The pandemic could mark an important turning point for the future of urban mobility. Municipalities around the world plan to seize the opportunity to reshape this sector towards a more sustainable future. During the virtual dialog event on the impacts of the pandemic and prospects for a post-pandemic future in the urban transport sector, participants focused on the areas of local public transport, cycling and urban logistics. In different workshops, project ideas were developed for the cities of São Paulo, Yerevan, Lalitpur and Buenos Aires.

The objective of "Encosta Verde" is to strengthen the safety situation by reducing the risk of landslides and fires with the participation of local citizens in the municipality of Morro da Boa Vista. A strategy for the establishment of a local participation process was jointly elaborated - from planning and defining goals to forms of communication and methods.

Two examples of the deployment of early warning systems for forest fires from Lebanon and Germany were presented and discussed at the event, which was well attended by 20 municipalities from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia and Germany. It was the kick-off of the Biodiversity and Environmental Protection Working Group of the Connective Cities Network in MENA.

The rapid digitalization process during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the exclusion of large segments of the population who either lack digital literacy skills or do not have access to the hardware to participate. Examples that things can be different were shown in three presentations, all given by women - a good sign that the once purely male-dominated IT industry is slowly opening up, and people of all genders can contribute their innovative ideas.

The virtual session attracted urban practitioners both from within the region and internationally working in local governments, national government, NGOs and the private sector. Highlights of the event included lively discussions on disaster preparedness and response, climate change awareness, policy and legal framework development, and digital solutions.

Close relations between the German town of Osterode am Harz and Kaolack in Senegal date back many years. They include a lively school partnership. Despite the pandemic, the school students stayed in touch and showed with a video project, that much more unites them than divides them.

Contact restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic had a massive impact on schooling in Germany. However, remote teaching has also increased the gap between students with strong learning abilities and those with weak learning abilities. The city of Landshut has introduced the "Assisted Learning" project. It provides an opportunity for children who are overburdened with the challenges of digital learning to catch up on their curriculum and regain a badly needed daily structure.

During South Africa's toughest lockdown, an innovative partnership with the city council, academics, nongovernmental organizations, businesses, and the police led to the establishment of a rehabilitation center in the famous Moses Mabhida Stadium for homeless people with drug problems. The program has transformed the lives of the homeless, who are now involved in meaningful socioeconomic activities in the community.

The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project was launched to provide access to low-cost sanitation and water services, particularly in lower-income communities in the metropolitan region. This has significantly improved the hygiene and health situation for more than 230,000 inhabitants.

They suddenly appeared: Bike lanes separated by yellow markings, replacing parts of the roadway or even the entire lane. Hundreds of kilometers of new bike lanes emerged in cities around the world after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. This session will present insights Bogotá's experience and an overview of the approach of German cities to this topic. The session will also encourage discussions about pop-up bike lanes and their long-term maintenance.

Connective Cities is currently supporting five Jordanian municipalities in developing bankable energy efficiency project proposals. During the event, the Cities and Villages Development Bank (CVDB) in Amman-Jordan will present the different financing modalities for municipal energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.

From an economic perspective, energy efficiency is the most cost-effective means of reducing the energy intensity of the economy and promoting a low-carbon future.  Following the event on financing municipal energy efficiency projects, a virtual project workshop will be held as a follow-up to the dialogue event held virtually in May 2021.The goal is to further develop the project ideas that emerged there.

Approaches and solutions of municipalities and regions in international comparison with regard to the handling of social entrepreneurship projects in urban and regional development are the focus of this three-day expert exchange, which Connective Cites is organizing together with the German state capital Kiel.

It is critical to develop innovative and efficient financing approaches to build climate resilient and low carbon cities. Using peer-to-peer consultation and design thinking as core methodologies, the event aims to provide technical assistance to improve project ideas as well as structured discussions on various challenges related to climate finance opportunities for cities.

Namely, border closure at the beginning of the pandemic, different national regulations and the lack of adequate communication tools made collaboration difficult. The event will focus on international cross-border solidarity between cities in times of crisis: Challenges and opportunities of urban diplomacy will be discussed and good practice examples from different world regions will be presented.