Connective Cities
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
NEWSLETTER - Editon No. 73, June 2024

Dear Readers,

Connective Cities is celebrating its tenth anniversary – a perfect occasion to reflect on our shared successes, the topics we've initiated, and the many project ideas that have emerged. What began as a small pilot project with an innovative approach has evolved into an internationally recognized network of experts with regional structures and a strong community. In this and upcoming editions of the newsletter, we will take a closer look at some of our highlights and learning processes.

We also review our recent events while looking ahead. We introduced the Amman Urban Observatory and are planning to establish a working group to identify good practices for monitoring urban parameters. The working group "Women in Leadership Positions in Municipalities" has begun its activities in the MENA region with great enthusiasm. Additionally, we support the working group "Local Development Strategies" in the MENA region in implementing their local strategic planning process and promote dialogue in Southeast Europe to advance the renewable energy agenda.

We provide insights into how the Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project has taken structural and social measures to better protect the city from flooding. Furthermore, we continue to report on our "Deep Dive" process, in which six municipalities are jointly taking measures to combat increasing heat in their cities.

There are still a few spots available for last-minute participants in our dialogue event "2nd Hands on Public Buildings" in Berlin. The application deadline is June 30, 2024.

From October 8 to 10, 2024, we will participate in the Urban Thinkers Campus in Amman, Jordan, under the theme "Shaping Urban Futures with Sustainable Housing, Mobility, and Green Infrastructure." Save the date!

Last but not least: German municipalities can apply for financial support through the "Small Projects Fund for Municipal Development Policy" until October 15, 2024, if they wish to carry out a project this year in collaboration with a municipality in the Global South.

We wish you an inspiring read.

Your Connective Cities Team

10 Years Connective Cities
10 Years Connective Cities
From a pilot project to an international community of urban practitioners

"And there is a magic in every beginning..." can be used to describe the atmosphere with Hermann Hesse's words, when nearly 70 experts from local politicss, local governments and academia came together for their first dialogue exactly ten years ago in Leipzig's former, now stylishly renovated town bath. Since then, Connective Cities has developed from an initial pilot project into an internationally networked city platform...

More
Reviews
Showcasing the Amman Urban Observatory
Monitoring urban indicators for informed urban planning - Insight Session on 24 April 2024

The Amman Urban Observatory is developing "urban indicators". They record key features for measuring sustainable urban development, such as the unemployment rate, soil sealing or the percentage of people living in poverty. Real-time monitoring improves planning processes by enabling more informed decisions. The Connective Cities network now intends to set up a working group to identify various best practices for monitoring urban parameters.

More
Working group Kickoff: Women’s leadership in municipalities
‘Women for women, and men are allies.’

The participants of the "Women in leadership positions in municipalities" working group began their activities with this statement. The virtual kick-off took place on 16 May 2024. The participants, representing 14 municipalities and civil society from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco and Germany, showed great enthusiasm and team spirit to engage with like-minded people on this topic, share experiences and develop locally adapted solutions.

More
Strategic planning in municipalities– Impediments, framework and benefits
Solution development by the municipalities of Sahab, Sahl Houran and Quweria

Municipalities must develop medium and long-term strategies to fulfil their development task. They face major challenges in the areas of urbanisation, service delivery, economic development, environmental issues, social inequalities, demographic change and crisis management. Against this backdrop, Connective Cities' Local Development Strategies Working Group supports municipalities in the MENA region in tackling their local strategic planning process.

More
Local Economic Development Forum in Tbilisi
Connective Cities promotes dialog on municipal renewable energy initiatives in Georgia

Connective Cities South East Europe hosted a side event on "Renewable Energy Options at Municipal Level" on 7 June 2024 during the Local Economic Development (LED) Forum in Tbilisi. The session provided a platform for mayors from Georgian municipalities to share innovative approaches to promoting renewable energy initiatives. This was followed by an intensive discussion on challenges and possible solutions to advance the renewable energy agenda.

More
Insights
Dar es Salaam Metropolitan Development Project (DMDP) - Phase 1
A Good Practice from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

The DMDP aims to improve connectivity and mobility within the city while reducing flooding through structural and non-structural measures. Cooperation and coordination between different stakeholders, including authorities, communities and other organisations involved in the project, as well as effective communication and coordination have proven to be essential.

More
Six municipalities join forces to combat increasing heat in cities
Municipalities from Germany, Kenya, Egypt, Morocco, and Ukraine have been working together on solutions to better protect their populations from heat.

There are many ways for cities to reduce the negative effects of heat on the population: creating more green spaces, planting shade-giving trees, greening building facades, creating cooling corridors, for example through watercourses, sensitising the population and much more. To do this, it is first important to know where the heat builds up in a city. During the workshop in Heidelberg, the participants developed action plans for their strategies and pilot projects. Their goal is to implement their pilot projects by the end of the year.

More
Outlook
2nd Hands on Public Buildings
Call for participation in the dialogue event on the reuse of public buildings in Berlin from 24 to 26 September 2024

The reuse of existing buildings enables cities around the world to continue using the grey energy bound up in concrete and steel in a sustainable and economically efficient way. The goal of an emission-free construction sector is currently leading to this paradigm shift. The upcoming event aims to to present good practices, exchange innovative approaches, identify challenges and jointly develop solution strategies.
Application deadline: 30.06.2024. Apply now!

More
Urban Thinkers Campus on Shaping Urban Futures with Sustainable Housing, Mobility and Green Infrastructure
Call for participation in the Conference supported by Connective Cities from 8 to 10 October 2024 in Amman, Jordan

The Urban Thinkers Campus is an initiative led by the World Urban Campaign and driven by UN-Habitat. It serves as an inclusive forum with around 100 participants for a dialogue between urban researchers, practitioners and policy makers with the aim of driving constructive urban change. Save the date! Further information will follow. For expressions of interest and queries, please contact Charlotte Watermann at charlotte.watermann@giz.de .

FUND FOR SMALL-SCALE MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION PROJECTS
ENTRY FOR GERMAN MUNICIPALITIES INTO MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION WITH THE GLOBAL SOUTH

Is your municipality interested in carrying out a joint intra-year project with a municipality in the Global South or Ukraine in the context of municipal development policy?
German municipalities are invited to apply for the funding of the Fund for Small-Scale Municipal Development Cooperation Projects (KPF) online until 15.10.2024! Domestic projects can be funded with a grant between 1,000 euros and 20,000 euros and South-North/North-South partnership projects with up to 50,000 euros.

More
Connect
Network
Good Practices
Media Centre
News
Events
Publications
Videos
 
 
Connective Cities is a joint project of:
Association of German Cities
Gereonstraße 18 – 32, 50670 Cologne | Germany
Contact: Sabine Drees
Email: sabine.drees@staedtetag.de
Engagement Global gGmbH
Service Agency Communities in One World

Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 40, 53113 Bonn | Germany
Contact: Sibylle Loyeau
Email: sibylle.loyeau@engagement-global.de
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 32 + 36 , 53113 Bonn | Germany
Contact: Ricarda Meissner
Email: ricarda.meissner@giz.de
www.connective-cities.net
Copyright © 2025 CONNECTIVE CITIES
Unsubscribe from CONNECTIVE CITIES Newsletter