Category: crisis management and disaster preparedness

Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure through Risk-Informed Urban Development

Posted on by burkhard

Municipalities and regions from Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus and Germany are invited to participate in the regional learning process “Planning for Urban Resilience” and jointly develop approaches to protect critical infrastructure and strengthen urban resilience.

Municipalities are increasingly facing complex risks: climate-related extreme events, technical disruptions, growing inter-dependencies between infrastructure systems and new security challenges threaten the functioning of urban areas. Protecting critical infrastructure – energy, water, transport, communication and health – has therefore become a central task of modern local governance.

The learning process brings together municipalities from Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus and Germany to exchange practical experience, develop joint solutions and strengthen local capacities for risk-informed urban development. The focus lies on integrated planning, multi-risk governance and the development of implementable project approaches to protect and strengthen critical infrastructure.

Who is the call for participation addressed to?

  • Professionals and managers from municipal administrations, municipal utilities and regional authorities
  • Staff working in planning, infrastructure, disaster risk management and municipal management
  • Cities, municipalities, districts and regions from Southeast Europe, the South Caucasus and Germany

Timeline and Format

  • Virtual kick-off meeting: End of April 2026
  • First face-to-face workshop (3 days): Beginning of June
  • Duration: approx. 1 year
  • Formats: on-site workshops, digital exchange modules and short expert missions (“peer visits”)

 

The learning process is structured in three phases:

  1. risk and vulnerability analysis,
  2. integrated planning and solution development, and
  3. implementation readiness and financing.
  4. Thematic priorities include urban systems and critical infrastructure resilience, integrated risk governance, and data, early warning and continuity management. The structured process promotes peer-to-peer learning and technical cooperation between municipalities in Europe and the partner regions.

Participation and Contact

The participation costs (accommodation and board) are covered. The conference language is English

Expression of interest deadline: 13 April 2026

Application: https://community.connective-cities.net/en/form/connective-cities-see-learning-p

Further information: Call for participation [pdf, 3 pages ]

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions:

Paulina Koschmieder – paulina.koschmieder@giz.de
Jimmy Yoedsel – jimmy.yoedsel@giz.de

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

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

Water resilience – Municipalities strengthen themselves against drought and heavy rainfall events

Posted on by burkhard

Local authorities face challenges due to climate change and soil sealing, with frequent droughts, floods, and heavy rainfall. Ensuring water supply, preserving green spaces, and preventing damage can be addressed through nature-based and structural measures. Approaches like the sponge city principle, unsealing urban areas, and installing retention basins are becoming central to climate adaptation strategies. In Germany and the Global South, innovative solutions are emerging. Connective Cities therefore offers an in-depth learning process on this topical and highly relevant subject.

Connective Cities is launching an international call for applications for its new Deep Dive. It will begin in early 2026 and will run until 2027, depending on the funding allocated. The Deep Dive is a recent format from connective cities, the platform for sustainable urban development that brings together up to five municipalities from the Global South and three German municipalities, which are invited to work together to develop a locally adapted solution that responds to a current challenge.

To participate in this Deep Dive, please send us your completed expression of interest before 5 January 2026.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Further information

Call for participants [pdf, 242 kb]

Expression of Interest [doc, 476 kb]

The conference language is English.

Contact

If you have any questions about the Connective Cities Deep Dive and your participation, please feel free to contact us:

Sibylle Loyeau
E-Mail: sibylle.loyeau@engagement-global.de
Phone: +49 (0)228-20717-2587

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.

From Risk to Resilience: Building Inclusive Urban Futures in West Africa

Posted on by burkhard

This was the central question that brought together urban risk experts, local leaders, and community representatives from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo to continue the workshop series on “Risk-Informed Urban Development in West Africa and the ECOWAS Region”.

The 2nd workshop took place from 02-04 July in Accra, Ghana. This workshop was jointly organised by the German Projects Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA), Connective Cities, and CIVIC and in cooperation with the African Union and the ECOWAS Commission.

The Workshop Series

West Africa is facing growing challenges due to climate change and rapid urbanisation. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts temperature increases of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius by 2050, which has already led to a 25% rise in climate-related extreme events between 2011 and 2021. These shifts threaten water resources, biodiversity, food security, and public health. Additionally, the urban population is expected to double by 2050 across Africa, exacerbating the risks associated with rapid urbanisation, particularly in informal settlements. Climate-related disasters could cost the region between 1.5% and 3% of GDP annually by 2030, making investments in urban resilience vital for protecting infrastructure, livelihoods, and promoting sustainable economic growth.

 

Die Panelist*innen sitzen im offenen Halbkreis auf der Bühne
Panelists from left to right – Isabel Njihia (UNDRR), Mr. Cédric Dzelu, Technical Advisor to the Minister, Ministry for Climate Change and Sustainability, Ghana, Dr. Emmanuel Osuteye, AUC, Mrs. Beatrice Owusu-Appiah, Planner, City of Accra, Mr. Assouhan Jonas Atchade, ECOWAS Secretariat | Photo: GIZ – Resilience Initiative Africa

To address these challenges, RIA and Connective Cities have launched the workshop series on “Risk-Informed Urban Development in West Africa and the ECOWAS Region”. The goal of the workshop series is to provide urban actors in the region with the tools and knowledge needed to manage urban risks while fostering collaboration through peer learning and exchange. The workshop series supports 12 cities from West Africa in preparing bankable project ideas to address the risks faced in their cities and strengthening the capacities of the participating urban practitioners in enhancing urban resilience.

Workshop 2 – Inclusivity and Participatory Risk Assessments

Presentation by Dr. Benjamin Creutzfeldt, City of Berlin on New impulse for municipal urban pluvial risk management: map-ping the impacts of heavy rain on various elements at risk | Photo: GIZ – Resilience Initiative Africa

After the kick-off workshop in Lomé, Togo, the 2nd workshop took place in Accra, Ghana from 2 to 4 July. Over three days, participants gained insights into participatory risk assessments and inclusivity concepts. They were provided with concrete tools and approaches on how to integrate these concepts in their urban planning work to tackle Risk-Informed Urban Development. Experts in urban planning, as well as representatives from the African Union and ECOWAS, and civil society, shared their experiences and provided a range of perspectives, from continental to local-level approaches.

The workshop was completed through the continued peer-advisory sessions where cities presented their concrete challenges in the elaboration of their project idea that they started since workshop 1 and received practical advice from other participating cities.

 

The Ga Mashie Participatory Slum Upgrading Project | Photo: GIZ – Resilience Initaitive Africa
The Recycling Hub at the Bubuashie Cable and Wireless. | Photo: GIZ – Resilience Initiative Africa

On the third day of the workshop, participants visited two sites in Accra that linked to the topic of participatory risk assessment and inclusivity: The Ga Mashie Participatory Slum Upgrading Project and the Recycling Hub at the Bubuashie Cable and Wireless. The site visits were co-organised by the City of Accra and Slum Dwellers International.

Next steps

The series of workshops will continue to provide local governments, urban planners, and communities with the knowledge and tools needed to make risk-informed decisions in urban planning and management. The next workshop is scheduled for October 2025, focusing on access to finance and the development of action plans.

Die Teilnehmenden stehen zusammen vor dem Konferenzgebäude
Group photo of participants | Photo: GIZ – Resilience Initiative Africa

Author: Franziska Loibl, GIZ

 

 

Risk informed urban development in Western Africa and the ECOWAS region

Posted on by erik

The Resilience Initiative Africa (RIA), in partnership with Connective Cities is implementing a series of workshops aimed at bolstering urban resilience.

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)

Building on the success and outcomes of the first workshop in the series on strengthening risk-informed urban development in West Africa and the ECOWAS region—held in Lomé, Togo from March 18 to 20, 2025—the second installment will take place in Accra, Ghana from July 2 to 4, 2025.

The workshop in Lomé focused on establishing an exchange network by bringing together peers from 12 cities across the region, along with representatives from the ECOWAS Secretariat and the African Union Commission, to engage in in-depth technical discussions on strengthening risk-informed urban development and identifying project ideas to address resilience challenges.

Building on the foundations of the peer exchange platform established in Lomé, the upcoming workshop in Accra will continue the technical exchanges on project idea development, with a particular emphasis on inclusion and participatory risk analysis to ensure a whole-of-society approach where no one is left behind.

We look forward to a successful workshop in Ghana, and will share the updates on our Connective Cities platform.

International municipal cooperation to mitigate heat in cities

Posted on by erik

On 12 June 2025, the working group of the Deep Dive “Heat in the City” gathered online to wrap up their two years long collaboration on the topic of heat islands in the cities. Each city presented their pilot projects in depth to an audience of experts from Germany and the Global South.

The format

The Deep Dive format enables medium-term, intensive collaboration among a small group of municipalities over two years to develop concrete urban solutions through expert exchange and co-creation. Learn more about the format here.

Deep Dive “Heat in the city”

In this first edition of Connective Cities Deep Dive, the cities of Aswan (Egypt), Heidelberg (Germany), Lüdenscheid (Germany), Lviv (Ukraine), Nairobi (Kenya) and Mombasa (Kenya) worked together online and in person, in order to understand their respective challenges, exchange ideas, and scientific procedures. The group was supported by Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in the assessment of urban heat islands (UHI) in the city and development of locally-adapted solutions. Through the involvement of their local administrations, they implemented their pilot projects that incorporated procedural and organizational measures to mitigate heat in their cities. Learn more about each step of the Deep Dive here.

The six pilot projects

Each city piloted heat mitigation solutions tailored to their local contexts, focusing on data-driven, community-based, and cross-sectoral approaches. Nairobi planted shade fruit trees in schools and trained staff and students in thermal monitoring, while planning an open-access heat map for community awareness raising about the UHI. Lviv created pocket-parks and monitored their cooling effects, despite facing implementation challenges like martial law and funding gaps. In Lüdenscheid, a heat action plan was developed through interdepartmental collaboration, including initiatives like refill stations, awareness brochures, and a city cooling map. Aswan developed a comprehensive heat action framework using both local knowledge and international practices, selecting a pilot area for pedestrian-friendly, shaded public space transformation. Mombasa focused on stakeholder awareness and urban heat mapping, while Heidelberg introduced a high-precision urban climate analysis and a climate scanner to make urban planning more climate-friendly, better account for local microclimates, and thereby sustainably enhance quality of life and climate resilience. Learn more about the projects here.

Conclusions

All members of the working group agreed that the Deep Dive “Heat in the City” contributed with a broader impact in the six cities, not only by the development of climate mitigation strategies, but also in the perspective of tighter collaboration among local institutions and a strong feeling of global affiliation.

The municipal experts exchange has led to a stronger sense of community, co-creation, leadership skills, and ownership. As they explored how green activities could be linked to green jobs, international exchanges helped emphasize the urgency of finding solutions. These exchanges made decision-makers and the public more aware and underscored the need for immediate action.

The Deep Dive required a readjustment of their thinking and viewpoints, prompting them to reassess their own methods. They often had to justify working internationally while operations were still local, which helped them adopt a broader perspective on issues such as UHI. The exchange platform gave them also visibility and recognition, which in turn helped influence decision-makers. Despite challenging circumstances such as the war in Ukraine, people became more sensitised—highlighting that the right moment for action is now.

Finally, the working group noticed a growing sense of long-term awareness. There was a shift from seeking immediate results to focusing on long-term planning for resilience and achieving environmental goals. By learning from international successes and failures, they could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our local processes.

Even if the Deep Dive has ended, the implemented projects are still ongoing and the six cities are better prepared to face heat waves now.

For more information, please contact:

Sibylle Loyeau, Sibylle.loxeau@engagement-global.de

Dr. Ing. Muna Shalan, muna.shalan@giz.de