From the German participants, the urban planning offices of the cities of Münster and Munich presented current examples of integrated urban development. It became clear that “integrated” encompasses all levels, from spatial planning to the participatory design of a square. To link these levels, Munich relies on the development of specialist guidelines (climate change adaptation/sponge city, avoidance of heat islands, mobility, strong residential districts) and the definition of action areas. Münster relies above all on the instrument of center funds (smaller sums to promote new ideas for redesign, simple application) and, upgrading the city center as a leisure and recreation area.
Category: Cities and climate change
Climate-friendly construction with organic and recycled materials
Steel and concrete are the most widely-used construction materials around the world, but producing and using them in construction produces high levels of carbon emissions. So how can we build the cities of the future in a more climate-friendly way? In this, using organic materials or recycling and reusing materials are promising approaches. This was the outcome of an international event held by Connective Cities in Potsdam from 13 to 15 November 2023 in partnership with the City of Potsdam as State Capital of Brandenburg, Bauhaus Erde and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
“Action for Cool Cities”
As part of the session organised by CitiesAdapt at the Adaptation Futures conference, the representative of the Kisumu county in Kenya (James Nyagol) participated in a panel discussion on nature-based solutions and involvement of the indigenous people for the sustainability of climate adaptation solutions. Mr. Nyagol, who holds the position of the Senior Climate Change Officer at Kisumu county, has shared his experience in developing solution to employ green infrastructure for inducing urban cooling and reducing risks of flooding along the Auji creek in Kisumu. The solution was developed as part of Connective Cities learning process “Action for Cool Cities”.
Furthermore, some of the outcomes of the learning process “Action for Cool Cities” were presented at 59th ISOCARP World Planning Congress. Under the title “Inclusive Climate Action in Cities: An elusive goal for local authorities?”, examples of the solutions developed were presented and discussed including the aspect of financing. Similarly, some insights from the learning process and the developed solutions were also presented at the Urban Thinkers Campus “Heat Stress Resilience: Translating Strategy into Urban Climate Actions” in Cairo.
Similarly, the municipalities of Irbid, Bab Amman and Kufranja presented and discussed with their peers’ solutions developed on green infrastructure during the Green Action Workshop in Amman organised by “Cash for Work” project at GiZ Jordan in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Greater Amman municipality.
Renewable Energy Options on the Municipal Level
Discover the highlights of the Connective Cities Dialogue Event held from 10 – 12 October 2023, focusing on ‘Renewable Energy Options at the Municipal Level.’ In this insightful gathering in Tbilisi, Georgia, 35 urban practitioners from 19 municipalities across 8 countries convened to exchange experiences. Representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Germany, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine collaborated, sharing valuable insights and collectively crafting innovative solutions for sustainable energy practices at the municipal level. Dive into the dynamic discussions and collaborative efforts that unfolded during this event, driving positive change in the realm of renewable energy within diverse urban settings.
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Connective Cities at the Africa Climate Summit 2023
4 – 6 September 2023 marked the inaugural Africa Climate Summit, with leaders around the world gathering in Nairobi to express their support for putting Africa at the forefront in addressing climate change and calling for more attention to be paid to Africa’s priorities and resources.
Climate change action must increasingly focus on the urban scale as cities are both significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and highly vulnerable to its impacts. With most of the global population now residing in cities, initiatives aimed at reducing emissions and building resilience at the urban level can have a substantial impact on overall climate goals. Sustainable urban planning, investments in clean energy and public transportation, and the development of climate-resilient infrastructure are crucial steps in mitigating climate change and safeguarding the well-being of urban populations. As cities continue to grow, it becomes imperative to prioritize sustainable urban development to ensure a more sustainable and climate-resilient future for all.
The rationale of having cities play an increased role in addressing climate change was realized through the Connective Cities side event on “Flood Risk Management, the essential role of cities and importance of municipal preparedness”. The side event aimed to underline the importance of the role which cities played in combatting climate change, and the benefits of peer learning and exchange in finding localized solutions for climate resilient development. The session was organized into a keynote delivered by Dr. Johanes Belle from the University of the Freestate in Bloemfontein, South Africa, followed by a panel discussion that included Dr. Abdourrahmane Maikanti, Mayor of Garoua lll council (CM); H.E. Benjamin Chesire Cheboi, Governor of Baringo County (KE); Andreas Wolter, Deputy Mayor of Cologne (DE) and; Enock Tumbo, Environmental Management Officer, Dar es Salaam (TZ).
Action for Cool Cities: Pathways for carbon reduction in buildings and improvement of outdoor thermal comfort
As the first step of the learning process ‘Action for Cool Cities – Pathways for carbon reduction in buildings and improvement of outdoor thermal comfort’, the virtual kickoff event was held on 30 Nov – 1 Dec 2022. During this event, good practices were showcased on the reduction of carbon emissions in building stock and improving outdoor thermal comfort as well as examples of faltering implementation in these key spheres of action.
As a second module of the learning process, Connective Cities workshop on ideation and prototyping took place in Amman, Jordan on the 7th-9th March 2023. The workshop focused on ideation and prototyping of solutions by the participating municipalities within the following thematic fields:
- Designing climate-responsive outdoor public spaces and promoting engagement of citizens
- Steering Structure: Interdepartmental Communication framework/platform in municipalities
- Optimizing existing building and urban design regulations by introducing key performance indicators and improving in-house capacity to drive change
- The role of municipality as a regulator and implementer: budget analysis and strategies for cost recovery of climate action measures
Participation in the second module of the learning process enabled the municipalities to share experiences, develop their capacities, and develop ideas for prototyping in their municipalities. The next stage or third module of the learning process gave a chance to these municipalities to test and optimize the envisioned prototypes in an iterative process that included conducting participatory sessions with stakeholders (including citizens, decision makers, and experts). The process revealed the significance of producing quantitative and qualitative evidence to back up the proposed seven solutions.
Action for Cool Cities: Pathways for carbon reduction in buildings and improvement of outdoor thermal comfort
As the first step of the learning process ‘Action for Cool Cities – Pathways for carbon reduction in buildings and improvement of outdoor thermal comfort’, the virtual kickoff event was held on 30 Nov – 1 Dec 2022. During this event, good practices were showcased on the reduction of carbon emissions in building stock and improving outdoor thermal comfort as well as examples of faltering implementation in these key spheres of action.
As a second module of the learning process, Connective Cities workshop on ideation and prototyping took place in Amman, Jordan on the 7th-9th March 2023. The workshop focused on ideation and prototyping of solutions by the participating municipalities within the following thematic fields:
- Designing climate-responsive outdoor public spaces and promoting engagement of citizens
- Steering Structure: Interdepartmental Communication framework/platform in municipalities
- Optimizing existing building and urban design regulations by introducing key performance indicators and improving in-house capacity to drive change
- The role of municipality as a regulator and implementer: budget analysis and strategies for cost recovery of climate action measures
Participation in the second module of the learning process enabled the municipalities to share experiences, develop their capacities, and develop ideas for prototyping in their municipalities. The next stage or third module of the learning process gave a chance to these municipalities to test and optimize the envisioned prototypes in an iterative process that included conducting participatory sessions with stakeholders (including citizens, decision makers, and experts). The process revealed the significance of producing quantitative and qualitative evidence to back up the proposed seven solutions.
An E-Mobility HUB in Lviv – Climate Innovations from Ukraine
The ECCA is a biennial Conference aiming to inspire climate consultants, climate services developers, and policy deliverers at transnational, national, regional, municipal, and community levels to confidently implement effective measures to adapt to the changing climate, especially in the face of increasingly frequent extreme weather events such as flooding, heatwaves, and wildfire.
The 6th ECCA 2023 was organized by a European-wide collaboration led by influential actors JPI Climate and Climate project, MAGICA, supported by the European Commission. The Conference has been convened by projects that have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Framework Program.
The conference Program
The ECCA conference took place in Dublin, Ireland from 19-21 June covering the following thematic areas:
- Stepping Up Climate Action: Support Through Climate Platforms and Services.
- Adaptation Responses to Sea Level Rise and Coastal Change.
- Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation.
- Preparing for More Frequent and Severe Climate Extremes.
- Reframing Societal Transformation by Challenging Underlying Assumptions.
- Climate and Social Resilience of Future Energy Infrastructure and Systems.
Tree trenches for quality of life in Hagen
The German City of Hagen lies on the edge of the Sauerland low mountain range and has a hilly topography. Four rivers – the Ruhr, the Volme, the Lenne and the Ennepe – run through the city. As a result, large parts of the city are at risk of flooding, especially during heavy rainfall events. As part of a pilot project, specially developed innovative tree trenches (or tree drains) are now being planted. These are designed to make the city safer, more climate-resilient and thus more liveable.
Bairro Maravilha – marvellous neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro
The Bairro Maravilha programme, which translates as ‘Wonderful Neighbourhood’, has been implemented in more than 90 locations in Brazil’s second largest city, Rio de Janeiro. It is providing urbanisation and infrastructure systems in some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the city, especially in the suburbs. The programme includes the asphalting of streets, the creation of safe sidewalks, and the restoration of public lighting with LEDs and the installation of a sewerage and drainage network to prevent flooding. In places where there is no space for orderly urbanization, the program builds new housing to reorder the urban space. It has already urbanised over six million square metres across the city, which has improved drainage and living conditions in all the areas concerned.