Category: Local economic development

A Strategy for Climate-Sensitive Urban Development in Garowe, Somalia

Posted on by erik

Connective Cities has supported the development of a bottom-up strategy for climate-resilient urban development, known as the Climate-Sensitive City Development Strategy (CSCD). This involved a participatory methodology for identifying and analyzing key entry points for municipal action. Garowe was the first pilot project where this methodology and the design of the CSCD strategy were tested. We are pleased to present this strategy to you here.

Connective Cities was commissioned by the GIZ project “Promotion of social and economic inclusion of extreme poor IDPs and residents of host communities in Puntland, Somalia” (SEIPP) to support the development of an integrated climate protection concept (adaptation and partial mitigation) for the city of Garowe, Puntland, Somalia. SEIPP is dedicated to promoting the socio-economic integration of extremely poor internally displaced persons and residents of host communities in Puntland, Somalia.

If you have any questions about the methodology or are interested in discussing it, please contact Paulina Koschmieder: paulina.koschmieder@giz.de

Climate-positive cities: circular economy and carbon accounting

Posted on by erik

Background

The construction industry is one of the most energy-intensive sectors of the economy and a major contributor to global climate change. It is responsible for up to 40 per cent of global CO2 emissions. However, there are ways to make construction more sustainable and hence more climate-friendly. Municipalities play a key role in initiating and supporting these processes locally.

Two examples of such municipal engagement were in the spotlight of a virtual exchange organised by Connective Cities on 27 February 2024 and were discussed by 18 (municipal) experts from six countries. The event was part of a one-year learning process that began in November 2023 with the international dialogue event “Climate-friendly construction with organic and recycled materials” in Potsdam, Germany.

Lörrach plans Germany’s first timber-built commercial area

Posted on by erik

In 2020 the town of Lörrach purchased the 8.5-hectare Lauffenmühle site which had formerly been home to a textile factory. The purchase was made possible by urban development grants worth €9.1 million from Germany’s federal government and the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Following discussions with the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, the idea arose of creating a timber-built climate-neutral commercial area on the site.

The historic factory buildings on the site and their stone facades are not protected monuments, but the project still plans to repair and retain their basic structure in order to utilise them for new commercial purposes. By doing this, the project hopes that people will be able to identify with the project, particularly in the surrounding areas.

The project can serve as a model for other municipalities in Germany and around the world, providing that entire commercial areas can be built of timber.

For more impressions, take a look at our Good Practice website!

Resilience in Times of War – Municipal Exchange between Ukraine and Germany

Posted on by erik

Discover innovative strategies for rebuilding infrastructure and fostering resilience in Ukrainian municipalities amidst the aftermath of Russian aggression. Join us in exploring the outcomes of the Connective Cities’ Project Planning Workshop, ‘Resilience in Times of War – Municipal Exchange between Ukraine and Germany.’ Held from November 28 to 29, 2023, in Munich, Germany, this workshop brought together over 35 participants, including representatives from 12 Ukrainian municipalities. Through dialogue and experience sharing, attendees delved into key focus areas such as sustainable energy development, local and regional economic growth, and strategic/urban planning. Learn from the insights of esteemed guest speakers and delegates from Kosovo municipalities, as they offer perspectives on German and international municipal experiences, paving the way for collaborative efforts in rebuilding and fortifying Ukrainian communities. 

All presentations can be found here: https://community.connective-cities.net/en/group/215/topics

Lörrach plans Germany’s first timber-built commercial area

Posted on by erik

There is more than enough wood available in the town of Lörrach and its proximity to the Black Forest. The idea was born to build a climate-neutral industrial estate in timber construction on the Lauffenmühle site. To date, there have only been individual commercial buildings constructed from wood in Germany, but no industrial estate with a comparable concept. Parts of the historic factory buildings on the site with their natural stone façades are to be integrated into the new utilisation structure.

Banepa preserves traditional construction methods using bio-based materials

Posted on by erik

The historic town centre of Banepa in Nepal extends along a road for a distance of around 1.2 kilometres. Many of the houses have been in poor condition, making the town less attractive.

This good practice describes how the town of Banepa is restoring its historic centre and a retirement home using traditional construction methods. Bio-based building materials such as wood, bamboo, brick and clay are significantly more sustainable and earthquake-resistant than cement or concrete.

In order to allay the concerns of the local population, the municipality is first refurbishing one building to provide an example of the methods that will be applied to the others. It is working together with the Nepalese RP Foundation, which has over 25 years of experience in the renovation of historical buildings.

This good practice was presented at the Connective Cities dialogue event on climate-friendly construction with organic and recycled materials in Potsdam.

Kufranja ‘the city of Oxygen’

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As part of the activities of the working group “destination management organization and product design in tourism”, Kufranja municipality in Jordan has hosted a workshop on ecotourism and designing touristic trails’. The workshop was attended by key actors in this field including representatives of the tourism ministry in Ajloun governorate, the Royal Society for Nature Conservation, and Bookagri.com which is an agritourism experiences and destinations development company. The tourism expert, Hanane Haber, has provided an overview of the principles of establishing sustainable tourism in Kufranja municipality that is known as “the city of oxygen”.

Building Resilience: Insights from the Project Planning Workshop

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The Connective Cities Project Planning Workshop, themed “Resilience in Times of War – Municipal Exchange between Ukraine and Germany,” unfolded in Munich, Germany, from November 28th to 29th, 2023. This gathering brought together municipal representatives and technical experts with a collective goal – to strengthen a more resilient and sustainable future for Ukraine. The workshop, occurring just a month after the 6th German-Ukrainian Partnership Conference in Leipzig, aimed to emphasize the pivotal role of cities and municipalities in shaping the nation’s post-war trajectory.
 

Diverse Participation and Collaborative Learning

Representatives from diverse Ukrainian municipalities, such as Sambir, Sumy, Brovary, Lutsk, Vinnitsa, Trostyanets, Berenzhany, Zbarazh, Mykolaiv, Melitopol, and Novovolynsk, comprised the active participation of over 35 delegates in the Connective Cities event. Kosovo had representation from Prishtina and Gllogoc, and Germany was represented by Munich and Eichenau. The event also featured participation from municipal utilities Gersthofen & Cologne (RheinEnergie) and delegates from the private sector. The diverse mix aimed at fostering collaborative learning, as cities shared their successes and challenges, recognizing the importance of joint experiences in the journey towards resilience.

Thematic Focus Areas

The workshop delved into three crucial thematic areas:

  1. Regional and Local Economic Development
  2. Renewable Energy Options on the Municipal Level
  3. Integrated Urban Development

Skilled technical experts facilitated discussions on topics ranging from green urban development to energy grid optimization and cluster development, providing valuable insights for participants to implement in their respective municipalities.

Renewable Energy for Local Economic Development in Africa

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The main objective of the workshop is to develop renewable energy projects in African cities.

The workshop was attended by 30 practitioners* from city governments, associations and the private sector representing 7 countries and 20 cities from Africa, as well as high-level guests including the Country Director of GIZ, the Kenyan Ministry of Energy, the head of the Romanian Development Agency (RoAid), the City of Gersthofen from Germany, and officials from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). Representatives from various cities in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Tunisia also contributed to the success of the conference with their presentations of the framework conditions and project examples.

Protecting viticulture and tourism against the impacts of climate change

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In December 2021, the municipalities of Eltville and Tunuyán met online for a professional dialogue, which was also attended by representatives of scientific institutions from both countries. A total of 30 people took part in the event. The two sides decided to work together in the future within a climate partnership, in order to minimise the negative impacts of climate change on wine production and the tourism industry.