Category: Cities and climate change

Local Economic Development Forum in Tbilisi

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Tbilisi, June 7th – Connective Cities Southeast Europe convened a parallel session during the Local Economic Development (LED) Forum in Tbilisi, focusing on “Renewable Energy Options at the Municipal Level.” This session provided a platform for mayors from Georgian municipalities, including Senaki, Eredvi, and Khoni, to exchange insights, challenges, and innovative approaches in advancing renewable energy initiatives within their jurisdictions. Furthermore, Dr. Irakli Samkharadze, Energy Advisor of Omnia, provided insights into the European Green Deal and its implications for municipalities, enriching the discussion with a broader perspective on sustainable energy transitions.

The Mayor of Senaki Municipality shared notable advancements, including the integration of renewable energy sources into municipal buildings and the installation of solar panels across various locations to raise awareness and support action plans aligned with the Covenant of Mayors.

Showcasing the Amman Urban Observatory

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The insight session on “Showcasing the Amman Urban Observatory” was held on 24 April 2024, delivered by Mr. Akram Khreisat from the Greater Amman Municipality. The session was organized by Connective Cities and presented to the global community of urban practitioners, as part of the Connective Cities network. Among the participants were urban practitioners, local and national government actors, academic researchers, non-governmental organizations, and local community members.

Mr. Akram Khreisat, director of the Amman Urban Observatory, introduced the participants into the working mechanisms and the fields of action of the Amman Urban Observatory and its role in tackling planning challenges in the capital city of Jordan.

The Amman Urban Observatory generates ‘urban indicators’ to monitor various aspects of the city that are important for urban development. Based on real-time monitoring of these urban indicators, planning processes in urban development are improved, as planners and developers are empowered to make informed decisions. In doing so, the observatory works together with ministries, government departments, national organizations, NGOs and companies from the private sector. The observatory works together with over 40 partners and stakeholders. Such urban indicators include vital characteristics for measuring sustainable urban development such as unemployment rate, land cover or the percentage of people living in poverty.

The Amman Urban Observatory has proved itself to be an effective tool for strategic and urban planning. Mr. Akram Khreisat described the observatory as not being a tool, but as a “process to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”. In the case of the Amman Urban Observatory, the indicators created focus on the thematic areas of the following SDGs: Good Health and Well-Being (3); Affordable and Clean Energy (7); Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (9); Sustainable Cities and Communities (11); Climate Action (13) and Partnerships for the Goals (17).  

After the presentation by Dr. Akram Khreisat, the attendees asked questions about the Amman Urban Observatory. When asked about the challenges and difficulties the observatory faces, he elaborated on the large influx of refugees that Amman receives and the associated challenges for the measurement of urban indicators. As the city recently receives many refugees, indicators need a certain flexibility to account for the inconstant change of inhabitant numbers. Furthermore, Mr. Khreisat was asked whether the observatory uses the gathered data for spatial analysis or 3D cadaster purposes. In answering this, he elaborates that they work together with the city’s GIS Department in order to deliver scenario plans for spatial growth.

The Connective Cities Network intends to create a working group to identify different best practices for the observation of urban parameters. Furthermore, interested cities are intended to be assisted through the development of templates that can be used to implement in a similar process to the one in Amman. Any city representatives interested in joining the working group are very welcome to contact Dr. Muna Shalan (muna.shalan@giz.de) and Mr. Jimmy Yoedsel (jimmy.yoedsel@giz.de) for further information and the possibility to take part.

Connective Cities would like to thank Dr. Akram Khreisat and all the participants for the presentation of the Amman Urban Observatory and for the fruitful exchange and discussion.

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.

Six municipalities join forces to combat increasing heat in cities

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From 3 to 6 June 2024, the group came together in Heidelberg as part of the “Connective Cities Deep Dive” to substantiate their pilot projects and learn from the experiences of other cities.

Although the six cities have to adapt to increasing heat in different ways, they have two principles in common, as became clear during their exchange in Heidelberg. If you want to do something strategically and in the long term to combat heat in cities, you need a plan. This is just as true for Aswan in Egypt, where temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius in summer, as it is for Lüdenscheid, which is located in the cooler, densely wooded Sauerland region of Germany. They also strongly believe in the approach of initially testing innovative heat solutions in small pilot projects before implementing them on a larger scale.

There are many ways for cities to reduce the negative heat effects on the population: creating more green spaces, planting shade-providing trees, greening building facades, creating cooling corridors, for example through watercourses, raising public awareness and much more. To do this, it is first important to know where the heat builds up in a city.

Strategic planning in municipalities– Impediments, framework and benefits

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Managing municipalities effectively and achieving sustainable development for residents are priorities for local authorities. As the link between the central authority and the local population, municipalities need to develop mid-term and long-term strategies to fulfill their developmental role in basic service provision, managing resources, infrastructure development, as well as achieving economic growth and sustainability. Strategic planning is key to shaping a vibrant community and economically competitive environment. It focuses on leveraging assets and strengths rather than overcoming challenges and are characterized by a sharp focus on the competitive advantage, key clusters of opportunity, workforce characteristics, quality of life standards and other economic and demographic differentiators.

However, long-term strategic planning is weak if not non-existent in the majority of municipalities in the MENA region. While some municipalities have made significant progress in adopting strategic planning, many face greater challenges related to urbanisation, service delivery, economic development, natural resources, environmental issues, social disparities, changing demographics, and response to crises. To overcome these challenges effectively, municipalities must have up-to-date local strategies that guide them in setting development scenarios, priorities, and making informed decisions to meet the diverse needs and challenges of the local population. In essence, local development strategies are the foundation upon which successful local governance is built.

Promoting Sustainable Mining Industries

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The online event took place on 23 April and explored the challenges and opportunities in promoting sustainable mining industries and the critical role of cities in driving positive change in the sector. Key discussion points included:

  • The role of cities in promoting sustainable mining industries: How can cities actively contribute to the promotion of sustainable mining practices, taking into account environmental and social impacts?
  • Maximising benefits for local communities: What strategies are in place to ensure that mining activities best benefit local communities, both economically and socially?
  • Repurposing closed mining sites: What innovative approaches exist to transform them into new assets for communities and promote sustainable development?

The event featured insightful inputs from various sources:

A Strategy for Climate-Sensitive Urban Development in Garowe, Somalia

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Connective Cities has supported the development of a bottom-up strategy for climate-resilient urban development, known as the Climate-Sensitive City Development Strategy (CSCD). This involved a participatory methodology for identifying and analyzing key entry points for municipal action. Garowe was the first pilot project where this methodology and the design of the CSCD strategy were tested. We are pleased to present this strategy to you here.

Connective Cities was commissioned by the GIZ project “Promotion of social and economic inclusion of extreme poor IDPs and residents of host communities in Puntland, Somalia” (SEIPP) to support the development of an integrated climate protection concept (adaptation and partial mitigation) for the city of Garowe, Puntland, Somalia. SEIPP is dedicated to promoting the socio-economic integration of extremely poor internally displaced persons and residents of host communities in Puntland, Somalia.

If you have any questions about the methodology or are interested in discussing it, please contact Paulina Koschmieder: paulina.koschmieder@giz.de

Enhancing Renewable Energy Solutions

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As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, municipalities across Southeast Europe and the Caucasus are actively seeking innovative solutions to address their energy needs. In this context, Connective Cities facilitated two peer-to-peer exchange activities as part of a regional learning process on renewable energy options at the municipal level. These exchanges not only fostered collaboration but also provided valuable insights and inspiration for future projects. Let’s delve into these transformative experiences:
 

Climate-positive cities: circular economy and carbon accounting

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Background

The construction industry is one of the most energy-intensive sectors of the economy and a major contributor to global climate change. It is responsible for up to 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions. However, there are ways to make construction more sustainable and hence more climate-friendly. Municipalities play a key role in initiating and supporting these processes locally.

Two examples of such municipal engagement were in the spotlight of a virtual exchange organised by Connective Cities on 27 February 2024 and were discussed by 18 (municipal) experts from six countries. The event was part of a one-year learning process that began in November 2023 with the international dialogue event “Climate-friendly construction with organic and recycled materials” in Potsdam, Germany.

Nature-Based Solutions, Biomimicry, and Flood Management Lessons Learned from the U.S and Europe

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On 29  March 2024, the insight session on Nature-Based Solutions, Biomimicry, and Flood Management Lessons Learned from the U.S. and Europe was held, delivered by thematic experts from Jacobs company.

This insight session was organized by Connective Cities and the Resilience Initiative Africa’s Southern Africa component, and presented to the Connective Cities global community, encompassing urban practitioners, national government actors, researchers from academia, non-governmental organizations, and local community members.

The insight session was kicked off with a presentation from Mr. Andrew Potts on Blue-Green Stormwater Infrastructure. Mr. Potts holds 24 years of expertise encompassing green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), stormwater management, water resources, and sustainable site design, and spoke in depth about his experiences in implementing Blue-Green Stormwater Infrastructure in cities across the United Kingdom and the United States.

The goal of Blue-Green Stormwater Infrastructure is to manage stormwater at the source by combining man-made “blue” infrastructure such as pipes and culverts, with nature-based “green” infrastructure such as green roofs and bioswales. The combination of such infrastructures offers a more resilient and sustainable method of managing urban stormwater runoff and peak flow rates, enhancing water quality and biodiversity within urban areas. Mr. Potts referred to several examples from his work in implementing Blue-Green Stormwater Infrastructure:

Sidmouth Amphitheater, UK –

  • Sidmouth, a town on England’s southwest coast, has endured regular stormwater floods, with overland flow paths flowing to a low point immediately in the town’s center, leaving 150 residential and commercial properties at risk.
  • Jacob’s team along with the local government worked jointly to develop flood prevention measures that would not only address Sidmouth’s challenges with draining water from the town center but also create a new public space for the surrounding local communities.
  • The Amphitheater was hence developed a floodwater storage area. Water from the highways and the streets running through the town would drain into the amphitheater. In days without heavy rainfall, the amphitheater acts as a public space, hosting many of the town’s events and festivals. During heavy rainfall days, however, the amphitheater acts as a valuable source of water storage, being able to hold 700 cubic meters of water.

Examples from the US.

  • The development of Rodney Cook, Sr. Park in Atlanta Georgia by creating a multi-functional public space within the neighborhood not only allowed for an effective medium of stormwater drainage but also created a space for residents to enjoy.
  • At the Rams Head Center of the University of North Carolina – Chapel, 1-acre blue-green roof plaza on top of a multistory parking garage along with a 56,000-gallon cistern below the sidewalks, to efficiently drain stormwater during heavy rainfall events.

Mr. Potts also spoke on how to effectively plan and design Blue Green Stormwater infrastructure, talking about various design criteria such as:

  • External factors – Changing precipitation patterns, incorporating flood models into the design, addressing seasonal variation in infiltration rates and groundwater models.
  • Basic factors – The project site of the infrastructure planned, the scale of the project, the level of maintenance required, geotechnical considerations, and cost implications.

Complementing the input from Mr. Potts, Mr. Chris Allen further gave a presentation on Biomimicry, exploring how to quantify nature’s benefits through ecosystem intelligence. Examples such as micro-bioretention and bioactive walls were mentioned. Mr. Allen has over 30 years of consulting and strategic management experience and collaborates with technical teams worldwide to incorporate Regenerative and Nature-Based Solutions into planning and design for diverse clients.

Over 3.8 billion years, nature has devised highly efficient answers to most of the problems we face. Biomimicry is a design and innovation strategy that takes inspiration from nature’s inventiveness, leveraging its patterns, methods, and effective approaches to improve and innovate solutions that promote ideal conditions for all living forms to thrive. When applied to built environments, biomimicry produces design solutions that mimic the life-sustaining benefits, also known as ecosystem services, supplied by natural habitats. As a result, these buildings assist the surrounding ecosystems by providing socioeconomic and environmental benefits such as improved air and water quality, better carbon absorption, and increased biodiversity. The overall goal is for buildings to function similarly to neighboring undisturbed ecosystems, providing equivalent benefits to the natural landscapes they surround.

Mr. Allen gave an example of how Ford Motor Company in their Michigan Central Station had implemented biomimicry measures to not only improve local water quality but also led to positive outcomes in carbon cycling and biodiversity. Ford Motor Company carried out the following measures:

  • The implementation of restoration workdays, where employees of the company would embark on restoring the wetlands in the surrounding areas of the Michigan Central Station. Employees contributed to the development of bioretention ponds, restored the local streambanks, planted native species of plants along the wetlands, and developed bioswales to drain stormwater
  • Local forests were also restored, and recreational trails were developed along the local forests to improve the habitats for birds. Additionally, pollinator gardens were developed. To regreen the Central station, the areas previously allocated for employee parking were redeveloped into forest areas, with the planting of native forest trees.
  • A mix of blue and green stormwater infrastructures was also implemented in the central station with the development of subsequent green and blue roofs to intercept and collect precipitation. Eco-machines were also installed to treat stormwater that fell on the blue-green roofs, feeding into either stormwater cisterns or drained into the local wetlands. Footpaths around the campus and the newly developed parking lots were built on pervious surfaces, to allow water to drain into the ground.

After sharing the example of the Ford Motor Company, Mr. Allen then presented two tools that could be used by the participants to utilize and implement biomimicry solutions in their own cities:

The Positive Performance Methodology

  • An assessment and innovation technique to assist business clients in developing and implementing regenerative best practices, thereby enhancing the overall well-being of ecosystems and the communities that rely on them.
  • Using local intact ecosystems as inspiration and a benchmark against which future performance is measured, it guides organizations and design teams in developing place-based, regenerative design approaches that provide an array of benefits for ecosystems, communities, and businesses.

The Ecosystem Intelligence Identification and Inventory Tool

  • The Ecosystem Intelligence Identification and Inventory tool has been developed to identify and quantify the ecosystem services supplied by a site. Data produced by the tool can be used to to visualize cost-benefit potential for optimizing natural landscape and built-environment performance, or be used for various engineering and finance models, as a crucial source of evidence-based planning.

The insight session held, acted as a valuable input for the Learning Process on Flood Risk Management for Risk-informed Urban Development, giving participating cities innovative and unique perspectives on solutions that could be implemented within their urban catchments. Not only did the insight session provide the participants with different perspectives on combatting urban flooding but also to shift the paradigm of urban risk management away from a single hazard focus, more towards a multi-hazard focus and systemic approach towards risk management.

The recording and the soft copies of the presentations delivered by the team at Jacobs can be accessed through the following link – https://community.connective-cities.net/en/node/1464.

Connective Cities and the Resilience Initiative Africa would like to thank the speakers from Jacobs for their excellent and engaging inputs. Should you be interested in similar events, we would welcome you to our upcoming insight sessions:

  • Showcasing the Amman Urban Observatory – 24/04/2024
  • Application of the Sponge City Concept in the Sub-Saharan Africa context – 16/05/2024
  • Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Risk-Informed Urban Development and Climate Action in the SADC region – 20/06/2024