Category: City and biodiversity

Urban Gardening Guidebook

Posted on by erik

From July to December 2020, an initial intensive global programme on ‘municipal response to the pandemic’ was conducted by Connective Cities that has been augmented with the programme ‘municipal recovery from the pandemic’ starting August 2021. The working group “Biodiversity and Environmental Protection” was the first group to be established as part of this programme.

This Guidebook is one result of an extensive exhange. It explains,  why Urban Gardening Matters? and guides the reader through all steps of an urban gardening project – from the first situational analysis, over the preparatory and implementation phase up to a final monitoring and evaluation.

“Firewatch” – State-of-the-art technology for early forest fire detection

Posted on by erik

Both the frequency and intensity of wildfires are increasing worldwide as a result of climate change.  If wildfires are out of control, they can have a devastating effect, endangering human lives and causing long-term damage such as biodiversity loss. To minimise this danger, the State Forests Department of Lower Saxony, Germany has installed a system for the early detection of wildfires.

Building. Forward. Better

Posted on by erik

We look back on an eventful year. Hopes of getting the Corona pandemic under control quickly fizzled out. The World Climate Conference cast its shadow ahead, only to end with a mediocre result. Despite, or perhaps because of, these setbacks, experts at the municipal level intensified their cooperation to better meet the challenges of the pandemic and climate change. Our networks expanded, project proposals became more concrete, working groups more agile, and some “champion municipalities” are themselves doing much to move the networks forward. It is time to pause for a moment, look back and dare to look forward to the future. Our coordinators of the regional networks in South Eastern Europe, the MENA region and Sub-Saharan Africa describe this from their own personal perspective.

The Future of the Southeast Europe Region – by Irakli Samkharadze and Elene Samukashvili

As the year comes to a close Connective Cities Southeast European Region celebrates achievements of every concurrent Learning and Peer-exchange processes held with the support of urban practitioners, experts, consultancies and technical personnel from all over the world.

Activities under Learning Processes on Climate Resilient Urban Development and Sustainable Urban Energy Planning, underway in SEE region will continue into the upcoming year with an updated roadmap. We will proceed with expert missions, financial advisory and project proposals polishing support, in close synergy with financial institutions. This support will be provided for projects identified through Dialogue Events and Planning Workshops held in past two years.

In 2021 under Connective Cities COVID-19 Programme, Southeast European Region (SEE) gathered amazing and motivated professionals from all over the region who worked in two directions of Crisis Management and Digitalisation. As of new year, Programme Teams aims to maintain the close contact with the groups, through the Network, providing them with further news, updates and guidance.

As the network of the region is constantly expanding, planned activities are also amplifying and growing in their directions and frequency. 2022 promises to be a very active and highly engaging time for the network. Our topics include but are not limited to Sustainable Urban Development, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Urban Planning, Green Technologies, Infrastructure and recovery, Crisis management & Digitalisation, while also constantly looking into new directions according to preferences of Network Members and political Developments in the region.

Kontakt: Irakli Samkharadze (irakli.samkharadze@giz.de)

Sub-Saharan Africa – an outlook to 2022 – by Sophia Kamau

We have braved another year of virtual learning, networking and finding solutions to our urban challenges. Thank you for being part of this journey by sharing good practices, challenges, contacts and expertise.

We look over the skies into the endless opportunities that time gives and envision 2022. Based on the networks built, relationships established, and ideas exchanged, we would like to share our thoughts with you as we get into a reflective season.

In 2022 we will finalize the learning processes on urban basic services and sector governance and land management and land use planning. This will be through support to municipalities working on their proposals and those seeking expertise support. Through partnerships with like-minded institutions, we will have more opportunities to learn and exchange through the thematic working groups; solid waste management, urban green spaces, climate change and urban mobility.

We welcome you to join this community of transformers in the region.

From the Sub Saharan Africa desk, we appreciate your cooperation and wish you happy holidays!

Contacts: Sophia Kamau (sophia.kamau@giz.de)

Connective Cities in the MENA region: Champion Cities taking ownership of the network in 2022 – by Muna Shalan

Over the past year, the vibrant network of Connective Cities in the MENA region has grown and has intensified its activities: we are now at 235 registered members! To sustain the momentum and ensure the sustainability of the network, champion cities will take the lead in steering the activities of the different thematic working groups starting next year. This will include peer learning, good practice presentation and joint proposal development. Upon showcasing the outcomes of the activities in the planned regional event in January 2022, the network members will be able to nominate themselves or vote for the steering committee of the regional working groups that include local economic development and job creation, municipal energy efficiency projects, biodiversity and environmental protection, digitalisation of municipal services, social entrepreneurship and circular economy.

We are also looking forward for new partnerships with regional city associations in 2022. This includes our recently signed MoU with UCLG MEWA to strengthen decentralised regional cooperation.

Contact: Muna Shalan (muna.shalan@giz.de )

A green infrastructure plan for Mexico City

Posted on by erik

In collaboration with public administration, academia and urban society, the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources of the City of Mexico has developed a comprehensive master plan for the development of green infrastructure in Mexico City. The master plan aims to preserve and create green urban spaces ranging from parks and gardens to larger nature reserves. Another focus is the renaturation of urban rivers. Especially in one of the world’s largest cities, the pandemic highlights the importance of access to public green spaces for residents. This good practice from Mexico shows how the design process of a master plan can succeed in an inclusive and dynamic way with the involvement of diverse population groups.

Watch video at YouTube:

https://youtu.be/5mstcHadvho

Sustainable, informed and participatory land management and land use planning in rapidly growing cities in Sub Saharan Africa

Posted on by erik

Connective Cities Sub Saharan Africa organized a three part series of workshops on the topic of ‘Sustainable, informed and participatory land management and land use planning in rapidly growing cities’ as subsequent steps to the dialogue event held in May. The objectives of the series were to support the cities better understand their projects, provide an opportunity for review by German experts, train on proposal writing and offer financial advisory.

 The conceptual approach was based on:

  • analyzing the status quo of the process and the individual projects
  • integrating all stakeholders of the relevant projects
  • co-designing solutions through interactive learning
  • harnessing the skills within the group of the project owners supported with expert advice
  • outcome driven to achieve the main goal to enable the participants finalize their relevant proposals

Four municipalities from Cameroon, South Africa and Zambia presented their project ideas and the gaps therein. These project ideas are:

  1. Development of socio-economic initiatives that will complement biodiversity protection and management and enhance cultural and heritage resources in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa
  2. Adams-R603 Settlement Plan- eThekwini, South Africa
  3. Integrated Land Management System for Livingstone City Council, Zambia
  4. Development of the banks of Lake Baleng with rest & recreational areas in the Commune of Bafoussam II, Cameroon

Integration of nature based solutions in land use planning

Posted on by erik

The citizens of Durban are proud of their “green” metropolis. The fact that public spaces have been kept green or have been restored to their natural state is the result of a movement with its origins in the 1980s, the “Open Space Network”. In this podcast, Sabelo Nkosi, responsible for biodiversity planning at eThekwini Municpality, describes the work of the network, in which communities, science, SMEs and the city administration are equally involved. The green spaces not only provide biodiversity, they also mitigate the impacts of climate change and help people adapt more easily.

Watch the video on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/8rOm9WgRzHo

Call for participation: The post-COVID City – towards greener cities

Posted on by erik

Connective Cities and its partners invite you to the sixth Insight Session, which will be held under the title “The post-COVID City – bringing together urban practitioners to work towards greener cities” virtualy on 18 October, 10:00-11:30 CEST.

The Insight Session will address the question “The city after Corona? When urban planners, climate scientists and health experts work together, the result can only be green”. The session is part of the so-called Urban October. During the month of October, UN-Habitat and partner organisations organise activities and discussions on sustainable urbanisation. The Insight Session will focus on the challenges and lessons learned in designing cities to better resist the spread of disease and redesigning urban planning to adapt to the risks of health crises.

Further information:  Insight Session: The post-COVID City – bringing together urban practitioners to work towards greener cities | Connective Cities Network

Event Language: English

The Insight Session will be moderated by Franziska Loibl, Ute Maas and Tino Bosire. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us:

Franziska Loibl (franziska.loibl@giz.de)
Ute Maas (ute.maas@giz.de)
Tino Bosire (tino.bosire@giz.de)

Cities Challenge: 2030 Agenda meets Urban Climate Action

Posted on by erik

What does a climate-friendly, inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable city look like in practice? In 2019, GIZ’s CitiesChallenge 2030 ideas competition set out to showcase and support examples for this all over the world. More than 30 projects replied to the calls for application. GIZ and BMZ selected four winning projects to be Urban Living Labs:

  • In Portoviejo, Ecuador, women in a poor peri-urban settlement acted as guardians to support the vulnerable and the sick, working together with the municipal disaster management department. With the help of students and experts from universities and professional organisations, they managed to secure paths and public spaces from landslides.
  • In Jordan’s capital Amman, an NGO created microforests in high-density, precarious neighbourhoods. This triggered cross-sectoral cooperation between stakeholders, who together tested novel planting methods to improve air quality, combat heat islands and create rainwater storage.
  • In Windhoek, Namibia, slum dwellers on the outskirts of the city created a neighbourhood park that invites people to stay and play while protecting their homes from seasonal flooding. They also planned the future development of their own settlement through a participatory process, supported by the municipality.
  • In the Serbian capital Belgrade, food service operators and digital start-ups in the Serbian capital Belgrade saved food from being destroyed. Instead, they made it available to families in need while improving urban food security and reducing the burden on landfills.

These four Urban Living Labs show some of the many ways that interventions in cities bring local governments, experts, communities and entrepreneurs together. By working together with local partners, they improved the resilience and quality of life for vulnerable groups, ensured access to public services, used resources more sustainably, and promoted climate change mitigation and adaptation.