NEWSLETTER – Edition No. 83, April 2025
Dear readers,
“Municipal partnership and cooperation”, ‘innovation’, ‘scientific monitoring’ and ‘civil society engagement’ are the ingredients for the recipes for success of recent and planned Connective Cites events and learning processes.
We look back at a workshop on heritage-based tourism strategies in the MENA region, where the transformative power of decentralized cooperation plays an important role.
We provide insights into the beginning of a learning process in which cities in West Africa jointly develop and implement project ideas to better protect themselves from climate-related severe weather events.
We will also show how, based on a civil society initiative, the building and large grounds of the “Haus der Statistik” in Berlin are now being transformed into a new multi-modal form of use.
We would also like to cordially invite you to our new events: Together with experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, we will be discussing cost-efficient mitigation strategies for heat in the city and how AI can be used for climate protection and innovation in two virtual events. Digitalization also plays a central role in another event on waste management. Good practices from Germany and the MENA region will be presented.
Voluntary Subnational Reviews (VSR) can be an important lever for achieving the sustainability goals. We are discussing with German and South African city associations and cities how these VSRs can also act as a link between the municipal and national levels.
We would also like to invite you to our final event of our learning process on the municipal energy transition in Southeast Europe in Montenegro. In a three-day workshop, project ideas will be further developed until they are ready for implementation.
We wish you inspiring reading!
Your Connective Cities Team
Review
Celebrating Decentralized Cooperation and Heritage-Driven Tourism
Insight Session on building trust and forging partnerships for sustainable urban development
On 20 March, to mark the International Day of Happiness, Connective Cities hosted an insightful session highlighting the transformative power of decentralised collaboration in promoting sustainable development. Participants gained valuable insights into successful tourism strategies implemented in different communities and were inspired by how partnerships can be used to achieve local and global impact.
Insights
Driving urban resilience forward
Cities across West Africa unite for peer learning and financing solutions
It is predicted that climate-related disasters in West Africa will cost up to three per cent of regional GDP annually by 2030. Coupled with rapid urban growth and the increasing pressure on infrastructure that comes with it, cities in the region are at the forefront of the climate crisis. In response, the workshop focussed on one fundamental principle: cities learn best from other cities.
The Haus der Statistik in Berlin, Germany
Renovation is more sustainable than demolition
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.
Outlook
Deep Dive: Heat in the city
Two of the three-part series of learning capsules on 24 April and 6 Mai 2025, 10:30-11:30 (CEST)
How can cities adapt to increasing urban heat? Explore practical strategies to monitor, mitigate and adapt to heat in urban areas together with experts from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK):
- Cost-effective mitigation strategies (24 April)
- AI for climate protection and innovation (6 May)
Expert exchange on the Voluntary Subnational Review
Online meeting – 7 May 2025 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm (CEST)
The aggregation of regional data on municipal development provides a country with a detailed overview of the implementation of the SDGs. During the expert exchange, representatives from South Africa and Germany will present the preparation of their Voluntary Subnational Reviews. Following the presentations, we will open the floor for a broader discussion on the VLR and VSR.
Waste management and digitalisation
Virtual event on the use of digital tools in waste management on 27 May 2025 from 09:30 to 11:30 (CEST)
The amount of waste is growing worldwide due to increasing urbanisation, consumer patterns and industrial production. The digitalisation of the waste sector offers many ways to optimise the processes of waste collection, recycling and reuse. Municipal and regional stakeholders profit from technologic advantages, ranging from automatized waste disposal facilities over intelligent bins to AI supported data analysis – or trainings of the (globally often informal) workforce. The cooperation of public and private stakeholders, such as IT start-ups, can create mutual benefits.
Renewable energy options at the local level
Connective Cities final event on the municipal energy transition in Southeast Europe from 16 to 18 June 2025 in Podgorica, Montenegro
Together, we will take a practical look at specific project ideas from the South East Europe/Caucasus region, discuss success factors for their implementation and promote the international exchange of experience. The aim of the event is to strengthen the dialogue between municipalities, financial institutions and experts, to make good practices visible and to further develop concrete, implementable project ideas.
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