Urban Practitioners’ Networks for Better Urban Services – The Cases of Urban Mobility and Urban Renewal

Background:

Experience shows that at global level cities are facing similar challenges for example regarding the mitigation of and adaption to climate change. They have an urgent need for learning about urban solutions to implement the New Urban Agenda and to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs. Urban Mobility and Urban Renewal are two important areas of interventions, which require innovative solutions. On the other side, there are numerous cities with proven experience, not only in technical aspects, but also related to the process of how to implement the urban solutions. Cities' practitioners are already convinced that they can learn a lot from each other.

How can cities benefit more from existing urban solutions and from networking? How to apply networking effectively for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the achievement to the SDG? How to co-create new knowledge by a community of urban practitioners?

Connective Cities' methodical approach to facilitate networking and learning

Connective Cities is an international community of practice for sustainable urban development, facilitating global exchange among urban practitioners on urban solutions in good urban governance, integrated urban development, local and regional economic development and urban services. 'Connective Cities' is financed by the German development cooperation and implemented by three German organizations (GIZ, EG, DST). The success of the Connective Cities Dialogue events and learning processes is based on the following aspects: A process-oriented learning strategy with practical needs assessment, focusing on hands-on experiences, the right selection and matching of cities and practitioners; the international mix of urban solutions presented in an international dialogue event or local project workshop; the participatory methodology, which supports visualization of good practices, collegial exchange and mutual learning, up to the elaboration of project ideas.

Objectives of this unit

The unit represents an applied Capacity Development approach via networking among urban practitioners and provides an opportunity to exchange on urban solutions in the fields of Urban Mobility and Urban Renewal.

• Participants have used the opportunity for exchange to deepen their knowledge on urban solutions in selected topics/service sectors: A) Urban Mobility B) Urban Renewal

• Participants have reflected about the challenges of cities for capacity development in order to improve urban services within the framework of the New Urban Agenda and to achieve the SDG.

• Participants have learned, experienced and reflected the learning approach applied by Connective Cities.

Participants of the Unit

Urban Practitioners of urban development (planning and urban services), networkers and capacity development managers are invited to exchange and discuss the topic.

Process of the Workshop

The process of the training workshop will allow to exchange on urgent challenges of urban development in view of capacity development needs. It will present learning opportunities for cities how to achieve the SDG and to implement the New Urban Agenda. Exchanging experiences in the fields of Urban Mobility and Urban Renewal, participants of this workshop will learn about Good Practices for urban solutions and apply the peer-to-peer-advisory method in two fields of interaction, and, at the same time, reflect on learning methodology and the use of networking.