Category: Crisis Management

Enhancing Local Governance for Climate Action in the MENA region

Posted on by burkhard

Local governance plays a critical role in advancing climate action across the MENA region, where cities and municipalities are increasingly at the frontline of responding to climate-related challenges such as water scarcity, extreme heat, and urban vulnerability. Despite national climate strategies, local authorities often face limited financial and technical capacities to implement sustainable solutions. However, there is growing recognition of the need to decentralize climate governance by empowering municipalities with the tools, knowledge, and resources to plan and implement locally tailored climate initiatives. Collaborative efforts—such as regional networks, peer-learning platforms, and partnerships with civil society and the private sector—are helping to strengthen local capacities and foster more inclusive, participatory approaches to climate resilience in urban and rural settings alike. Against this background, Connective Cities has organized on the 13th October 2025 an insight session to showcase good practices and achievements from municipalities in the MENA region in this field.

Planungsrahmen für die kommunale Hitzeanpassung in Assuan
Planning framework for municipal heat adaptation in Aswan| Photo: Connective Cities

Dr. Marwa Ahmed (General Manager of International Cooperation and Community Participation at the Urban Development Fund in Egypt), presented the good practice ‘Integrated Heat Action Framework Development in Aswan, Egypt’, where the Urban Development Fund partnered up with Aswan governorate to channel its institutional knowledge while putting together fragmented parts that will form the base for an Integrated Heat Action Framework in Aswan. The aim was to 1) establish a core working group with the most relevant departments to be involved in the process of developing a heat action plan, and 2) develop the general framework and select a zone for piloting. International experiences showcased and discussed as part of the deep dive were adapted to serve in the local context. Capitalizing on the local native knowledge in Aswan on climate-responsive design and construction methods, the local building codes will be reviewed and modified. The general framework includes measures for 1) adaptation planning and implementation, 2) preparedness, communication, and workers’ safety, 3) built environment, infrastructure, and managed spaces, and 4) ecosystem-based adaptation.

Voting for area prioritization and selection was conducted and resulted in choosing “Elsail Elgadida” as a pilot area. Initial needs assessment meetings with local residents revealed a myriad of urban challenges, among which is the lack of safe public spaces. Accordingly, it was suggested to designate one of the districts numerous wide streets to this purpose by converting it into a pedestrian-only area and rehabilitating it with tree planting, shading elements and urban furniture. Local residents expressed their willingness to collaborate by watering the planted trees.

 

Sechs Straßenbilder zur Einschätzung der Fussgängerfreundlickeit in Constantine
Assessment of pedestrian-friendliness in Constantine | Photo: Connective Cities

Mr. Al-Hani Maghzi (representative of Constantine municipality-Algeria) presented the initial results and roadmap for improving walkability and transitioning into transit-oriented development in Constantine. He showcased the multi-stage roadmap that incorporates a wide range of procedures that are categorized as structural (e.g. review of mobility plan), comprehensive (e.g. reducing car use, widening sidewalks, reorganizing parking spaces) and priority actions (transforming the city center into a pedestrian-friendly area). He concluded his presentation with the statement that green and liveable cities prioritize pedestrians over vehicles.

In conclusion, the examples showcased how decentralized cooperation supports knowledge exchange, strengthens global partnerships, and drives innovation in local climate adaptation and climate protection efforts. Through the resulting lively discussion, the participants were provided with  actionable insights and tools for municipalities to integrate climate resilience into local planning, infrastructure, and service delivery while ensuring social equity and long-term environmental sustainability.

 

The recording and presentations are accessible via Connective Cities platform .

Author: Shalan Muna, Connective Cities

Resilient cities in times of multiple crises – strategies for resilient municipalities

Posted on by marcella

In times of multiple crises, cities must become increasingly resilient. This currently applies to Ukrainian municipalities in particular: they need to prepare for and respond to stressors such as acts of war, the effects of climate change and economic developments. Connective Cities hosted the expert forum “Resilient cities in times of multiple crises – strategies for resilient municipalities” at the seventh German-Ukrainian partnership conference in Münster (16 – 18.06.2025). The cooperation partners GIZ and Engagement Global with its SKEW welcomed a panel with numerous good practices from Ukrainian and German municipalities, some of which are already involved in Connective Cities’ project activities on urban resilience.

A resilient city is a city that deals with risks and takes precautions, but also a city that is able to learn and adapt. Resilience is a much-used term today – Christian Rauch, head of the “Digital City, Risk Prevention and Transport” department at the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), therefore defined the concept of resilience in a city in his introductory keynote speech. A resilient city is robust, but also adaptable. It is able to react to a variety of stressors, such as social polarization, thermal stress, demographic developments or energy crises. Areas of action for greater urban resilience include integrated and forward-looking urban development, strengthening and adapting critical infrastructure, risk and crisis management, climate resilience and sustainable solutions, community participation and governance, monitoring, review and learning processes, as well as the use of digital tools. Christian Rauch also referred to international strategy documents with guidelines for strengthening urban resilience: “The New Leipzig Charter” and “Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030“.

Individual efforts for more urban resilience were illustrated by the examples of the 7 panelists, who presented their strategies by way of introduction with images of their projects:

  • From the district of Euskirchen, which was affected by the flood disaster in 2021, project manager of the KRITIS dialog Sarah zur Linden reported on her experiences of improving communication between local and regional actors in crises.
  • Valeriia Levchyshyna from the Lviv City Institute is involved in setting up the Lviv Resilience Hub, which aims to bundle the networking of Ukrainian cities on the topic of resilience and continue the topics of the “Ukrainian Resilience Week” at municipal level.
  • Project coordinator Monika Hanemann reported on the WiReSt project from the Steinfurt district. As part of the project, an open-source app was developed to inform small and medium-sized companies in the region about potential bottlenecks within relevant supply chains.
  • The Head of the International Cooperation Department, Sasha Kirian, presented an example of greater social resilience from Kharkiv, a municipality affected by Russian bombing: Underground schools. Thanks to foreign investment, a total of 16% of pupils already have the opportunity to attend a safe institution. Measures like these allow the population to stay in the city.
  • The mayor of the city of Trosyanets, Yuri Bova, explained how important the will of the population is for this and showed pictures of a hospital that had been bombed and then rebuilt. He repeatedly and impressively emphasized the unbroken will of the citizens – including the hospital staff – to stay. This also has an impact on economic resilience: No company has left its town, some have even invested in the reconstruction of destroyed production facilities.
  • Patrick Dufour, Head of the Heilbronn Economic Development Agency, also spoke of strategies to retain companies. To this end, he is already working intensively with Ukrainian municipalities.
  • Tetyana Shulichenko, Director of the Economic Development Department of Mykolaiv City Council, showed pictures of the reconstruction of the port, for example. According to her, the increased international interest and willingness to invest is an opportunity. New places for a better quality of stay and life have also been created in the port.

 

On the one hand, the audience was able to take away from the expert forum the basics of urban resilience and the realization that diverse and mostly innovative approaches and projects can strengthen the resilience of their cities. The examples of the Ukrainian panelists regarding the effects of the Russian war of aggression impressively showed the audience what it means for the population of a city to stand up to acute crises and how important the will of citizens and entrepreneurs is to do so. The examples and speeches also clearly showed that lively cooperation between a wide range of actors, both nationally and internationally, is essential for resilient cities. Under certain circumstances, the increased interest in investment is also an opportunity for Ukrainian municipalities to actively shape reconstruction in line with the model of the resilient city.

International municipal cooperation to mitigate heat in cities

Posted on by erik

On 12 June 2025, the working group of the Deep Dive “Heat in the City” gathered online to wrap up their two years long collaboration on the topic of heat islands in the cities. Each city presented their pilot projects in depth to an audience of experts from Germany and the Global South.

The format

The Deep Dive format enables medium-term, intensive collaboration among a small group of municipalities over two years to develop concrete urban solutions through expert exchange and co-creation. Learn more about the format here.

Deep Dive “Heat in the city”

In this first edition of Connective Cities Deep Dive, the cities of Aswan (Egypt), Heidelberg (Germany), Lüdenscheid (Germany), Lviv (Ukraine), Nairobi (Kenya) and Mombasa (Kenya) worked together online and in person, in order to understand their respective challenges, exchange ideas, and scientific procedures. The group was supported by Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in the assessment of urban heat islands (UHI) in the city and development of locally-adapted solutions. Through the involvement of their local administrations, they implemented their pilot projects that incorporated procedural and organizational measures to mitigate heat in their cities. Learn more about each step of the Deep Dive here.

The six pilot projects

Each city piloted heat mitigation solutions tailored to their local contexts, focusing on data-driven, community-based, and cross-sectoral approaches. Nairobi planted shade fruit trees in schools and trained staff and students in thermal monitoring, while planning an open-access heat map for community awareness raising about the UHI. Lviv created pocket-parks and monitored their cooling effects, despite facing implementation challenges like martial law and funding gaps. In Lüdenscheid, a heat action plan was developed through interdepartmental collaboration, including initiatives like refill stations, awareness brochures, and a city cooling map. Aswan developed a comprehensive heat action framework using both local knowledge and international practices, selecting a pilot area for pedestrian-friendly, shaded public space transformation. Mombasa focused on stakeholder awareness and urban heat mapping, while Heidelberg introduced a high-precision urban climate analysis and a climate scanner to make urban planning more climate-friendly, better account for local microclimates, and thereby sustainably enhance quality of life and climate resilience. Learn more about the projects here.

Conclusions

All members of the working group agreed that the Deep Dive “Heat in the City” contributed with a broader impact in the six cities, not only by the development of climate mitigation strategies, but also in the perspective of tighter collaboration among local institutions and a strong feeling of global affiliation.

The municipal experts exchange has led to a stronger sense of community, co-creation, leadership skills, and ownership. As they explored how green activities could be linked to green jobs, international exchanges helped emphasize the urgency of finding solutions. These exchanges made decision-makers and the public more aware and underscored the need for immediate action.

The Deep Dive required a readjustment of their thinking and viewpoints, prompting them to reassess their own methods. They often had to justify working internationally while operations were still local, which helped them adopt a broader perspective on issues such as UHI. The exchange platform gave them also visibility and recognition, which in turn helped influence decision-makers. Despite challenging circumstances such as the war in Ukraine, people became more sensitised—highlighting that the right moment for action is now.

Finally, the working group noticed a growing sense of long-term awareness. There was a shift from seeking immediate results to focusing on long-term planning for resilience and achieving environmental goals. By learning from international successes and failures, they could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our local processes.

Even if the Deep Dive has ended, the implemented projects are still ongoing and the six cities are better prepared to face heat waves now.

For more information, please contact:

Sibylle Loyeau, Sibylle.loxeau@engagement-global.de

Dr. Ing. Muna Shalan, muna.shalan@giz.de

Communication is a key factor in the success of local vaccination campaigns

Posted on by erik

Stuttgart (Germany) and Bogotá (Colombia) used Connective Cities’ online expert dialogue ‘The local implementation of vaccination strategies and related communication in municipalities’ on 22-25 March 2021 to discuss with other municipalities around the world their communication strategies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. They also used the meeting to find solutions to their local challenges.

Good practice: Euroregion Pomerania

Posted on by erik

The Euroregion Pomerania has existed for 25 years and has given rise to many cross-border friendships and cooperations. The region includes the German districts from Rügen on the Baltic Sea to the district of Barnim near Berlin, and on the Polish side the entire West Pomeranian Voivodeship. When the borders were closed during the Corona pandemic, it was a shock for both sides. But necessity is the mother of invention – through a series of innovative measures such as the “special call”, the region grew even closer together.
For its outstanding achievements and peaceful, people-uniting cooperation, the partnership was awarded the municipal science prize of the Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler Foundation. See here how both cities went through the crisis together and benefit from their experiences!
German, Polish and English subtitles available.

Watch video at YouTube:
 https://youtu.be/0DaR5MS7Tz0

——

Dobra praktyka: Euroregion Pomerania – pokonywanie granic poprzez współpracę Euroregion Pomerania istnieje od 25 lat i w jego ramach powstało wiele międzynarodowych przyjaźni i kooperacji. Region obejmuje niemieckie powiaty od Rugii nad Bałtykiem do dzielnicy Barnim pod Berlinem, a po stronie polskiej całe województwo zachodniopomorskie. Kiedy podczas pandemii Corony zamknięto granice, był to szok dla obu stron. Ale konieczność jest motorem wynalazku – dzięki serii innowacyjnych działań, takich jak “specjalne wezwanie”, region jeszcze bardziej zbliżył się do siebie.
Za wybitne osiągnięcia i pokojową, jednoczącą ludzi współpracę partnerstwo otrzymało miejską nagrodę naukową Fundacji Carla i Anneliese Goerdeler. Zobacz tutaj, jak oba miasta wspólnie przeszły przez kryzys i skorzystaj z ich doświadczeń!
Dostępne napisy niemieckie, polskie i angielskie.

QuattroPole city network: Together against the pandemic

Posted on by erik

The QuattroPole region – consisting of the cities of Trier, Saarbrücken, Luxembourg, and Metz – has shown enormous willingness to help, successful communication and fast action between the cities, not only during the COVID pandemic, but also during the flood disaster in the summer of 2021.

“We, as the city of Trier, were shown that a secure network is necessary, that you can’t always help yourself, that you have to rely on external support… For us it has changed, that we pay more attention to supporting each other, especially in this network, QuattroPole.” (A.Kirchartz)

In 2021, the city network QuattroPole received the special prize of the Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler Foundation for its exemplary cooperation during the Corona pandemic. The foundation hereby honors outstanding achievements in municipal administrative practice in Europe. The award is intended to promote peaceful cooperation between municipalities in Europe that brings people together.

The protagonists are:

  • Wolfram Leibe (Lord Mayor of the City of Trier)
  • Didier Dandrifosse (Head of the Medical Department, Luxembourg Air Rescue)
  • Ingo Wagenknecht (Deputy Head of the Office for Fire and Civil Protection, City of Saarbrücken)
  • Andreas Kirchartz (Head of the Office for Fire, Civil Protection and Rescue, City of Trier)
  • Marianne Goerdeler (Granddaughter of the former Lord Mayor of the City of Leipzig)

Learn how the QuattroPole network of cities together overcame the challenges of the pandemic and successfully strengthened their partnership

Watch video at YouTube:

https://youtu.be/luO1oDNLgdU

Brescia – Darmstadt: Together against the pandemic

Posted on by erik

Northern Italy was particularly hard hit by the pandemic at the beginning. In the face of this deadly threat, Darmstadt supported and prepared for the pandemic with rapid, unbureaucratic aid. The exchange between the hospitals, civil protection units and fire brigades of Brescia and Darmstadt was very important for Darmstadt in this respect. The close cooperation during the pandemic further deepened the partnership – for its outstanding achievements and peaceful, people-uniting cooperation, the partnership was awarded the municipal science prize of the Carl and Anneliese Goerdeler Foundation.

See here how both cities went through the crisis together and benefit from their experiences!

German, Italian and English subtitles available.

Watch video at YouTube:

https://youtu.be/YUHsmKb5Omk

Voices from Connective Cities – Abasan Al-Kabira municipality

Posted on by erik

The representatives of Abasan Al-Kabira municipality in Palestine talk about how they are acting as Connective Cities’ Ambassador in Palestine, by organising several workshops for municipalities in Gaza to promote the regional network’s activities in different thematic areas such as crisis management, response to the Covid-19 pandemic, circular economy, local economic development and renewable energy. They also confirmed that working with Connective Cities on several projects and benefitting from knowledge exchange with their peers have enabled the municipality to progress in achieving its SDG-related targets and has resulted in developing capacities of the municipal employees.

Watch video at YouTube:

https://youtu.be/HcA0zewDtaQ