"Every year, another 60 million more people become city dwellers. In ­developing countries this means mostly unplanned urban growth. German development agencies have launched a new website for municipal governments to share experience internationally.

City authorities face many challenges. They need to build adequate infrastructure (housing, transport, water, sanitation, power supply et cetera), and they have to attract private-sector investments to generate jobs. Some cities are more successful than others, so it would make sense for the less successful ones to learn from the more successful ones. Relevant information, however, is not always easily available.

Things will improve. In cooperation with the Association of German Cities (Deutscher Städtetag), two German development agencies – GIZ and Engagement Global – have launched a new website called Connective Cities in June. The aim is to network urban actors from politics and administration, industry, science and civil society at an international level in order to spread information about good solutions to pressing problems. [...]"