Category: Security in cities

Cities Leading by Example

Posted on by burkhard

Cities play a dual role in climate change—they are both major contributors to it and highly vulnerable to its impacts. This dynamic creates a feedback loop that exacerbates urban challenges, where urban contributions to climate change worsen the very risks that urban centers face. As cities worldwide experience the impacts of climate change including rising temperatures and more frequent heatwaves, the need for proactive, risk-informed planning has never been more urgent.

Cities Leading by Example: A Guidebook on Risk-Informed Planning and Heat Mitigation serves as a practical guide for municipal actors, urban planners, policymakers, and community leaders seeking to adopt risk-informed approach and to integrate heat adaptation into their planning processes. Drawing on practice-oriented examples, this guidebook delves into city experiences in devising policies and strategies, optimizing the institutional set-up and steering structures, pursuing effective communication and public engagement as well as utilising evidence-based planning using climate data.

Results of the Connective Cities Deep Dive process ‘Heat in the city’

Posted on by erik

How does your city deal with increasing heat? What can you do to protect the urban population from the impacts of heat burden in cities?

We would like to invite you to learn from the intensive exchange of expertise between the cities of Aswan in Egypt, Heidelberg and Lüdenscheid in Germany, Mombasa and Nairobi in Kenya and Lviv in Ukraine. The experts jointly identified and analysed challenges and developed locally-adapted solutions in the form of pilots that were implemented in their respective cities. We would like to present and discuss the results of the two-year deep dive process ‘Heat in the city’ on 12 June 2025, from 9:00 – 12:00 am:

You will have the opportunity to ‘dive’ into the projects and understand which key elements are important for successful implementation and upscaling in the future. In Lüdenscheid, efforts began with forming a multi-departmental core team to guide the development of a comprehensive heat action plan tailored to the city’s needs. Meanwhile, in Aswan, an integrated heat action framework was developed to address the unique challenges of the region’s hot climate. In Mombasa, initiatives focused on raising awareness and mapping urban heat island hotspots to inform better both stakeholders and citizens. Similarly, in Nairobi, schools became the focus of heat mitigation efforts, using temperature data to guide the strategic planting of shade-providing fruit trees, complemented by awareness programs aimed at students and educators. Meanwhile in Lviv, the participatory initiative of pocket parks was successfully launched in three different sites. Heidelberg is planning both to create a climatological database for all public spaces and outdoor areas and to develop up to three best practice examples for urban heat mitigation in public spaces.

The event is aimed at municipal experts from Germany and around the world as well as at potential donors and financial institutions who may be interested in supporting the projects. We look forward to welcoming you!

The working language of the event is English. In order to attend the meeting, subscribe here.

For more information, please contact Sibylle Loyeau sibylle.loyeau@engagement-global.de

Call for Interest: Risk-Informed Urban Development Workshops in the ECOWAS Region

Posted on by erik

Voir version française ci-dessous

The Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA), in partnership with Connective Cities, invites cities and civil society organizations in the ECOWAS region to participate in a workshop series on Risk-Informed Urban Development. This initiative aims to strengthen urban resilience and disaster risk management by fostering knowledge sharing, cooperation, and innovative approaches.

Key Highlights:

  • Risk-Informed Urban Development: Build local capacities to manage urban risks.
  • Knowledge Exchange: Promote peer learning between west African and European cities.
  • Inclusive Planning: Collaborate with residents of informal settlements, women, and youth groups, among others.
  • Bankable Solutions: Develop integrated approaches that combine adaptation and mitigation measures for sustainable financing.

Workshop Timeline:

  1. Workshop 1: Introduction to Risk-Informed Urban Development (February 2025, Togo)
  2. Workshop 2: Participatory Risk Analysis and Financing Preparedness (April/May 2025)
  3. Workshop 3: Action Plan Development for Inclusive Disaster Risk Management (September/October 2025)

Apply now:

Cities are invited to submit their applications by 12 January 2025.

Further information can be found in Invitation to an Expression of Interest

Contact:

RIA@giz.de and jelena.karamatijevic@giz.de

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Appel à Manifestation d’Intérêt : Ateliers sur le Développement Urbain Tenant Compte des Risques dans la Région CEDEAO

L’Initiative pour la Résilience en Afrique (RIA), en partenariat avec Connective Cities, invite les villes et organisations de la société civile de la région CEDEAO à participer à une série d’ateliers sur le développement urbain tenant compte des risques. Cette initiative vise à renforcer la résilience urbaine et la gestion des risques de catastrophe grâce à des échanges de connaissances, à la coopération et à des approches innovantes.

Points Forts :

  • Développement Urbain Tenant Compte des Risques : Renforcer les capacités locales pour gérer les risques urbains.
  • Échange de Connaissances : Favoriser l’apprentissage mutuel entre les villes africaines et européennes.
  • Planification Inclusive : Collaborer avec les habitants des quartiers informels, les groupes de femmes et de jeunes, entre autres.
  • Solutions Bancables : Développer des approches intégrées combinant adaptation et atténuation pour un financement durable.

Calendrier des Ateliers :

  1. Atelier 1 : Introduction au Développement Urbain Tenant Compte des Risques (février 2025, Togo)
  2. Atelier 2 : Analyses Participatives des Risques et Préparation au Financement (avril/mai 2025)
  3. Atelier 3 : Élaboration de Plans d’Action pour une Gestion Inclusive des Risques de Catastrophe (Septembre/Octobre 2025)

Posez votre candidature dès maintenant:

Les villes sont invitées à soumettre leur candidature avant le 12 janvier 2025.

Pour plus d’informations, voir Invitation à une expression d’intérêt.

Contact :

RIA@giz.de et jekena.karamatijevic@giz.de .

Strengthening Risk-Informed Urban Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Posted on by erik

SADC Peer-to-Peer Learning Platform for Integrating Disaster Risk Management into Urban Planning and Development

The race against time to determine resilience-driven solutions to highly complex and existential urban disaster risk challenges is increasingly necessary more so in Africa. Projections point to the fact that by 2050, 90% of the global urbanization will be experienced in Africa and Asia. Despite Africa’s low contributions to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, the continent remains the most vulnerable to hazards and risk drivers like such as, but not limited to, climate change and (climate) variability. Evidently, Africa’s cities face exponential growth, unplanned urbanization trends and unfolding vulnerabilities threatening thus, to undo urban development gains. By 2050, most of the countries in the region will have made an urban transition, meaning that more than 50% of their population will live in urban areas, which are in turn, the cornerstone of Africa’s socio-economic development (IFRI 2022). As hubs of infrastructure, services, trade and people, cities are faced with one of the major urban threats in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), namely floods, subsequently challenging the continent’s socio-economic development ambitions. Urbanization is arguably an inevitable, unstoppable yet positive trend which nevertheless has the potential to greatly increase risk.

To incorporate integrated Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and climate change adaptation measures into multilateral and bilateral development cooperation programs – within and across all sectors -, Connective Cities (CC) and the Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA) have called the joint initiative on risk-informed urban development (RIUD) to enable peer to peer exchanges through a hybrid modular learning processes (LP). The LP focuses on strengthening risk-informed urban development by creating innovative solutions for flood risk management in urban systems situated in Sub-Sahara Africa with a focus in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Region.

The LP enables the use of an agile, barrier-reduced learning and exchange platform for RIUD, which is used by regional, national, and local governmental and non-governmental actors. The modular and systemic approach of the LP for RIUD includes areas related to “Sustainable Urban Development” and “Good governance” facilitating the formation of new partnerships across vertical and horizontal scales for urban/regional resilience. Through the differentiated yet complementary political counterparts, between CC and RIA, the GIZ is able to ensure scalability and wide-spread transfer and communication of the results (i.e. RIUD SADC Publication).

To enhance resilience in southern African cities, CC and RIA developed a series of hybrid modular LPs (Live Events and virtual Insight Sessions) which focus on peer to peer exchange on integrated flood risk management in SADC as part of Sub-Sahara Africa.

The kick-off event in Windhoek, Namibia took place in April 2023 and marked the first round of the LEP by creating feedback loops to inform the development of context-specific, gender-equitable and climate-change-sensitive solution options directed at tackling urban flood risk challenges in both structural and non-structural terms. During the kick-off event, the peer-to-peer exchange was guided by initial thematic areas i.e: 1) Understanding and managing flood risk drivers, 2) Green infrastructure and nature-based approaches for risk-informed solutions, and 3) Risk communication flows and good governance.

Deep Dive: Heat in the city

Posted on by erik

As a second milestone of the Deep Dive process, a workshop was held in Nairobi from 4 to 7 March 2024. The workshop marked the transition from the phase of sensemaking of the local contexts towards prioritization of challenges and solution options. Participants representing the cities of Nairobi, Aswan, Mombasa, Lviv, Lüdenscheid and Heidelberg discussed the observations and findings from the initial participatory field research including insights into how stakeholders and relevant actors perceive challenges related to the phenomenon of urban heat. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to learn about projects and initiatives implemented in Nairobi that are relevant to building resilience to urban heat.

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).

The learning process on flood management for risk-informed urban development has begun

Posted on by erik

The Connective Cities learning process on “Flood Management for Risk-Informed Urban Development” has taken off with great success. From 18 to 20 April 2023 practitioners from 16 cities and municipalities gathered in Windhoek, Namibia, for a kick-off event aimed at enhancing their understanding of flood management and promoting resilient urban development.

Jointly organized by Connective Cities the Global Initiative for Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM), the German Association of Cities (DST), and Engagement Global, this event marked the beginning of an intensive exchange of expertise. Let’s delve into the highlights of this initiative.

Promoting resilient urban development

The opening remarks were given by Ms. Judith Middleton from the GIZ project “Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Development” who represented GIZ’s country director Dr. Thomas Kirsch. The host city of Windhoek, represented by the Deputy Mayor of Windhoek Municipality, honourable Ms. Magdalena Lombard indicated that mainstreaming disaster risk management (DRM) means understanding and acting on disaster risks as part of decision-making processes across sectors to protect development progress, reduce losses and support growth. Ms. Hellen Likando from the Directorate Disaster Risk Management at the Office of the Prime Minister highlighted that the government of Namibia is geared towards building resilience towards disasters in line with the global Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030). She further encouraged participants to use the event to learn, tap into best practices, and to develop innovative ideas that can provide long-term flood risk management solutions to their respective cities for risk-informed urban development initiatives.

Water-sensitive urban planning – How can heavy rain and storm water be better managed?

Posted on by erik

Heavy rain and storm water events, such as those in Germany’s Ahr Valley in 2021 or in Pakistan, Australia and South Africa in 2022, cause streams to swell into raging torrents. They flood roads, destroy houses and bridges, as well as important infrastructure. Yet not only do they cause damage worth billions – they also lead to loss of life. They occur suddenly, and can only be predicted at short notice. Due to climate change, these events will continue to increase in frequency and severity worldwide.

Connective Cities organises opportunities for local government experts in Germany and worldwide to dialogue on relevant and current topics, in order to deepen development cooperation. 41 experts from 16 cities and eight countries accepted the joint invitation of  Connective Cities, Stadtentwässerungsbetriebe Köln (StEB Köln) and United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) to this dialogue event.

Twelve practical examples from five countries formed the starting point for an intensive collegial discussion on which approaches can be used to minimise the risks of heavy rain and storm water events for people and municipal infrastructure. Existing projects were enriched and new project ideas emerged. The documentation provides insights into this consultation process.

Strengthening the resilience and capacity to rebuild cities and critical municipal infrastructure in times of war

Posted on by erik

On 31 January 2023, the digital kick-off event of the working group “Resilience in times of war” took place. Under the theme “Strengthening resilience and capacity to rebuild cities and critical municipal infrastructure in times of war”, the event enabled an exchange between a total of 62 municipal representatives from Ukraine and Germany on good practices, common challenges and possible solutions.

With special regard to municipal cooperation in the field of energy efficiency and housing, Mr. Günter Burger, personal department of the Lord Mayor of the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, gave a technical input. Together with its partner city Lviv, the city of Freiburg is planning a model building for housing internally displaced persons and people who have lost their living space in the city. After an initial test phase in Lviv, the housing units should also be able to be used in a modular fashion in other cities. In the future, the materials, mainly wood, will be produced in Ukraine to create not only housing but also jobs. Construction of the up to three-storey wooden buildings is scheduled to begin in March of this year – with subsequent testing of implementation in other areas. So-called power blocks, which have already been delivered from Freiburg to Lviv in recent months, could be used for the power supply to improve energy security in general.

Transformative Riverine Management Programme

Posted on by erik

The Transformative Riverine Management Programme from the municipality of eThewkwini (Durban, South Africa) is an innovative project to integrate adaptive water and climate management and establishes a partnership between the municipality, research institutions, community organisations and citizens. The programme aims to transform the management of over 7,400 km of watercourses and river corridors. The aim is to improve water quality through ecosystem-based adaptations and reduce flood risk through community-level projects, such as paying for collected waste that can lead to drain blockages.

Interview with:

  • Mr Geoff Tooley, Coastal Stormwater and Catchment Management Division, Department of Engineering, eThekwini Municipality.
  • Mr. Emmanuel K. Letebele, Senior Planner, eThekwini Municipality

Watch video at YouTube:

https://youtu.be/d3iR9INk1oQ

Mr Emmanuel Letebele was part of the Working Group on Risk-Informed Urban Development (RIUD) in Sub-Saharan Africa. This working group is a joint initiative of GIZ’s Connective Cities programmes and the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management programme. More information on the RIUD working group.