Northern Lebanon, the municipality of Al Mohammara confronts conflict, economic hardship, and a persistent refugee crisis. In the framework of the partnership with the German town of Opfenbach that started in 2018, Al Mohammara decided to address the urgent need for accessible healthcare.

Amid Lebanon’s economic crisis and an extremely high inflation rate, Al Mohammara’s annual budget is insufficient to cover basic services provided by the municipality. Recognized by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) as among Lebanon’s most vulnerable municipalities. The implementation of the Primary Healthcare Center project faced significant economic difficulties, primarily in the form of financial challenges during the construction phase.

However, the ongoing partnership between Al Mohammara and Opfenbach is yielding remarkable outcomes for the diverse local population. Despite facing economic challenges and regional tensions, the establishment of the Primary Healthcare Center has evolved from a simple idea into a two-floor, 1000-square-meter facility. Once, the center is operational, it will become a crucial provider of basic healthcare in the Akkar region.

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Further information:

Securing medical care in Lebanon

Interview: Building a primary healthcare centre in challenging times

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