Category: Integrated urban development

Unturning the Stones

Posted on by erik

The virtual dialogue event “Unturning the stones – Exploring Climate Finance for Asian Cities” was held on the Connective Cities platform from the 28th to the 30th of September 2021. It was jointly hosted by Connective Cities and TURBOCLIC (Transformation – Urban Opportunities – Climate Change), an initiative from GIZ’s sector networks TUEWAS (Transport Environment Energy and Water in Asia) and SNGA (Governance Asia).

The active participants consisted of 25 urban practitioners and experts from 6 countries (Nepal, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Philippines and Germany) working in the sectors financing, public works / infrastructure, greening and planning departments. They were united by the fact that all of them are working at the forefront of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures in their cities. In order to implement green and sustainable solutions that leapfrog current unsustainable patterns, it is essential to develop innovative and efficient financing approaches to build climate resilient and low-carbon cities.

Development of bankable project proposals for sustainable urban energy planning in Southeast Europe

Posted on by erik

Nearly 50 people from approximately 10 municipalities across 5 countries of Southeastern Europe (SEE) region as well as from EU and MENA gathered during the Planning Workshop to further the process of their project development.

The Planning Workshop held on 2-4 November 2021, represented a follow-up and a continuation on a learning process started through Dialogue Event in May 2021.

The ongoing COVID-19 situation ruled out meeting up in person. That’s why the workshop was planned as an online consultation event. Rather than travelling to a single location, the teams worked individually on pre-defined ‘homework’ which was later smoothed off during the workshop’s first and last days. Connective Cities team with the aid from mentors, who guided the process, oversaw the proceedings of project outline finalizations. The workshop aimed at supporting the municipalities in fine-tuning their project ideas and developing them further towards bankable project proposals.

The concept and content of the Planning Workshop was elaborated based on the Connective Cities’ methodology and the findings of the pre-workshop interviews that were conducted with the respective municipalities.

Invitation: Good municipal green recovery practices and the importance of renewable energy

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The event aims to explore the crisis management mechanisms that cities employed and ways in which they envision green recovery especially on the bases of introducing the use of renewable energy.

The pandemic tested the robustness and remorsefulness of mostly all municipal services, from transportation and waste management to recreation and food supply. Pandemic-centered protocols set new behavioral patterns – many of which were quite stressful for urban economies. On the contrary, others – such as raised environmental awareness – made both city leaders and citizens rethink the status-quo regarding sustainability, resilience and in overall – stressed the importance of accelerating previous commitments and striving for even more.

Date and time: 13 December 2021, 12:00 – 14:30 CET

Please find more information in our Call of Participants or enroll in the event here.

If you have any further queries about the event encourage you to contact:

SEE Regional Network Coordinator: Irakli Samkharadze (irakli.samkharadze@giz.de)

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

German city of Wiesbaden: sustainable logistics to make the city more liveable

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Wiesbaden has taken an ambitious approach to make urban logistics more sustainable. Based on a political resolution, it has embarked on a three-phase journey, tackling delivery zones, emission-free transport and restructuring delivery services.

The sixth Global Environment Outlook (GEO) for Cities report

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GEO for Cities aims to inform, engage and support dialogue among city decision makers and other actors involved in urban issues. The GEO-6 report identified urbanization as one of five main drivers of environmental change and also looked at the impact on cities and city residents of related challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

The GEO for Cities looks at these issues but also presents the types of solutions that can lead to environmentally sustainable and just cities. The GEO for Cities process is led by two co-chairs, guided by an Advisory Committee of organizations focused on urban and environment solutions (ICLEI, C40, Cities Alliance, IIED, ODI, IIHS, GCSE), has been drafted by around 20 expert authors and supported by the GEO Secretariat. The environmental and urban challenges outlined in this report require urgent and sustained attention from everyone involved in building or managing cities.

Some of the questions explored here concern the past and present. What are the urban dynamics that have resulted in environmental degradation and inequality? How can we overcome barriers to create a more sustainable future in different types of cities? How are cities affecting fresh water, land, biodiversity, the oceans and air? And how are changes in these dimensions of the environment affecting cities?

Other parts of the report address the future: What are innovative, ground-breaking visions for an environmentally sustainable and just future in cities for both people and nature? What are some of the pathways for transformative actions in cities and where can we find stories of success and hope? The report covers a wide range of environmental, social and economic issues while providing key starting points to take action and convert transformative visions into reality.

Invitation: “Citizen engagement in planning and implementation of sustainable mobility after Covid-19”

Posted on by erik

Connective Cities Southeast European Region is pleased to invite you to a Workshop on “Citizen engagement in planning and implementation of sustainable mobility after Covid 19”, discussing a collection of successful tools and roadmaps that can be used in different phases of sustainable mobility planning and implementation in and after the pandemic. The tools will cover different levels and degrees of participation.

This Planning Workshop is dedicated to

  • Presenting and discussing the prototype of the toolbox, selected roadmaps and tools for citizen engagement in the pandemic;

  • Sharing additional experiences and good practices;

  • Collecting ideas for publishing the toolbox (CC platform, municipality websites, research institute websites …); and

  • Identifying potential next steps for extending the toolbox.

The workshop will take place on

December 3, 2021 14.00-16.30 CET on the following link Sustainable Mobility Core Group | Connective Cities Network.

Please log in or sing up on Connective Cities platform to access Event and resources. Do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions.

Contact:

Dr. Irakli Samkharadze
GIZ Regional Network Coordinator Connective Cities – Southeast Europe 
irakli.samkharadze@giz.de

For German experts:

Alice Balbo
Connective Cities Project Manager at the German Association of Cities
alice.balbo@staedtetag.de

Qaraoun Future Hope Project

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Amidst the energy crisis that Lebanon is facing, the municipality of Qaraoun has succeeded in overcoming major impediments to the provision of renewable energy to its residents. The renewable energy project ‘PV SOLAR SYSTEM- OUR FUTURE HOPE’ has addressed local needs for renewable energy, technical and vocational education and training, as well as community awarness raising. The project has adopted an inclusive approach that ensured gender-sensitivity throughout its components.

Adopt a grandparent, the theme of solidarity in Tirana, Albania

Posted on by erik

The project ‘Adopt a grandparent’ is an initiative to help the lonely older people by providing groceries and medical care to their homes, helping those who live alone around their house, or merely accompanying them during difficult times.

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