Category: Climate neutral urban development

Call for Participation: Join the Connective CitiesCity Lab

Posted on by erik

A open and flexible online program for local municipal employees and urban practitioners around the world.

Municipalities around the world are affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, Connective Cities is organising a series of virtual formats to discuss and develop measures, challenges, and solutions to overcome the pandemic and support the municipal recovery.

By joining the Connective Cities Lab, you get full access to international experts and urban practitioners from other cities, who will support you to develop solutions and prototypes to the challenges you are working on in your local community.

Call for participation: The post-COVID City – towards greener cities

Posted on by erik

Connective Cities and its partners invite you to the sixth Insight Session, which will be held under the title “The post-COVID City – bringing together urban practitioners to work towards greener cities” virtualy on 18 October, 10:00-11:30 CEST.

The Insight Session will address the question “The city after Corona? When urban planners, climate scientists and health experts work together, the result can only be green”. The session is part of the so-called Urban October. During the month of October, UN-Habitat and partner organisations organise activities and discussions on sustainable urbanisation. The Insight Session will focus on the challenges and lessons learned in designing cities to better resist the spread of disease and redesigning urban planning to adapt to the risks of health crises.

Further information:  Insight Session: The post-COVID City – bringing together urban practitioners to work towards greener cities | Connective Cities Network

Event Language: English

The Insight Session will be moderated by Franziska Loibl, Ute Maas and Tino Bosire. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Franziska Loibl (franziska.loibl@giz.de)
Ute Maas (ute.maas@giz.de)
Tino Bosire (tino.bosire@giz.de)

Support for more bike lanes in cities

Posted on by erik

On 8 September 2021 the event “Pop-up bike lanes: long-term opportunities for green urban development after the COVID-19 pandemic?” took place as part of the virtual event series Insight Sessions: (Post) COVID Urban Futures. The series facilitates a recurring exchange on various topics of sustainable urban development in the (post) COVID-19 era between urban practitioners and interested participants worldwide. In entertaining exchange formats, space is created for impulses and reflection, and innovative solutions are presented.

The current event focused on pop-up bike lanes and changes in urban mobility during the pandemic. Over 30 participants from Bangladesh, Georgia, Tunisia, Egypt, Japan and Germany, among others, took part in the event. Representatives of cities worldwide discussed the possibilities and opportunities that arise from the long-term maintenance of the newly created cycle paths.

Programme

After a brief insight into this year’s Connective Cities COVID-19 programme, Sebastián Posada Garcia of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Department at the Secretariat of Mobility of the City of Bogotá, Colombia, presented the concept of pop-up bike lanes and good practice in Bogotá. At peak times in April and May 2020, the city installed more than 80km of additional temporary bike lanes, some of which have already been converted into permanent new bike lanes. In his presentation, Mr. Posada Garcia also addressed some frequently mentioned criticisms against pop-up bike lanes, such as increased numbers of accidents or increased congestion for motorists. He emphasised, based on statistical analyses, that the speed of car traffic did not decrease during the pandemic. However, many more citizens used bicycles to get around the city of Bogotá during COVID-19.

Afterwards, Thomas Kiel d’Aragon, Head of the Transport and Civil Engineering Department at the German Association of Cities in Berlin, presented examples of pop-up cycle paths in German cities. He also discussed the legal basis for the construction of additional cycle paths, as well as the financing of sustainable urban projects. Mr. Kiel d’Aragon also highlighted the enormous knowledge in the private sector compared to cities and pleaded for a close cooperation between the municipal administration with cycling initiatives or sustainability movements and private institutions.

Finally, Seçil Öznur Yakan, co-founder of the Women on Bicycle Initiative in Istanbul, Turkey, gave insights into the work of her initiative. In an impressive way, she showed how women around the world are working for more equity in bicycle mobility and networking with each other as well as with urban actors. Ms Öznur Yakan also presented the film My Bicycle My City, which was released in 2019 as part of World Bicycle Day. The film is available on YouTube: Benim Bisikletim Benim Şehrim Film – 2019 – YouTube

The presentations were followed by a lively discussion in which further questions could be answered, for example on the political promotion of increasing bicycle mobility in the different cities and countries. Finally, the Connective Cities working groups “Gender responsive urban mobility” and “Smart Mobility” were presented in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. You want to be part of the working groups? You can find more information and register here: Platform COVID-19 | Connective Cities Network

Recording

You can find the recording of the event here: Insight Session: Pop-up bike lanes - Long-term opportunities for green urban development?

Presentation

Good Practice Bogotá, Colombia

Pop-Up Bikelanes in German Cities

Insights Women on Bicycles

Pop-up bike lanes: long-term opportunities for green urban development after the Covid-19 pandemic?

Posted on by erik

The event series “Insight Sessions: Post-COVID Urban Futures” is part of this year’s Connective Cities COVID programme and facilitates a regular, open exchange on relevant topics of the post-COVID-19 era for municipal practitioners and relevant experts worldwide. Different topics of sustainable urban development during and after the COVID-19 pandemic will be discussed and innovative approaches in this regard will be shared in brief and concise virtual exchange formats. The aim of these events is to provide impulses that encourage participants to reflect on their progress so far and think about innovative solutions. The open discussion rounds will take place on Wednesdays once every three weeks. 

We are pleased to invite you to the fourth event in the series on “Pop-up bike lanes: long-term opportunities for green urban development after the Covid-19 pandemic?” on Wednesday, September 8th, 2021, from 15:30 to 17:00 CEST.

They appeared suddenly: bike lanes separated by yellow markings and conspicuous warning bars, replacing parking lanes, parts of the roadways or even the entire right lanes on busy roads. Following the example of the Colombian capital Bogotá, dozens of kilometers of new bike lanes have been built in cities around the world after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bike lanes allow urban residents to get more physical activity and offer hope for a shift towards a more sustainable urban mobility and transportation and a reduction of CO2 emissions in cities. As a result, many users want the pop-up bike lanes to remain in place after the pandemic and urban researchers and practitioners value them as a great opportunity for a more climate friendly and healthy urban development and a paradigm shift in urban mobility in the post-COVID era.

However, there is also criticism on the new bike lanes. Motorists fear more congestion and longer travel times with increased traffic after the COVID-19 pandemic, as the pop-up bike lanes lead to fewer lanes are available for cars. This would also contradict the plan to improve air quality. This would also contradict the plan to improve air quality. There are also fears of more accidents when cars and bicyclists meet in close quarters. As a result, the cities of Berlin and Munich, for example, have had to contend with lawsuits against the preservation of pop-up bike lanes.

In this session insights into good practices of cities and the challenges they are facing will be presented. Discussions on the pop-up bike lanes and their long-term preservation will be stimulated and urban practitioners worldwide will exchange and be made aware of the opportunities of more bike lanes for green urban development in the post-COVID era.

To register for the event and stay updated on the agenda, the announcement of speakers and further details of the session please follow:  

Insight Session: Pop-up bike lanes - Long-term opportunities for green urban development? | Connective Cities Network (connective-cities.net)  

Date: Wednesday, September 8th

Time: 15:30-17:00 CEST

Event language: English (translation tba)

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Contact: angela.beckmann-wuebbelt@giz.de

Beyond Climate

Posted on by erik

When planning and investing in infrastructure projects, innovative cities bundle together a larger set of overarching objectives in the social, economic, environmental, health and governance realms. Integrating multiple benefits in climate infrastructure projects tends to enhance their political and financial/ fiscal viability, scalability, and replicability. Identifying and planning for benefits during early project development stages increase the project’s success, both in delivering positive environment and human-centred impacts, as well as in mobilising political buy-in and connecting with finance.

This report aims to show that project preparation facilities (PPFs) can and should aid in integrating climate action with other, highly synergetic development and cooperation objectives.

Early warning systems and disaster preparedness to protect against forest fires and preserve biodiversity

Posted on by erik

The kickoff event aims at introducing the participants to the thematic working group ‘Biodiversity and Environmental Protection, as well as presenting two examples on best practices from Germany and Lebanon on the deployment of early warning systems for forest fires. There is an ever-growing need to strengthen decentralised cooperation between the MENA region and Germany on the dissemination of good practices peer advisory in this thematic field.

At a regional level, the land resources of the MENA region suffer from three main challenges: aridity, recurrent drought, and desertification. Major causes of land degradation are forest fire, deforestation, inappropriate agricultural techniques.  Land degradation in MENA is due to wildfire especially that forest management is weak, and that residential developments are spreading to mountainous and vegetated areas. Wildfires are often originated due to human carelessness, to the lack of their consideration to the environment and the climate change.

This event is an opportunity to showcase the progress achieved by local disaster management offices as well as promoting peer learning for additional improvement of the local and national capacities. Sharing practice-oriented experience facilitates transferring, sustaining and innovating effective applied solutions. The event’s objectives are as follows:

  • Initiate a practice-oriented knowledge exchange between urban practitioners in the field of biodiversity and environmental protection.
  • Facilitate peer learning on state-of-the-art technology to increase resilience and improve disaster preparedness related to forest fires.
  • Foster development of concrete projects ideas related to forest fires prevention.
  • Raise awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the value of ecosystem protection, risk factors, and the protection and preparedness tools.

Date: Monday, 09.08.2021

Time: 11:00-13:30 CEST

Event language: English, Arabic, German (tbc)

Agenda and Registration

If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us!

Contact: muna.shalan@giz.de

Covid-19 and Urban Mobility

Posted on by erik

Summary of the Connective Cities Virtual Dialogue Event in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) and UN-Habitat and hosted by the City of Wiesbaden – Germany , 19, 20 and 22 July 2021
 

1. Covid-19: A major turning point for urban mobility

The Covid-19 pandemic has led to fundamental changes in urban mobility worldwide. Some impacts are short-term, especially during lockdowns. Others are long-term changes in the way urban mobility and traffic will operate in the future.

One of the main responses of governments worldwide to the pandemic was to restrict circulation of people. However, municipalities still had to guarantee the mobility of essential workers and goods. There was also a shift in behaviour, with citizens changing their regular modes of transport for reasons of safety and hygiene. Modes of transport which allow for physical distancing, such as walking, cycling and private cars are now favoured, whereas there is a decline in the use of public and shared transport. Lockdown restrictions further contribute to the rise in e-commerce and delivery services, posing particular challenges for last mile freight distribution.

Having experienced reduced traffic and less pollution during lockdowns, the motivation to promote more sustainable urban mobility has grown for many local governments. Investing in measures such as active mobility infrastructure, safer and more accessible public transport and low-emission transport options are in accordance with the imperative aim of economic recovery, as infrastructure investments may lead to job creation and private investment in diverse economic sectors.
 

2. Focus on local public transport, bicycle traffic and urban logistics

During the three-day event, 55 participants, including representatives of municipal administrations and enterprises, civil society, business and academia from over 15 countries, discussed how they could shape the future urban mobility in terms of

  1. Local public transport: Local public transport operators around the world face an unprecedented decline in passenger numbers and, consequently, severe revenue losses due to the restrictions imposed to control the pandemic. In many cities, financing models had to be reconsidered and it is necessary to regain passengers’ trust and maintain the attractiveness of services.
  2. Bicycle traffic: The pandemic has underlined the need for more bike-friendly cities and can be an opportunity to rethink urban space and the role of cycling in urban mobility. Many municipalities promote active travel.
  3. Sustainable urban logistics: With growing e-commerce and an increasing number of goods deliveries in cities, freight movement within cities has to be adapted.

In her opening speech, Stefanie Holzwarth from UN-Habitat emphasised that “we have a window of opportunity to learn from this pandemic and to build back better by making our mobility systems more resilient and responsive to crises. We should aim to get out of this stronger and ready to address climate change, air pollution and road fatalities, because the world cannot accept any further delays!” Sergio Arredondo from the Latin American Federation of Cities, Municipalities and Municipal Associations (FLACMA), speaking on behalf of UCLG, reminded participants that it was not enough to continue to provide local transport services; they have to be provided in a healthy and safe manner. Around the world, municipalities were witnessing a bicycle revolution – which has to be reflected in future urban development and design. In a welcome speech, Bettina Gies from the event’s host city of Wiesbaden said that international exchange on urban mobility was crucial, because agile and active solutions were needed to tackle current and future urban mobility challenges.

After presenting thirteen examples of good practice in the areas of public transport, bicycle traffic and urban logistics, municipalities, civil society and private sector participants shared their related challenges, discussed them in peer-to-peer learning processes and jointly developed potential solutions. The challenges presented ranged from reducing e-commerce-related waste in the city of Taoyuan (Taiwan) and increasing citizens’ acceptance of bike lanes in Cuenca (Ecuador) to making public transport more attractive in terms of speed in Yerevan (Armenia) and increasing mutual appreciation and respect between different road users in Wiesbaden (Germany).

Successful launch of the event series “Insight Sessions: Post-COVID Urban Futures”

Posted on by erik

On 28 July 2021, the virtual event series “Insight Sessions: (Post-)COVID Urban Futures” started with an exciting kick-off event on “COVID-19 Recovery & SDG 11”. The event series is part of this year’s Connective Cities COVID-19 programme and facilitates a reoccurring exchange between urban practitioners worldwide on various topics of sustainable urban development in the (post-)COVID-19 era. 

The COVID-19 Recovery & SDG 11 launch event took place virtually in the Connective Cities community with over 80 participants, including from Germany, Lebanon, Georgia, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Jordan and Palestine.

Programme

The event started with a brief overview of the Connective Cities COVID-19 programme 2021, including funding opportunities from Engagement Global/ SKEW. This was followed by a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of the COVID-19 crisis for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 of making cities sustainable, safe, inclusive and resilient. The following urban practitioners shared their knowledge and perspectives on this topic:

  1. Faola Hodaj, Director of Innovation, Municipality of Tirana, Albania 
  2. Karim Elgendy, Sustainable City Strategist, London UK / MENA – Recipient of the 2013 Global Green Building Entrepreneurship Award by the World Green Building Council 
  3. Aditya Kumar, Executive Director, NGO Development Action Group, Cape Town, South Africa 
  4. Hilmar von Lojewski, Head of the Department of Urban Development, Building, Housing and Transport, Association of German Cities, Berlin, Germany 

The panel discussion focused on municipal innovation and digitisation processes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and their contribution to achieving SDG 11. Furthermore, the main lessons of the pandemic for resilient urban planning and sustainable housing in German and international municipalities were elaborated. Building on this, the panelists discussed the challenges that the pandemic has created for the provision of adequate housing and basic services in informal settlements. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, the recent flood in Germany was also part of the panel discussion. It was evaluated which strategies and measures municipalities can take to increase their resilience to future climate-related risks. The discussion was followed by a Q&A session in which the panelists answered and commented on questions and contributions from the audience. In a short survey at the end of the session, participants expressed their interest on the most important COVID-19-related municipal challenges and the desired topics for the next Insight Sessions.

Results

The panel discussion emphasised that municipal innovation and digitalisation processes should be inclusive, participatory and transparent in order to maximise the contribution to urban sustainability and resilience. It was also highlighted that agile and adaptive local governments and integrated ways of working are needed to find effective responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve SDG 11 in the long term. Regarding the recent flood disaster in Germany and other parts of the world, it was also pointed out that evidence-based, agile and responsive municipal crisis management is key to resilient urban development. 

In addition, it was discussed that the COVID-19 pandemic has tended to contribute to a suburbanisation process of cities through increased home office work opportunities and social distancing measures. On the other hand, it was revealed that the pandemic has also contributed to an increase in the importance of the neighbourhood in urban life, laying the groundwork for mixed-use urban development and “15-minute cities”.

Using the example of Cape Town, South Africa, it was also highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic tended to have a devastating impact on informal settlements. It was argued that the COVID-19-related lockdowns have undermined the socio-economic situation of many, especially informal, urban dwellers, which in turn has led to a deterioration in the food and housing security of these residents. In order to improve the socio-economic well-being and resilience of these informal settlements, the need for responsive local governments and citizen participation in development projects was highlighted. 

Presentation

Insight Session: COVID 19 Recovery & SDG 11  [pdf, 24 Seiten, 2mb]

Outlook

The event was the kick-off for the new series of “Insight Sessions: (Post-)COVID Urban Futures”, which will take place on Wednesdays every three weeks and to which we cordially invite you. In the upcoming Insight Session on Wednesday 18 August 2021, we will focus on the topic of “Digital literacy and digital municipal Service design in (Post-)COVID Cities“. Further, there will be a special session on 25 August on “The importance of disaster preparedness in cities and municipalities: experiences and lessons learned“. Information on the programme of upcoming events will be available soon on our website and in the Connective Cities Community.

We are looking forward to welcoming you in the events!

Connective Cities’ COVID-19 programme 2021

Posted on by erik

After last year’s Connective Cities event series “Municipal Response to COVID-19”, which was well received by over 750 participants from different cities and municipalities around the world, Connective Cities is again offering a comprehensive programme on COVID-19 this year. Last year, the programme focused on sharing experiences of immediate municipal measures during the pandemic – this year, the perspective will be broadened to include municipal recovery from the pandemic, also in the context of the 2030 Agenda. Instead of pure exchange formats, the second part of the Corona programme will derive proven methods from Connective Cities as well as use new approaches to promote a deeper municipal exchange of experiences. In this sense, it is planned that municipal practitioners jointly address current COVID-19-related topics in compact learning processes. The aim here is the (further) development of (project) initiatives and guidelines for municipal challenges as well as the elaboration and dissemination of existing approaches to solutions. Building on the previous momentum, challenges related to COVID-19 can thus be dealt with in greater depth and in a practical manner.

Aspects already addressed in the previous year will thus be further developed. Connective Cities will focus on the following topics in this year’s COVID-19 programme:  

  • Local economy & industry   
  • Digitalisation & communication  
  • Public health & public services
  • Crisis management 
  • Climate neutral urban development
  • Gender sensitivity in the pandemic
  • Innovation

For more information on our COVID-19 activities this year, watch our information video and visit our
COVID-19 webpage.

Space-blind strategies don’t work for COVID-19

Posted on by erik

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) recently analysed how cities have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. Soo-Jin Kim, Head of the OECD’s Urban Policies and Reviews Unit, calls for locally-adapted solutions now and for the post-COVID era.

Since March 2020, local health authorities have often dominated the headlines. Citizens’ trust in local politicians has significantly increased. Which role have municipalities played so far in responding to the COVID 19 crisis?

Soo-Jin Kim: Since the very beginning of the pandemic, municipalities have not waited for national governments to tell them what to do – they started to act immediately. They have deployed a range of measures to inform the public about necessary measures, ensure that people comply with social distancing and lockdown rules, support the shift to tele-working and take care of the most vulnerable such as the elderly and the poor. They have also worked to keep basic public services running, including the health system, and help the local economy survive the crisis. So I would describe municipalities as ‘essential workers’.

In addition, regardless of the crisis, we should not forget that municipalities are always key public actors. Subnational governments are responsible for an average of 40 per cent of all public spending across OECD countries. In federal states such as Germany or Switzerland, it’s even 50 to 60 per cent!