The establishment of educational centers to raise awareness and share knowledge among the population was a central point of the exchange of experiences. A roadmap is being prepared for 2022 in order to realize joint projects. A particular focus of the cooperation will be put on the topics of irrigation and compost management, as well as sustainable urban development.

The environmental education projects initiated through the exchange are showing promising results: KaMubukwana has received an award as Maputo's cleanest neighborhood. As a next step, both cities want to develop a structural project plan to identify and prioritise project ideas according to their needs. 

At the WUF, Connective Cities presented past successes of peer-to-peer consultation as well as its new programme, which was launched during the pandemic. It is designed to help municipalities respond quickly to urban challenges - be it pandemics, climate crises or conflicts and wars. Outside the panel discussion, many new contacts and also friendships were made.

Connective Cities organized three multi-session dialogues that addressed the topics, 'Institutional Barriers to Cross-Sectoral Collaboration', 'Nature-Based Solutions for Risk-Based Urban Development Planning and Sustainable Infrastructure', and 'Green Infrastructure - Guidelines and Recommendations for Bridging the Implementation Gap in Cities'. The goal was to better address environmental, social and economic challenges that cities increasingly face on global, regional and national policy agendas.

To address the complex nature of risk and to safeguard development gains, Connective Cities and the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM) established a working group on risk-based urban development focused on Africa. Members of the working group and other experts contributed their good practices, experiences and recommendations during the session.

The Covid-19 pandemic also caused a crisis in Berlin's public transportation system: Passenger numbers fell by 70%. Berlin's public transport company (BVG) took up the communication challenge with humor. Passengers and employees were convinced that safe bus and train travel is possible when the Corona rules are taken seriously.

The establishment of business incubators serves as a test for an eco-business park that will stimulate economic growth while contributing to Madaba's local sustainable development goals in the areas of agriculture, environment and clean energy. The goal is also to create a pilot project that can be applied as a model in other areas and communities.

Public spaces can bring communities together and promote cultural diversity. Femmedina – a combination of the terms "femmes" (women) and "medina" (historic city), is the name of a project implemented in the historic center of Tunis that aims to make women's voices heard and involve them in the redevelopment of the public space.

Representatives from the municipality of Jerash tell how they have benefited from the exchange with other experts at the events and workshops organised by Connective Cities. They were able to take away many ideas for their own projects in the areas of gender-sensitive local economic development, waste management and plastic recycling, which aim at a zero-waste municipality.

With the increase in cyclists during the pandemic and the limitation of public space, it was necessary to rethink transportation planning to meet the needs of residents. This Good Practice describes planning approaches from Bogotá and Berlin, captures residents' voices on the new concepts, and highlights how ultimately all stakeholders can benefit from pop-up bike lanes in the long run. 

With the support of Connective Cities, two 30 km/h zones were successfully implemented in Belo Horizonte to slow down traffic. These measures reduced car traffic and improved road safety and  quality of life in the respective neighborhoods. The transformation process involved a broad participation of the residents and, in particular, the local schools. The traffic-calmed zones now serve as a model for further traffic planning projects. 

The idea of supporting the municipality of Greater Amman in developing a land use plan for a largely undeveloped area had evolved during a dialog event on inter-municipal land management at the end of 2020. Jordanian and German experts began an intensive exchange of expertise on project management, land redistribution and the legal framework. The cooperation will be continued by the visit of a delegation from Amman to Germany this month. 

Over the past three years, the world has faced overwhelming and devastating events, including the Covid 19 pandemic, war, and climate-related incidents such as drought and floods. These events have affected our regular food supply systems and value chains. At our virtual Insight Session, experts will present findings from research and best practices on urban agriculture.

During the period from 14 August 2022 to 20 August 2022, which the participants will spend in Germany, the cities of Münster, Dortmund, Cologne and Frankfurt will be visited. Standards in land use planning and the underlying management system will be discussed on the basis of currently planned or built-up areas as well as recently completed projects.