Category: City and biodiversity

Insight Session – Municipalities Advancing Nature-Based Solutions

Posted on by Lennart Kreuzfeld

We are pleased to invite you to our upcoming virtual Insight Session on ‘nature-based solutions for urban resilience’, which will take place on July 15, 2026 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM CET.

Cities in sub-Saharan Africa, Germany, and other regions are increasingly relying on nature-based solutions to address flooding, climate risks, biodiversity loss, and the associated urban development challenges. However, integrating these approaches into municipal planning, management, and implementation remains a complex task.

This Insight Session brings together research, policy and community network perspectives to present practical approaches for planning, integrating and implementing nature-based solutions.

We invite the following discussion partners:

Andreas Wolter, President of Climate Alliance
Presentation: From Local Action to Collective Impact: How Municipal Networks Advance Climate Resilience

Andreas Wolter will present the Climate Alliance network and highlight its role in supporting municipalities to strengthen local climate action. His presentation will provide important insights into how city networks learn from each other, promote knowledge exchange, advocacy, and collaboration, while simultaneously helping municipalities translate climate commitments into practical measures – such as nature-based solutions to strengthen municipal resilience.

McKenna Davis Senior Fellow and Coordinator for Nature-Based Solutions at Ecologic Institute, Berlin
Presentation: Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions: Insights and Practical Examples from the Urban Governance Atlas

McKenna Davis will share insights and practical examples from the Urban Governance Atlas and the Climate Adaptation Naturally project, highlighting how nature-based solutions can be integrated into municipal policy and planning.

Dr. Kirk B. Neu,Researcher in the fields of landscape architecture, landscape planning and urban resilience
Presentation: Evidence-based Lessons on Planning Nature-based Solutions for Flood Resilience in Sub-Saharan African Cities

Drawing on research from Ghana and the wider Sub-Saharan African region, Kirk Enu will present practical lessons on how municipalities can use research evidence to plan and implement nature-based solutions for inclusive flood resilience.

 

The event offers participants the following:

  • practical examples of nature-based solutions for strengthening the resilience of urban flood zones;
  • Insights into the framework conditions for governance, policy and planning required for implementation;
  • Insights from the compatibility of research results with municipal decision-making processes;
  • Perspectives on the role of municipal networks in promoting climate protection measures; and
  • an opportunity to exchange experiences with practitioners and experts from different cities and regions.

 

The event will be held in English, with French translation provided.

Date:Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Time:13:00 – 14:30 CET
Format:On-line
Registration: https://community.connective-cities.net/en/node/1607

We cordially invite municipal practitioners, urban planners, climate and resilience experts, researchers, development partners and other interested members of the Connective Cities network to participate.

We look forward to welcoming you to the event.

If you have any questions or require support, please contact: moses.munuve@giz.de

Insight Session – Urban Micro Forests in drought-affected Regions

Posted on by Lennart Kreuzfeld

Date: Wednesday 8 July 2026

Time: 11:00 – 12:00 CEST

Language: English – French simultaneous translation

How can forests be planted sustainably in urban areas with chronically low precipitation and/or heat waves?

The Miyawaki-Method is a reforestation technique which has become popular in recent years due to its efficiency in growing vegetation in small urban spaces within a very short time period. In order to accelerate growth, the method builds on three key principles: The exclusive use of native plant species that are used to the soil; which are planted in extreme density; and form a multi-layered ecosystem featuring canopy, sub-canopy, shrubs and ground cover tiers. A videographic overview of the Miyawaki-Method can be found here. 

Not only can micro forests serve as cooling green corridors in urban geographies; they may also be classified as nature-based solutions, which are essential for various ecosystem services, not least disaster prevention. According to the method’s founder Dr. Akira Miyawaki, native forests are nearly thirty times more resilient and offer protection against natural disasters compared to non-native species. 

While the Miyawaki-Method has been developed in Japan in the 1970s, it only recently has become to spread globally, with many applications in India but also growing popularity in Europe, North America and other parts of the world. However, as droughts become more frequent around the globe, watering-intensive Miyawaki afforestation may also face increasing difficulties in implementation. Can Urban Micro Forests therefore be considered a suitable intervention and nature-based solution in municipalities affected by frequent drought – for instance across Africa and the Middle East? 

The MIYA-forest network from Eberswalde, Germany is one recent example of civil society-led practices to spread tiny forests according to the Miyawaki-method, both in Germany and the MENA region. In this ConnectiveCities Insight session, Board Member Stefan Scharfe will present the association’s best practices, which—in addition to planting more than 40 micro-forests since 2021—also include educational and scientific work.

As our second speaker, Deema Assaf from TAYYŪN, an Amman-based research and ecological design studio, will share her experience planting Miyawaki forests. The architect pioneered the Miyawaki method in the Middle East, planting the region’s first such forest in Amman in 2018 and going on to lead multiple native forest plantings across the city. Her work spans native seed harvesting and propagation, community planting workshops, and regenerative, permaculture-based design.

Please register for the event on the Connective Cities Community Platform: Urban Micro Forests in drought-affected Regions

If you have any questions or need assistance, please do not hesitate to contact:
lennart.kreuzfeld@giz.de

We look forward to welcome you in our discussion!

The “Walkable Triangle” in Kisumu, Kenya

Posted on by burkhard

Kisumu, a port city on the shores of Lake Victoria and one of Kenya’s largest cities, is becoming increasingly important for the movement of goods and trade between Kenya and its neighbouring countries, Tanzania and Uganda. With an annual population growth rate of just under 4 per cent, the population has more than doubled in 15 years, rising from around 205,000 in 2001 to at least 422,000 in 2025. This has led to a series of major infrastructure projects, which, however, have primarily focused on motorised transport, even though 53 per cent of residents’ daily journeys are made on foot.

One project under the ‘Kisumu Sustainable Mobility Plan’ is the ‘Walkable Triangle’: the pedestrian-friendly redesign of the three main streets—Oginga Odinga, Ang’awa Ave and Jomo Kenyatta Ave—in a commercial district in the city centre. These streets form a triangle around a sports and park area and are used by over 2,200 pedestrians every day. The aim is to promote non-motorised transport along the 1.5-kilometre stretch, making it safer, more pleasant and accessible, whilst preserving and integrating the existing tree population.

In addition, the city is promoting e-mobility in public transport through a battery-swapping system for motorcycle taxis, known as ‘boda-bodas’, and three-wheeled taxis, known as ‘tuk-tuks’.

The documentation describes the approach as well as the outcomes achieved by this good practice.

Author: Burkhard Vielhaber

Copyright: Connective Cities

 

Nature at the Heart of Municipal Resilience

Posted on by burkhard

Connective Cities invites municipal and regional authorities from Sub-Saharan Africa and Germany to participate in a new international Learning Process on Nature-Based Solutions (NbS).

Local and regional governments are increasingly at the forefront of addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation. Intensifying floods, droughts, heatwaves, and land sealing are placing growing pressure on urban systems and governance capacities. Against this backdrop, Nature-Based Solutions offer a cost-effective, multi-benefit pathway to strengthen climate adaptation while also delivering mitigation co-benefits such as carbon sequestration, stormwater management, and urban heating and cooling regulation.

About the Learning Process

The one-year Learning Process will convene municipal practitioners, technical experts, and policymakers through three in-person workshops and continuous virtual collaboration. Participants will progress from problem identification to solution co-development and implementation readiness, supported by peer learning, technical input, and targeted coaching.

The process aims to:

  • Strengthen municipal and regional capacities to plan and implement NbS
  • Facilitate structured peer-to-peer learning between Sub-Saharan African and German authorities
  • Co-create actionable NbS project concepts ready for piloting, financing, or integration into planning frameworks
  • Generate knowledge products to support replication and scaling across city networks

 

Thematic Focus Areas

Participants will collaborate within demand-driven thematic working groups, including:

  1. Nature & Urban Ecosystems – Urban greening, biodiversity, de-sealing, urban forests, heat reduction
  2. Water & Sponge Cities – Flood management, river and wetland restoration, rainwater management
  3. Greening Municipal Infrastructure – Integration of green and grey infrastructure, ecological corridors, climate-adaptive mobility and energy systems

 

Timeline

  • March 2026: Virtual kick-off and insight session on Nature-Based Solutions
  • From 21 to 23 April 2026: First in-person workshop
  • October 2026: Second in-person workshop
  • January 2027: Final in-person workshop

 

 Who Can Apply

The call is open to:

  • Municipal and regional authorities from Sub-Saharan Africa
  • German municipalities and counties

Participation of two experts per authority is encouraged, with the option to involve partners from ministries, civil society, or the private sector.

 How to Apply

Interested authorities are invited to submit an Expression of Interest via the Connective Cities Community Platform:

👉 Application link:
https://community.connective-cities.net/en/form/connective-cities-ssa-learning-p

Application deadline: 30 March 2026

Contact

Greater Climate Protection and Quality of Life: Green Corridors in the MENA Region

Posted on by burkhard

On April 7, 2026, the new Connective Cities learning process on “Green Corridors in the city and its surroundings” was officially launched. The event was organised by Connective Cities in cooperation with the GIZ project Capacity Building through Urban Infrastructure Development (CBUID II) and was offered simultaneously in Arabic, French and English

The workshop was attended by around 70 representatives from eight countries: Algeria, Egypt, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia. Municipalities and partner institutions from the MENA region as well as the German city of Erlangen were represented. In addition to the official participants of the learning process, an extended circle of municipal representatives was further involved in the virtual exchange.

The kick-off served as technical and methodological introduction to the learning process. The aim was to set initial thematic priorities, to make municipal challenges visible and to create a common basis for further cooperation. At the same time, the event served to prepare the next steps in the process, in particular the in-depth phase and the planned face-to-face conference in Egypt.

AI-supported Visualization as Innovative Tool for Urban Planning

A central element of the kick-off was the joint AI visualization exercise on green corridors and green neighborhoods, implemented via the CoPlan AI platform. Based on images from urban contexts in the participating cities, spatial development future scenarios for climate-resilient, greener and more usable urban spaces were developed.

Around 550 images were produced as part of the exercise. The visualisation served not only to illustrate spatial changes, but also as a methodological tool to stimulate discussion about the feasibility of green corridors. In this sense, the exercise proved to be a suitable introduction for bringing together perspectives from administration, planning and local government practice.

Key Workshop Findings

The kick-off showed that green corridors and green neighborhoods in the participating cities are envisioned predominantly in urban districts and less in the cities’ surroundings. The focus is accordingly not on planning in undeveloped areas, but on the gradual further development of existing urban spaces in which housing, mobility, public use and social functions are already closely intertwined.

In that sense, it also became clear that green corridors have to fulfil several functions at the same time. They contribute to climate adaptation, for example through shading, cooling, better air circulation and water absorption. But they also contribute to the upgrading of public spaces by improving the quality of life and encounters within the city. Especially in dense neighborhoods, green corridors must therefore always be considered as social spaces of mobility and connection.

Another central aspect was the importance of participation and local acceptance. Since identified spaces are usually already intensively used, the involvement of the population is an essential prerequisite for successful implementation. This applies to the usability for distinct groups such as children, families and residents as well as the question of how green measures can be integrated into the everyday urban life.

Contribution from the Urban Development Fund (UDF)

The Urban Development Fund (UDF) underlined the importance of institutional approaches for integrated and climate-resilient urban development in Egypt. The examples presented showed how strategic urban development, upgrading of existing districts, heat reduction and public space can be more closely linked. The UDF thus not only contributed concrete experience from Egyptian practice, but also an important perspective on scaling, institutional anchoring and long-term implementation capability.

Contribution of the City of Erlangen

The city of Erlangen’s contribution illustrated that green corridors must be implemented in conjunction with traffic, accessibility and conflicts over the use of urban space. In their presentation of the local project ‘From two quarters to one campus’, Erlangen representatives demonstrated how a green boulevard, tram, bicycle, pedestrian and motorised traffic, and an existing pedestrian bridge could be brought together within one coherent planning task. Thus, the contribution from Erlangen provided important impetus for an integrated planning approach to green corridors.

Example Cities and Good Practices

During the kick-off, several municipal and institutional examples were presented that are of particular relevance for the further learning process:

  • Erlangen (Germany): integrated planning approach to green corridors in existing urban space, with a focus on Green Boulevard, multimodal mobility, land use and conflicts of use.
  • Aswan (Egypt): Development of the Heat Action Plan for El-Sail Elgadid, including cooling stations, shaded recreation areas and specific offers for children and women.
  • Port Said (Egypt): Approaches to climate-adapted urban development and the upgrading of urban spaces under the specific climatic conditions of a Mediterranean city.
  • Telal Al-Fustat Park, Cairo (Egypt): large-scale greening approach in historic Cairo with positive effects on cooling, air quality and biodiversity.
  • Reviving Historical Cairo (Egypt): Upgrading historic urban areas as a combination of urban renewal, public space and historical identity.
  • Al-Asmarat (Egypt): Participatory upgrading of public spaces in the residential environment as an example of the linking of green and social functions in existing neighbourhoods.

Outlook

Some of the participants at the launch event

The digital kick-off has created a reliable technical basis for the next steps of the MENA learning process. It became clear that the added value of the format lies particularly in synergy effects between concrete municipal examples, institutional perspectives, inter-municipal exchange and visual methods. In the coming phases, the identified topics will be further deepened, approaches between the cities will be further developed and jointly concretized during both online and face-to-face exchanges.

Online Kick-Off for Municipal Water Resilience

Posted on by burkhard

24 March 2026 was the big day! The in-depth learning process “Water Resilience: Strengthening Municipalities against Drought and Heavy Rainfall Events” kicked off shortly after the World Water Day. Droughts, heatwaves, heavy rainfall and flooding are on the rise, putting a strain on infrastructure, public health and municipal budgets. At the same time, urbanisation is intensifying competition for water.

Many major cities are already experiencing severe water stress, and the global demand for water could significantly exceed the available supply by 2030.
Water scarcity has long been an obstacle to development for countries in the Global South, but in the future, all regions worldwide will have to adapt to fluctuating water availability and growing conflicts over its use. Water is set to become the defining strategic resource of the 21st century.

Key solutions are emerging at a local level. Although the broader circumstances vary greatly, local authorities face similar structural challenges, making exchange and collaborative learning particularly valuable.

As part of our ‘Deep Dive’ on the topic of ‘Water-Resilient Municipalities’, we are bringing together experts from eight municipalities in Benin, Germany, Kenya, India, Serbia and Sri Lanka. Over a two-year period, they will discuss innovative approaches, such as sponge city concepts, blue corridors and integrated blue-green-red infrastructure, and develop and implement locally tailored solutions to their respective challenges.

During the initial virtual meeting, the municipalities presented their local challenges, identified initial similarities, and prepared for the first in-person working meeting in Wuppertal in early May. Further updates from our ‘Deep Dive’ project will follow from May 2026.

The participating cities are: Natitingou (Benin), Dresden, Wunstorf and Wuppertal (Germany), Homa Bay (Kenya), Hyderabad (India), Niš (Serbia) and Akkaraipattu (Sri Lanka).

Green Corridors in the city and its surroundings

Posted on by burkhard

Kick-off Event: 7th – 9th April 2026 (TBC) in Egypt

Local authorities in Germany, North Africa, and the Middle East face similar challenges in the face of climate change. They are called upon to translate general strategies for climate change adaptation and climate protection into concrete local measures. One option is to develop green corridors – e.g., as green walkways in city centers or as green corridors in the surrounding areas and new neighborhoods. These enable improved fresh air supply, quality of life, and more efficient water management. Green corridors can also be used for local recreation and heat protection in municipalities.

Against this backdrop, Connective Cities offers experts from local governments in Gemany, North Africa and Middle East the opportunity to develop concrete solutions for their own contexts and exchange ideas with each other as part of a one-year learning process.

Main areas of Work

The structured learning process will focus on:

  1. Green corridors as fresh air corridors between cities and their surrounding areas
  2. Green paths in cities and old city centers
  3. Green new and existing neighborhoods

 

The methodology

The learning process follows a modular approach with the following objectives:

  1. Supporting participating municipalities in developing solutions through peer learning and tailored technical advice to promote green corridor solutions.
  2. Developing the participants’ skills so that they are better able to implement organizational changes and improve procedures and methods in their own municipalities.
  3. Supporting participating municipalities in their methodological approach and the development of financially viable solutions.

 

As part of the learning process, best practices for green corridors and climate-friendly urban planning will be presented. Participating municipalities will engage in peer learning with others to develop concrete solutions for their individual contexts. These solutions can bring about organizational changes to improve procedures, methods, and data availability, as well as the concrete implementation of pilot measures.

Using a co-creative approach, participants will be involved in a structured creative problem-solving process. This includes

  1. observing and understanding current municipal practices to identify challenges and gaps,
  2. brainstorming and developing concrete solutions, and
  3. testing the solutions with a group of stakeholders, including citizens and experts, to obtain feedback.

 

Duration

The learning process will span a period of one year, beginning with a kick-off workshop in Egypt in April 2026. A total of two German and approximately 10 municipalities from the MENA region will participate in the learning process.

Participation and contact

We are looking for experts from local governments in Gemany, North Africa and Middle East (district offices, city administrations, municipal companies, etc.) who can contribute a project or idea for a solution for green corridors to the learning process. Ideally, two experts from one municipality will apply and be able to anchor the change process in the administration in the long term. The participation costs (accommodation and board) are covered. The conference language is English and French.

If you are interested in the learning process, please apply by February 20, 2026, via this link: Learning process MENA Green Corridors 2026/2027 | Connective Cities Network stating your municipality, position, and the project/challenge in the area of green corridors.

If you have any questions, please contact jelena.karamatijevic@giz.de

Further information about: Connective Cities’ learning processes

AI-based Visualisation for Sustainable & Affordable Housing

Posted on by burkhard

Cities worldwide face growing challenges in delivering affordable housing, upgrading informal settlements and creating inclusive public and social spaces. Addressing these challenges requires participatory planning, clear communication and tools that make spatial options tangible for citizens and decision-makers.

The Connective Cities Sustainable & Affordable Housing Working Group provides a global peer-to-peer learning platform supporting municipal innovation through the exchange of project ideas, planning approaches and practical solutions. Building on earlier exchanges (2024–2025), the working group has entered a new phase (2026–2028) focusing on visualisation methods to support reverse planning and implementation-oriented project preparation.

Affordable housing in a traffic-calmed neighbourhood | Photo: Connective Cities

On 22 January 2026, Connective Cities convened an online peer-learning workshop on AI-based visualisation for sustainable and affordable housing. Cities from Sub-Saharan Africa. Europe and the MENA-region worked hands-on with the AI-based visualisation platform CoPlan AI, jointly generating and refining visual concepts while explaining their local planning contexts, constraints and priorities. The session followed a peer-learning format and focused on learning and exchange, not on final design solutions.

Participating Cities

Participating cities included Kisumu, Nairobi, Turkana County, Kitengela Municipality, Windhoek, Mariental, Huye, Rwamagana, Lusaka, Mazabuka, Mangaung (Bloemfontein), Mwanza, Hebron and Berlin.
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Selected City Examples

Huye (Ruanda)

Model for Huye | Photo: Connective Cities

Huye explored the upgrading of a dense informal settlement along a main street. Visualisations focused on combining higher density with neighbourhood-scale principles, introducing a central public plaza, integrating solar rooftops and green façades, and creating small-scale social infrastructure such as playgrounds, community spaces and local shops.

Another model for Huye | Photo: Connective Cities

Berlin (Germany)

Berlin tested a timber-based affordable housing complex in a new development area with tram access. The concept included multi-layered block perimeter development, commercial uses on the ground floor, affordable housing for approximately 1,000 residents in upper floors, and integration of cycling infrastructure, green façades and solar lighting. The city input was jointly contributed by Lars Löbner and Larissa Häeschel from the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing.

Model for Berlin | Photo: Connective Cities

Nairobi (Kenya)

Visions for Nairobi

Nairobi focused on low-rise housing along a busy urban street. The scenario combined affordable brick housing with space for local public and semi-public transport, including boda boda stations. Rear-staggered buildings, active ground floors, shops and green façades were used to improve public space quality and local accessibility.

Photos: Conective Cities

Hebron (Palästina)

Hebron explored a park-centred development at the urban fringe, combined with affordable housing. The park served as the main structuring element, complemented by housing forms derived from traditional models, shaded seating areas, climate-adapted vegetation and pathways following the natural terrain.

Model for the park on the outskirts of the city | Photo: Connective Cities

Methodological Example: Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia)

Santa Cruz de la Sierra was presented as a methodological example by Ruvi Suárez (GIZ Bolivia). Based on her work with a student group, she introduced backcasting approaches and a model for assessing the impacts of different urban development scenarios. The example illustrated how AI-supported visualisation can be combined with impact-oriented planning to support the transition from vision to implementation, particularly in the context of affordable housing and public and social spaces
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Recording of the online peer learning workshop on the Connective Cities platform:

From Vision to Reality: Introducing Visualisation Methods for Affordable & Sustainable Housing

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Next Steps

The workshop marked the start of an intensified collaboration phase within the Sustainable & Affordable Housing Working Group. Building on this experience, Connective Cities will further strengthen peer consultation formats and link visualisation methods more closely to reverse planning and implementation-oriented processes.

Concept and facilitation: Jelena Karamatijević, GIZ – Connective Cities (Bonn)
Regional coordination (SSA): Moses Munuve, GIZ – Connective Cities (Nairobi)

Model for a shaded market | Photo: Connective Cities