Due to the constant emergency situation in the Palestinian Territories, coupled with the negative impact of the Corona pandemic, crisis management planning especially at the municipal level is perceived as a high priority. Therefore, ten Palestinian Municipalities have come together in three working groups to work out solutions for their common crisis management challenges.

Twenty participants from seven countries shared their experiences and advised each other on how to address current challenges in municipal waste management, and how to incorporate lessons learned from the Covid-19 crisis into long-term operations. All participants agreed that a shift to a circular economy is essential for the future.

Cities around the world have recognized the global challenges of climate change and many of them have committed to climate neutrality. To accomplish this goal, more ambitious and integrated climate targets for 2030 and 2050 are needed. On 2 November 2021, Connective Cities and the Association of German Cities organised a panel discussion on this topic with local and national representatives in the German Pavilion at COP26 in Glasgow.

During the three-day dialogue event Sustainable and resilient, regional and intermunicipal land management in November 2020, one of the project ideas that arose was to support the Municipality of Greater Amman in preparing a land use plan for a still largely undeveloped area in the north-east of Amman. Since the area has now been analysed in more detail, a virtual dialogue between Jordanian and German experts was initiated on 10 November 2021.

The planning workshop represented a follow-up to the learning process that started with the dialogue event in May 2021. The aim of the workshop was to help the municipalities fine-tune their project ideas and develop them into promising project proposals. Representatives of development banks advised participants on the conditions and options for obtaining loans.

During this three-part workshop series, initial project ideas were further developed into concrete project proposals. The topics ranged from the preservation of biodiversity and cultural heritage in the community of eThekwini, South Africa, to an integrated land management system for the municipality of Livingstone, Zambia, and the renaturation of Lake Baleng with recreation areas in the community of Bafoussam in Cameroon.

The Jordanian Municipality of Irbid aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030. To achieve this goal, the municipality has embarked on several initiatives, particularly in the transportation sector. On October 6, a virtual expert mission was conducted to present the smart mobility solutions of MobiData BW (Mobility and Data Services for Baden-Württemberg) to professionals from Irbid.

In order to advance sustainable climate protection and adaptation measures in cities, it is essential to develop innovative and efficient financing approaches. The dialogue event organised by Connective Cities and the GIZ working group TURBOCLIC (Transformation – Urban Opportunities – Climate Change) therefore focused on funding advice, using the example of six project proposals in the fields of waste management, low-carbon public transport and the renaturation of green spaces and lakes.

The Green Infrastructure Master Plan of Mexico City tries to mitigate the effects of climate change and aims to create a more sustainable and resilient city. The Master Plan consists of several programmes and projects, e.g., a river restoration programme and the Green Challenge.

The Connective Cities Lab - an online programme for urban practitioners and municipal experts - has created an international exchange between 85 municipalities from 57 different countries around the world to support the development of solutions and prototypes through ten Capacity Strengthening Capsules, three Designing Thinking Workshops, financial advisory services and a Hackathon.

This peer learning note summarises good practices of the cities that participated in the Connective Cities virtual dialogue event in July 2021. This exchange was organised in cooperation with United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), UN-Habitat and the City of Wiesbaden. The focus of this publication is on public transport, cycling and sustainable urban logistics.

Wiesbaden has developed an ambitious concept to make urban logistics more sustainable. Based on a city council resolution, a three-step plan was launched that includes the designation of delivery zones, zero-emission shipping and the restructuring of delivery services.

To better meet the challenges of the Corona pandemic and climate change, experts at the municipal level intensified their cooperation. Our networks expanded, project proposals became more concrete, working groups more agile and some "champion municipalities" themselves contribute a great deal to advancing the networks further. Time to pause for a moment, look back and dare to look forward to the future.