Connective Cities

International Community of Practice for Sustainable Urban Development

From Project Ideas to Change Processes

Our network provides participants the opportunity to exchange experiences and challenges in structured learning processes and connect with professionals from different world regions.

Formats

The exchange within the network occurs in various formats:

  •  Network events for municipal practitioners to share experiences
  • Workshops to develop solutions, strategies, and projects
  •  Virtual formats such as webinars for flexible collaboration
  •  Dispatching municipal experts for city-to-city exchange

Our concept for regional networks

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Our Focus Regions


Connective Cities is a global platform for sustainable urban development that collaborates with municipal actors, networks, and associations. The focus is on Germany, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Southeast Europe and the Caucasus to promote innovative solutions through exchange and advice.

Germany

German urban development professionals share their knowledge, benefit from global good practices, and strengthen their international network.

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Sub-Saharan Africa

Promoting sustainable urban development, local economic strength, and climate adaptation through practical exchanges and innovative solutions.

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Middle East and North Africa

Dynamic collaborations, promoting innovation and growth among network members, with visible influence on the localization of SDGs and the strengthening of members' expertise.

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Southeast Europe and the Caucasus

Municipalities and professionals are developing solutions for renewable energy, climate adaptation, and resilience to make cities future-proof.

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Weitere Regionen

Weitere Region Lateinamerika

Latin America

Our goal: Climate-friendly and climate-resilient urban development: Project planning of municipal adaptation measures in Latin American cities.

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Weitere Region Asien

Asia

Our goal: 'Green Urban Infrastructure' for a world region with the highest urbanization rates.

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International learning process

Deep Dive

Deep Dive

Heat in the City

Six cities – Lüdenscheid and Heidelberg (Germany), Aswan (Egypt), Nairobi and Mombasa (Kenya), and Lviv (Ukraine) – are collaborating from mid-2023 to 2025 as part of the "Heat in the City" learning process.

Lokale Wirtschaftsentwicklung

They are analyzing the effects of heatwaves and urban heat islands in their cities and developing tailored solutions for their local contexts. The goal is to promote urban adaptation to the challenges of climate change.

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Voice from the Region


lea_schnippering_Zitat_Netzwerke

The expertise of stakeholders from regions that have already been dealing with the phenomenon of urban heat islands and related adaptation measures for decades is particularly important in this multilateral exchange. (...) The peer-learning approach opens up new perspectives and has significantly contributed to optimizing and advancing our planning process during the ongoing project.

Lea Schnippering

Climate and Environmental Protection Department, City of Lüdenscheid, Germany

Gabi_Schock_Vorsitzende des Ausschusses für kommunale Entwicklungs-zusammenarbeit der Deutschen Sektion des Rates der Gemeinden und Regionen Europas (RGRE).

Many African cities have been in crisis mode since the 1980s: whether it's climate change, pandemics, loss of biodiversity, or water scarcity. In terms of crisis experience and digitalization, they are ahead of us. They are looking for true partners for cooperation. In Connective Cities, there's an opportunity to collaborate in municipal partnerships and projects and extend a helping hand.

Gabi Schock

Chair of the Committee for Municipal Development Cooperation of the German Section of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (RGRE).

Husam Shweiki Stadtverwaltung Hebron, Westjordanland

Connective Cities inspires us to think beyond our municipal work. Although we focused on specific areas in our work, the Connective Cities network enabled us to broaden our horizons, especially since the examples presented are from cities that are facing similar situations to ours.

Husam Shweiki

City Administration of Hebron, West Bank

Program Director, Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, Association of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia

The workshops of Connective Cities, which consisted of peer learning and practical work on concrete projects, helped me gain insights into the possibilities for renewable energy at the decentralized level. I also learned how we can develop new models that are tailored to the needs of our citizens. And we learned how we can actually get these models adopted and implemented.

Miodrag Gluščević

Program Director, Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, Association of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia

Mumuni Tijani_Leiter der Abteilung Raumplanung, Ablekuma Central Municipal District, Accra, Ghana

Flooding is a serious issue for Accra, leading to significant losses of life, property, and infrastructure. The Connective Cities learning process on risk-aware urban development came at the right time. As a participant from the Ablekuma Central General Assembly, I was able to learn practical strategies and tools to address these challenges and develop a deeper understanding of resilience. (...) The discussions on Risk Drivers, Nature-based Solutions, and Communication helped me view the issue from different perspectives and strengthened my professional confidence, which also positively impacted the lives of many people.

Mumuni Tijani

Head of the Urban Planning Department, Ablekuma Central Municipal District, Accra, Ghana