Kisumu, a port city on the shores of Lake Victoria and one of Kenya’s largest cities, is becoming increasingly important for the movement of goods and trade between Kenya and its neighbouring countries, Tanzania and Uganda. With an annual population growth rate of just under 4 per cent, the population has more than doubled in 15 years, rising from around 205,000 in 2001 to at least 422,000 in 2025. This has led to a series of major infrastructure projects, which, however, have primarily focused on motorised transport, even though 53 per cent of residents’ daily journeys are made on foot.
One project under the ‘Kisumu Sustainable Mobility Plan’ is the ‘Walkable Triangle’: the pedestrian-friendly redesign of the three main streets—Oginga Odinga, Ang’awa Ave and Jomo Kenyatta Ave—in a commercial district in the city centre. These streets form a triangle around a sports and park area and are used by over 2,200 pedestrians every day. The aim is to promote non-motorised transport along the 1.5-kilometre stretch, making it safer, more pleasant and accessible, whilst preserving and integrating the existing tree population.
In addition, the city is promoting e-mobility in public transport through a battery-swapping system for motorcycle taxis, known as ‘boda-bodas’, and three-wheeled taxis, known as ‘tuk-tuks’.
The documentation describes the approach as well as the outcomes achieved by this good practice.
International Community of Practice for Sustainable Municipal Development
NEWSLETTER – ISSUE NO. 93, April 2026
Dear Readers,
“The future is not something to be foreseen, but something to be made possible,” wrote Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 1951 in his book The City in the Desert.
Seventy-five years later, this statement has lost none of its relevance. Future viability remains a central objective of our learning processes and professional exchanges in recent weeks. We have engaged in in-depth discussions on how data can be efficiently collected and managed to support well-informed decisions in the transformation of urban mobility.
In light of increasing floods and droughts, we have also launched a two-year Deep Dive on “water-resilient municipalities.” At the same time, in the MENA region, we are advancing urban climate action and improving quality of life through the development of green corridors as part of another learning process. During the kick-off workshop, initial shared priorities were defined, and innovative methods—such as AI-supported visualization—were used to develop concrete future scenarios for climate-resilient and more livable urban spaces.
Sustainable local economic development is also placing a stronger focus on the economic resilience of municipalities. The potential of migrant skilled workers is significant—this became evident through the strong participation and lively discussions during our Insight Session. At the same time, it was clear that this potential can only be unlocked if migrant communities are recognized holistically, with all their needs taken seriously.
A holistic understanding of personal potential will also be a key aspect of our next dialogue event, taking place from 30 June to 2 July 2026 in Bremen, Germany.
Under the title “Start-ups and Innovation: Labour Market Opportunities and Perspectives for Young People,” we warmly invite municipal experts, particularly from the fields of economic development, labour and social affairs, and youth work.
We wish you an inspiring read! Your Connective Cities Team
REVIEW
Shaping Mobility on a Sound Basis: Decisions Based on Reliable Information
Inspiration from the Professional Exchange on Mobility Data Management
What does it take to make mobility in our municipalities more sustainable? New technologies? More funding? The will of the citizens? One answer: We need reliable information to make informed decisions that can bring about targeted changes.
At the end of March, the participants of the learning process “Sustainable mobility
– Combination of future-proof mobility forms” took the opportunity to discuss the topic of mobility data management. During the online exchange, a total of 5 municipalities presented concrete aspects of their mobility data management as a basis for transportation planning decisions.
Launch of our two-year international learning process “Deep Dive”
Many major cities are already experiencing severe water stress, and the global demand for water could significantly exceed the available supply by 2030. Water scarcity has long been an obstacle to development for countries in the Global South, but in the future, all regions worldwide will have to adapt to fluctuating water availability and growing conflicts over its use. Water is set to become the defining strategic resource of the 21st century. As part of our ‘Deep Dive’ on the topic of ‘Water-Resilient Municipalities’, we are bringing together experts from eight municipalities in Benin, Germany, Kenya, India, Serbia and Sri Lanka. Over a two-year period, they will discuss innovative approaches and develop and implement locally tailored solutions to their respective challenges.
Greater Climate Protection and Quality of Life: Green Corridors in the MENA Region
Launch of the learning process “Green corridors in the city and its surroundings”
The kick-off served as technical and methodological introduction to the learning process. The aim was to set initial thematic priorities, to make municipal challenges visible and to create a common basis for further cooperation. A central element of the kick-off was the joint AI visualization exercise on green corridors and green neighborhoods. Based on images from urban contexts in the participating cities, spatial development future scenarios for climate-resilient, greener and more usable urban spaces were developed – also serving as a methodological tool to stimulate discussions on the feasibility of green corridors. The discussions were enriched by practical examples from German and Egyptian cities.
Skilled Immigration and Migrant Entrepreneurship for Local Economic Development
Connective Cities Insight Session: The Role of Municipalities at the Intersection of Migration and Urban Economic Promotion
Migration policy may be a national matter – however, its success or failure is also determined at the local level. Driven by this conviction, around 50 local government professionals came together for a virtual Insight Session organised by Connective Cities. Skilled immigration offers great potential for all parties – provided the conditions are fair. Migrant entrepreneurship is also of interest, since it in turn creates jobs. Practical approaches and lively discussion during the Insight Session clearly demonstrated that local governments can play a crucial role in helping the economic potential of migration to be realized at the local level.
Startups and Innovation: Labour Market Opportunities and Prospects for Young People
Call for Participation for Municipal Experts to a Dialogue Event from 30 June to 2 July 2026 in Bremen
Do you support the startup scene in your municipality? What opportunities do you offer young people in the job market? What challenges do you face in your work? The city of Bremen is already well-connected on this topic—including internationally. Now, in cooperation with Connective Cities, the city invites you to join five other German and six international municipalities in Bremen to exchange expertise on startup initiatives and incubators, as well as municipal incentives and support programs for startups and new businesses.
We look forward to the participation of two experts from your municipality, particularly from the fields of economic development, labour and social affairs, or youth work.
Engagement Global gGmbH
Service Agency Communities in One World
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 40, 53113 Bonn | Deutschland
Contact: Sibylle Loyeau
Email: sibylle.loyeau@engagement-global.de
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 32 + 36, 53113 Bonn | Deutschland
Contact: Ricarda Meissner
Email: ricarda.meissner@giz.de
On April 7, 2026, the new Connective Cities learning process on “Green Corridors in the city and its surroundings” was officially launched. The event was organised by Connective Cities in cooperation with the GIZ project Capacity Building through Urban Infrastructure Development (CBUID II) and was offered simultaneously in Arabic, French and English
The workshop was attended by around 70 representatives from eight countries: Algeria, Egypt, Germany, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia. Municipalities and partner institutions from the MENA region as well as the German city of Erlangen were represented. In addition to the official participants of the learning process, an extended circle of municipal representatives was further involved in the virtual exchange.
The kick-off served as technical and methodological introduction to the learning process. The aim was to set initial thematic priorities, to make municipal challenges visible and to create a common basis for further cooperation. At the same time, the event served to prepare the next steps in the process, in particular the in-depth phase and the planned face-to-face conference in Egypt.
AI-supported Visualization as Innovative Tool for Urban Planning
A central element of the kick-off was the joint AI visualization exercise on green corridors and green neighborhoods, implemented via the CoPlan AI platform. Based on images from urban contexts in the participating cities, spatial development future scenarios for climate-resilient, greener and more usable urban spaces were developed.
Around 550 images were produced as part of the exercise. The visualisation served not only to illustrate spatial changes, but also as a methodological tool to stimulate discussion about the feasibility of green corridors. In this sense, the exercise proved to be a suitable introduction for bringing together perspectives from administration, planning and local government practice.
Key Workshop Findings
The kick-off showed that green corridors and green neighborhoods in the participating cities are envisioned predominantly in urban districts and less in the cities’ surroundings. The focus is accordingly not on planning in undeveloped areas, but on the gradual further development of existing urban spaces in which housing, mobility, public use and social functions are already closely intertwined.
In that sense, it also became clear that green corridors have to fulfil several functions at the same time. They contribute to climate adaptation, for example through shading, cooling, better air circulation and water absorption. But they also contribute to the upgrading of public spaces by improving the quality of life and encounters within the city. Especially in dense neighborhoods, green corridors must therefore always be considered as social spaces of mobility and connection.
Another central aspect was the importance of participation and local acceptance. Since identified spaces are usually already intensively used, the involvement of the population is an essential prerequisite for successful implementation. This applies to the usability for distinct groups such as children, families and residents as well as the question of how green measures can be integrated into the everyday urban life.
Contribution from the Urban Development Fund (UDF)
The Urban Development Fund (UDF) underlined the importance of institutional approaches for integrated and climate-resilient urban development in Egypt. The examples presented showed how strategic urban development, upgrading of existing districts, heat reduction and public space can be more closely linked. The UDF thus not only contributed concrete experience from Egyptian practice, but also an important perspective on scaling, institutional anchoring and long-term implementation capability.
Contribution of the City of Erlangen
The city of Erlangen’s contribution illustrated that green corridors must be implemented in conjunction with traffic, accessibility and conflicts over the use of urban space. In their presentation of the local project ‘From two quarters to one campus’, Erlangen representatives demonstrated how a green boulevard, tram, bicycle, pedestrian and motorised traffic, and an existing pedestrian bridge could be brought together within one coherent planning task. Thus, the contribution from Erlangen provided important impetus for an integrated planning approach to green corridors.
Example Cities and Good Practices
During the kick-off, several municipal and institutional examples were presented that are of particular relevance for the further learning process:
Erlangen (Germany): integrated planning approach to green corridors in existing urban space, with a focus on Green Boulevard, multimodal mobility, land use and conflicts of use.
Aswan (Egypt): Development of the Heat Action Plan for El-Sail Elgadid, including cooling stations, shaded recreation areas and specific offers for children and women.
Port Said (Egypt): Approaches to climate-adapted urban development and the upgrading of urban spaces under the specific climatic conditions of a Mediterranean city.
Telal Al-Fustat Park, Cairo (Egypt): large-scale greening approach in historic Cairo with positive effects on cooling, air quality and biodiversity.
Reviving Historical Cairo (Egypt): Upgrading historic urban areas as a combination of urban renewal, public space and historical identity.
Al-Asmarat (Egypt): Participatory upgrading of public spaces in the residential environment as an example of the linking of green and social functions in existing neighbourhoods.
Outlook
Some of the participants at the launch event
The digital kick-off has created a reliable technical basis for the next steps of the MENA learning process. It became clear that the added value of the format lies particularly in synergy effects betweenconcrete municipal examples, institutional perspectives, inter-municipal exchange and visual methods. In the coming phases, the identified topics will be further deepened, approaches between the cities will be further developed and jointly concretized during both online and face-to-face exchanges.
Connective Cities Newsletter – Issue No. 91, January 2026
International Community of Practice for Sustainable Municipal Development
NEWSLETTER – ISSUE NO. 91, January 2026
Dear readers,
'If you stand with both feet firmly on the ground you won’t be able to move forward.'
That is why, in this issue, we would like to inspire you to embark on a slightly visionary journey – without fully leaving the ground of practice. We present innovative project ideas and sustainable approaches that were developed in our exchange formats together with municipal experts. Above all, we would like to invite you to participate in the learning processes we are planning for this year.
Our Insight Session “AI for Municipalities” with examples from Jakarta and Hamburg received strong resonance. Our one-year learning process “2nd Hands on Public Buildings” also impressively demonstrated the potential of the paradigm shift: away from rapid demolition and toward sustainable reuse and conversion of buildings.
Last year ended with our annual network meeting, where we not only looked back on what we had achieved, but also introduced new topic suggestions for 2026.
A new one-year learning process on the topic of “Sustainable Mobility – Interaction of Future-Proof Forms of Mobility” has already been launched with 20 municipalities from eleven countries and has highlighted many transferable approaches and projects.
More will follow shortly: In the regional learning process in Sub-Saharan Africa entitled “Nature at the heart of municipal resilience,” we invite you to further develop nature-based solutions to combat the effects of climate change. In addition, there is the opportunity to participate in the regional learning process in Southeast Europe/Caucasus on the topic of “Protecting critical infrastructure through risk-informed development.”
Together we can move forward! Your Connective Cities Team
REVIEW
Connective Cities Network Meeting 2025
Get-together of active German stakeholders on 9 and 10 December 2025 sets the course for the new year
Getting updated, sharing insights into the topics that are relevant on the local level, and fostering exchange—that is what the annual Connective Cities network meeting for active German stakeholders is all about. This year, around 30 participants made their way to Bonn to discuss achievements and visions for the future.
Virtual Ad-Hoc-Session on 2 December 2025 including good practices from Jakarta and Hamburg points out the opportunities and challenges
Improving citizen services, speeding up routine tasks, and freeing up human resources for other tasks – this is what local authorities hope to achieve with artificial intelligence in administration. The topic is an important one and interest was high: The event recorded over 100 registrations, with nearly 60 participants joining online – from cities such as Lusaka (Zambia), Stuttgart, Mombasa (Kenya), Berlin, and Iserlohn. Concrete examples were used to demonstrate how AI can perform simple tasks and reduce the administrative burden. However, data protection and ethical issues must not be disregarded.
Reuse Instead of Demolition: 2nd Hands on Public Buildings
The learning process ‘Reuse of modern public buildings from the 1960s and 1970s’
For over a year, more than 30 experts from six countries worked as part of Connective Cities‘ learning process ‘2nd Hands on Public Buildings. Repurposing Modernist Public Buildings from the 1960s and 1970s ’ on solutions for aging public buildings from the 1960s and 1970s. They deepened their knowledge, learned about potential solutions from external experts and shared their experiences, approaches and ideas to inspire each other. The innovative projects demonstrate the impressive potential of the paradigm shift away from rapid demolition and towards well-considered reuse and conversion.
Sustainable mobility – Combining future-proof mobility forms
Connective Cities dialogue event and the start of a new learning process
38 experts from 20 municipalities in 11 countries accepted Connective Cities‘ invitation to Bonn, where they discussed their innovative project approaches with colleagues and collaborated on new implementation ideas. Represented were small municipalities such as Lahntal with around 7,200 inhabitants, rural districts, and metropolises with millions of inhabitants, such as Rio de Janeiro and Munich. The innovative approaches were equally diverse. The international exchange of experiences provides motivation at a time when sustainability issues are under increasing political pressure. The challenges are surprisingly similar, and solutions are often transferable.
Invitation to the learning process on Nature-based Solutions
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.The one-year Learning Process will convene municipal practitioners, technical experts, and policymakers through three in-person workshops and continuous virtual collaboration. The application deadline is 7 February 2026. Become part of the process!
Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure through Risk-Informed Urban Development
Call for participation in the learning process on planning for urban resilience in Southeastern Europe/South Caucasus
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 focus lies on integrated planning, multi-risk governance and the development of implementable project approaches to protect and strengthen critical infrastructure. The application deadline is 28 February 2026. Become part of the process!
Engagement Global gGmbH Service Agency Communities in One World Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 40, 53113 Bonn | Deutschland Kontakt: Sibylle Loyeau Email: sibylle.loyeau@engagement-global.de
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 32 + 36, 53113 Bonn | Deutschland Kontakt: Ricarda Meissner Email: ricarda.meissner@giz.de
International Community of Practice for Sustainable Municipal Development
NEWSLETTER – ISSUE NO. 90, December 2025
Dear readers,
‘Only nature can teach us creation, can teach us creativity. Our true illiteracy is the inability to be creative,’ wrote artist, painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1983 in his manuscript ‘Concrete Utopias for the Green City’.
Inspired by this quote, in this issue we look back at a dialogue event in Bonn, where creative minds came together to innovatively combine various forms of CO₂-free mobility. It also marks the start of a new learning process on the topic, which we will continue in 2026.
We provide insights into how cities in Germany and sub-Saharan Africa are converting and expanding their infrastructure for green hydrogen, thereby boosting the local economy.
Taking nature as our model, we invite your municipality to participate in our two-year learning process, exploring the most creative options for protection against drought and heavy rainfall. We would also like to cordially invite you to join our learning process on ‘Green Corridors in Germany and the MENA Region’.
Connective Cities is also starting the new year with three additional strong partners. We will briefly introduce them and outline the topics that we would like to explore in greater depth together with you.
We wish you happy holidays and a good start to the new year.
Sincerely Your Connective Cities Team
REVIEW
Combination of future-proof mobility forms
Kick-Off of the New Learning Process on Sustainable Mobility in Bonn
From 25 to 27 November, Connective Cities hosted a dialogue event in Bonn. 38 experts from 20 municipalities in 11 countries followed the invitation to share their innovative project approaches with colleagues and collaborate on new implementation ideas. Small municipalities such as Schlangen in the Teutoburg Forest, with a population of around 9,000, were represented, as well as metropolises with millions of inhabitants, such as Rio de Janeiro and Munich. The innovative approaches were equally diverse.
Unlocking the potential of new technologies at the local level
Green hydrogen is rapidly gaining global prominence as a crucial energy carrier for the future. For many African countries, abundant solar and wind resources give cities a unique advantage, positioning them not only as innovation hubs but also as centers for technology transfer, workforce training, and industrial diversification. By integrating sustainable use of green hydrogen into urban planning, municipalities can enhance energy security, attract long-term investment, and build more resilient, climate-friendly local economies—ultimately becoming key drivers in the global clean-energy transition.
Water resilience – Municipalities strengthen themselves against drought and heavy rainfall events
Call for participants: Connective Cities Deep Dive – a two-year learning process with a kick-off event in Germany in March 2026
Local authorities are facing challenges due to climate change and soil sealing, with more frequent droughts, heavy rainfall and flooding. In Germany and the Global South, innovative solutions are currently being promoted and rapidly tested. Connective Cities is therefore offering an in-depth learning process on this topical and highly relevant issue, and we warmly invite interested local authorities to participate.
Invitation to the Kickoff Workshop, 7–9 April 2026 (TBC), Egypt
Green corridors improve urban microclimates, enhance public spaces, and support municipalities in adapting to climate change. In the new one-year Connective Cities Learning Process MENA, professionals from Germany and the MENA region will jointly develop practical, co-creative and actionable solutions for green corridors in their local contexts. We warmly invite you to join the kickoff workshop and contribute your project idea or challenge to the learning process.
Stronger Together: The New Partners of Connective Cities
The German County Association, the German Association of Towns and Municipalities and the Association of Public Utilities are now part of the Steering Committee
More municipal voices, more exchange, more joint creative power – Connective Cities is entering the next phase with an expanded group of partners. We introduce our partners and outline the thematic priorities for the coming year. Take a look!
Engagement Global gGmbH
Service Agency Communities in One World
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 40, 53113 Bonn | Deutschland
Kontakt: Sibylle Loyeau
Email: sibylle.loyeau@engagement-global.de
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 32 + 36, 53113 Bonn | Deutschland
Kontakt: Ricarda Meissner
Email: ricarda.meissner@giz.de
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.
A new district for administration, housing, social affairs and culture is being built on the large site of the former administrative building for the Federal Statistical Office – Haus der Statistik – in the center of Berlin. A civil society initiative had prevented the demolition of the existing building from the 1960s and, together with the administration and other stakeholders, developed the concept for the conversion – a beacon for alternative approaches to urban development.
Are you an expert in the interim use of buildings? If so, we would be delighted to welcome you to a Connective Cities expert meeting, where participants in the Connective Cities learning process ‘2nd Hands on Public Buildings’ will learn about the work of ZwischenZeitZentrale Bremen and Transiträume Berlin e.V. and discuss examples of their projects with experts in this field. The exchange of expertise will take place online on March 12, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. via WebEx (alternative date as the meeting in February was cancelled).
For ecological and, increasingly, economic reasons, the reuse or conversion of buildings from the 1960s and 1970s is of interest to municipalities and their building stock. The Connective Cities dialogue event in cooperation with the Berlin Senate Department for Urban Development, Building and Housing from 24 to 27 September 2024 was dedicated to this paradigm shift. Around 30 municipal experts from Germany, Kenya, Montenegro, the Palestinian Territories, Zambia and Ukraine exchanged views on solutions and challenges for the sustainable reuse of public buildings and jointly developed project ideas. The ongoing one-year learning process of Connective Cities on the reuse and repurposing of modernist buildings offers further insights into the topics discussed in Berlin and the opportunity to develop concrete solutions through exchange and study tours. On March 12, 2025, we will focus on the topic of ‘interim use’, which arose during the event, particularly for participants from Nairobi. All objects and project examples provided by the participants can be found in this publication.
The Deep Dive celebrated another milestone in the two year long process, with the latest workshop being held in Aswan – Egypt from 21st to 23rd January 2025. The workshop marked the transition from the phase of piloting of solutions towards optimization and upscaling. Participants representing the cities of Nairobi, Aswan, Mombasa, Lüdenscheid, Heidelberg and Lviv (virtually) discussed the results of implementing their pilots. Additionally, participants had the opportunity to learn about projects and initiatives implemented in Aswan governorate that are relevant to sustainable urban development and urban climate action.
Program
The workshop activities were carried out over three days, and included peer advisory activities, presentations and a technical input from Prof. Jürgen Kropp from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in addition to an excursion in Aswan. A series of peer-to-peer exchanges between the participants who are working in different local conditions was facilitated. During the first day, the participants discussed their key learnings from the implementation of their pilots and elaborated on the measures taken to ensure co-creation with relevant stakeholders and the sustainability of the pilots’ results. Furthermore, a keynote from the deputy governor of Aswan, Mr. Amr Lashin, shed light on efforts to transition towards human-centric urban development in the governorate. The introduction also included a presentation from UDF’s general manager for international cooperation and community participation, Dr. Marwa Soliman, which delved into the role of the Urban Development Fund (UDF) and its numerous projects on integrated urban development and urban climate action.
This was followed on the second day by a series of exercises that guided the participants into identifying areas for optimization in their pilots and methods for upscaling including 1) standardization of design and replication, 2)planning incremental upscaling, 3) financial and human resources allocation, 4) redefining the anticipated risks given the wider scale of implementation, and 5) monitoring of progress including the definition of key performance indicators.
The final day incorporated a session on reflections from the participants on their experiences throughout the implemented stages of the Deep Dive in addition to a hybrid session with Prof. Kropp, who addressed their questions on various technical topics including 1) using artificial intelligence in climate research and devising of solutions, 2) channeling climate finance to implement measures for mitigation of urban heat, 3) existing affordable solutions that are of high impact, 4) cities and local governments position in international climate talks such as the COP29, and 5) building climate-resilient health systems. These topics will be the focus of a series of virtual sessions that will be held in the upcoming months with Prof. Kropp and PIK.
Under the notion ‘initiate change from home: locally, together, and now’, WUF12 was convened in Cairo- Egypt on 4 – 8 November 2024. Connective Cities and its network members have organized and participated in several activities with various thematic focus areas.
As a thriving knowledge-sharing network, Connective Cities was showcased during an intellectual panel that included representatives of the Guangzhou Institute for Urban Innovation, VNG International, the Arab Urban Development Institute, and Metropolis. The discussion delved into examples of utilizing digital tools and innovative approaches for growth and collaborative knowledge-sharing to advance inclusive and resilient urban development on a global scale.
