Connective Cities: Newsletter Connective Cities No. 78, 11-2024

NEWSLETTER - Editon No. 78, November 2024

Dear readers,

‘Architecture should always be an expression of its time and environment, but strive for timelessness,’ Frank Gehry once said. The Canadian architect is known, among other things, for the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

In line with this motto, in this issue we are looking at the redesign of public spaces and buildings with the aim of repurposing them for contemporary social and climate-friendly use.

To mark the 10th anniversary of Connective Cites, we show how the learning processes initiated have a concrete impact: How the Ukrainian town of Vinnytsia is unwaveringly pursuing the goal of renaturalising rivers and streams despite the Russian war of aggression; and how the ‘Lovćenski Partizanski Odred’ primary school in Cetinje, Montenegro, is being fundamentally modernised and renovated to make it more energy-efficient.

We had the opportunity to present our cooperation formats at the World Urban Forum in Cairo and discussed the ‘Transformative power of public spaces in Arab cities’ and climate protection in accompanying events as part of the Cairo Climate Talks at the Goethe-Institut.

We will also take a look at the initial results of the learning process that began in September for the ‘Re-use of public buildings from the 1960s and 1970s’ and on 11 December we will take stock of our experiences to date on ‘Climate-friendly construction with bio-based and recyclable materials’.

We wish you a technically inspiring read

Your Connective Cities Team

10 Years Connective Cities

Vinnytsia: Turning polluted streams into green-blue corridors

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary, part V of the activities and impact of Connec-tive Cities

64 small rivers or streams flow through the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia, located 260 kilometres southwest of Kyiv, with a population of around 370,000. The potential of the rivers has long been underestimated. When the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia took part in the Connective Cities learning process on climate change-adapted urban development from 2019 to 2021, the world was still a different place. The Russian war of aggression is currently tying up most resources. However, the renaturalisation of small rivers remains an important project for the sustainable future of the city.

Modernisation of the ‘Lovćenski Partizanski Odred’ primary school

Energy efficiency and infrastructure improvements in Cetinje, Montenegro

The ‘Lovćenski Partizanski Odred’ primary school in Cetinje, Montenegro, has been a cornerstone of education in the municipality since 2004 with 600 pupils. Marija Mrvaljević, the city's chief architect, and Marija Proročić, secretary for spatial planning and environmental protection, exchanged views on the school's project concept with other experts during the Connective Cities learning process in Tbilisi, Georgia, in October 2023. They gained insights and technical expertise from other European cities that are now significantly influencing the renovation work.

Review

Connective Cities at WUF12

Knowledge exchange, the transformative power of public spaces and local climate protection

Connective Cities was presented as a flourishing network for knowledge exchange during a panel discussion at the World Urban Forum. The ‘Transformative power of public spaces in Arab cities’ was the focus of another well-attended event. The Cairo Climate Talks at the Goethe-Institut rounded off the Connective Cities programme.

First steps towards the reuse of public buildings from the 1960s and 1970s

Online workshop shows how planning for the subsequent use of buildings should start.

The Connective Cities ‘2nd Hands on Public Buildings’ learning process began in September 2024. Just four weeks after the dialogue event, some of the stakeholders had already started to flesh out the project ideas they had presented in Berlin. They met again virtually to discuss the first steps in the planning of conversions. In addition, a practical example of the conversion of a multi-storey car park provided valuable insights.

Outlook

Summary and Outlook of the learning process 'Climate-friendly construction with bio-based and recyclable materials'

On 11 December 2024, participants will take stock of the learning process and look to the future together.

The dialogue event in Potsdam at the end of 2023 was followed by two follow-up events made possible by Connective Cities. Among other things, a small delegation will travel to Nepal in October to learn more about modular components. On 11 December, participants will come together to reflect on the elements of the learning process and report on their personal next steps towards climate-friendly construction.

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