Category: Cities and climate change

Banepa preserves traditional construction methods using bio-based materials

Posted on by erik

The historic town centre of Banepa in Nepal extends along a road for a distance of around 1.2 kilometres. Many of the houses have been in poor condition, making the town less attractive.

This good practice describes how the town of Banepa is restoring its historic centre and a retirement home using traditional construction methods. Bio-based building materials such as wood, bamboo, brick and clay are significantly more sustainable and earthquake-resistant than cement or concrete.

In order to allay the concerns of the local population, the municipality is first refurbishing one building to provide an example of the methods that will be applied to the others. It is working together with the Nepalese RP Foundation, which has over 25 years of experience in the renovation of historical buildings.

This good practice was presented at the Connective Cities dialogue event on climate-friendly construction with organic and recycled materials in Potsdam.

Developing a climate change strategy in-house

Posted on by erik

External consultants often develop climate protection strategies for municipalities, which then end up in the shelf because their implementation does not match the capabilities of the municipality, the measures are too costly or there is little ownership in the departments of the municipality. Kouga municipality was able to successfully conduct the in-house development of a climate strategy. They followed a cross-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach, including various departments of the municipal administration. This was supported by a development advisor funded by the “Experts fund for Municipal Partnerships worldwide” between 2021 and 2023. It was a challenge to bring together and activate all these players and at the same time gain political support, but eventually this approach enabled an integrated and therefore feasible strategy.

The climate change strategy consists of three implementation lines. The first line focuses on mainstreaming climate change into the municipal management, the second line talks to responses to main climate change vulnerabilities and the third line lists short-term measures that were identified through the process. Several of these are already being implemented now such as tree planting and dune rehabilitation.

City-to-city collaboration is key to streamlining climate neutrality and decentralized energy production

Posted on by erik

Together with the Connective Cities, the Association of German Cities organized a side event in the German Pavilion at the COP28 World Climate Conference in Dubai on the question of “What solutions are there for sustainable and decentralized energy generation and supply at local level”. On 6 December at 2 p.m. local time, representatives from German and African cities (Cologne, Bonn, eThekwini and Abuja) discussed their local innovations for climate-friendly energy solutions.

In her keynote speech, Katja Dörner, Vice-President of the German Association of Cities, Mayor of Bonn, and ICLEI Co-Chair for Climate Action, emphasized the importance of a socially just and participatory approach to a climate and energy transition. She emphasized that the voice of cities in climate negotiations is essential to achieve global goals.

She showed how the city of Bonn can achieve climate neutrality by 2035 and called on the federal level to make swift changes to support the local level. The EU and the German federal level must create the framework for a climate-friendly energy transition. She again emphasized the importance of making climate protection and adaptation a mandatory task for local authorities.

Rebuilding, but better!

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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.

Climate-friendly construction with organic and recycled materials

Posted on by erik

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”

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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

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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.

Watch video at YouTube:

https://youtu.be/uc1SMXGdHvs

Connective Cities at the Africa Climate Summit 2023

Posted on by erik

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

Posted on by erik

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:

  1. Designing climate-responsive outdoor public spaces and promoting engagement of citizens
  2. Steering Structure: Interdepartmental Communication framework/platform in municipalities
  3. Optimizing existing building and urban design regulations by introducing key performance indicators and improving in-house capacity to drive change
  4. 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

Posted on by erik

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:

  1. Designing climate-responsive outdoor public spaces and promoting engagement of citizens
  2. Steering Structure: Interdepartmental Communication framework/platform in municipalities
  3. Optimizing existing building and urban design regulations by introducing key performance indicators and improving in-house capacity to drive change
  4. 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.