Dear readers,
The Omicron variant has brought the COVID-19 pandemic into a new phase. Although infection numbers are still high worldwide, hospitalization rates are declining. In this issue we continue to focus our attention on good practices and learning experiences gained during the pandemic that are now leading improvements in many areas of sustainable urban development - from tactical urbanism to expanding cycling infrastructure to integrated GIS-based land use planning; from improving waste management and circular economy to implementing urban gardening projects and supporting vulnerable groups.
Yesterday was Equal Pay Day in Germany, which symbolically draws attention to the wage gap between women and men. In Germany, the pay gap is 18%, which puts the country at the bottom of the European rankings. Today is International Women's Day, but unfortunately, we realise that the pandemic has set many countries back in terms of gender equality. Gender-sensitive urban development is therefore an important focus of our work. We cordially invite you to our Insight Session on "Urban Safety for Women and Girls" tomorrow, 9 March.
Moreover, we are also keeping an eye on the risks and uncertainties in times of climate change. To better assess these, Connective Cities and the GIZ Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management have jointly launched the Risk Informed Urban Development Working Group, which is open to all interested municipal experts.
At the same time, our thoughts and solidarity are with the people of Ukraine. The current developments of the Russian attack are massively threatening people’s lives, causing immeasurable suffering and the development successes of the past years are in danger of being destroyed.
There are more than 70 municipal partnerships between Ukrainian and German municipalities. Connective Cities has worked closely with colleagues from Brovary, Kharkiv, Khortiv, Lviv, Oleksandriia, Novograd, Vinnytsia, Zhytomyr and other municipalities in Ukraine in a whole series of learning processes and peer-to-peer consultations. Many German partners are now working intensively to deliver aid transports to Ukraine as a visible sign of solidarity.
The current state of the world shows us once again how fragile peace is and that "peace is not everything, but everything is nothing without peace.” (Willy Brandt). This makes it even more important for cities, communities and their citizens around the world to unite in partnership, friendship and solidarity across all borders.
Your Connective Cities team
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Photo above: Peace Bridge in Tbilisi, Georgia | Photo: Boris Stroujko, Adobe Stock
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