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Connective Cities

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International Community of Practice for Sustainable Municipal Development

Connective Cities, the International Community of Practice for Sustainable Urban Development, facilitates practice-oriented sharing of experience between German municipalities and projects of international cooperation, processing new learning experience on effective solutions and feeding them back into the Community of Practice. Connective Cities is a cooperation project of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German Association of Cities (DST) and Engagement Global (EG) with its Service Agency Communities in One World (SKEW). Connective Cities has regional external structures in the focus regions of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Southeast Europe/Caucasus (SEE). Additionally, Connective Cities is also active in the regions of Asia and Latin America. The cooperation project is carried out on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

09/10/2026

⚡When facts come under pressure: Strengthening municipalities against disinformation - Connective Cities expert forum at the 8th German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference

📡Yesterday's expert forum focused on how municipalities can effectively counter , build trust and communicate reliably, even in times of crisis.

📲 Disinformation and polarising narratives are posing increasing challenges for municipalities. False information can undermine trust in local institutions, intensify social tensions and spread rapidly, particularly in times of crisis. As one of our speakers aptly noted:

"Propaganda doesnt play with facts but with doubts", Dinara Habibullaieva - City of Kyiv

💡Bringing together Ukrainian and German perspectives, the forum provided a platform for exchanging practical experiences and approaches.
Focus of the discussions were concrete challenges faced by local governments: How can a local administration recognise when disinformation is spreading? When and how should it respond? What roles do mayors, communication teams, local media and civil society play? And how can municipalities build trust so that citizens turn to reliable municipal information, especially in times of crisis?

👏Thank you to our speakers Katharina Nocun, Thomas Otto – Municipality of Saterland, Pia-Mareike Heyne - City of Leipzig, Dinara Habibullaieva, Simon Schlegel, Andrea Jonas - Bundesamt für Bauwesen und Raumordnung and Vitaliy Zhylenko - City of Sumy!

📧Stay tuned for our next newsletter, where we will dive deeper into today's insights and discussions! https://www.connective-cities.net/en/homepage/

🤝The expert forum is part of the 8th German-Ukrainian Municipal Partnership Conference, taking place from 7 to 9 October 2026 in . The conference is organised by Servicestelle Kommunen in der Einen Welt (SKEW) and its network of German-Ukrainian municipal partnerships.

23/09/2026

“It’s the economy, stupid!” is a somewhat blunt and much-quoted statement by James Carville, which he himself now regrets having made in such a simplified form. This statement can be expanded to cover many aspects of sustainability, for example: “It’s nature and the economy, stupid!”.

Climate-resilient and liveable communities attract investment, and a thriving economy creates the financial scope for climate adaptation measures. In this issue of our newsletter, we explore the interplay between the local economy and nature through concrete examples and discussions with experts.

We wish you an inspiring read.
https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/newsletter-issue-no-98-september-2026/

Your Connective Cities Team

22/09/2026

💼🎨The Bokamoso Entrepreneurial Centre in the City of Windhoek supports small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly start-ups run by young people.

Over the past 16 years, the Centre has reached out to and supported an estimated 1,200 young people in their entrepreneurial activities. Initially, it provided primarily basic infrastructure for . Over time, it became clear that physical space alone was insufficient to enable businesses to operate beyond their day-to-day activities. That's why the Centre introduced training, business development support and other capacity-building activities to foster sustainable business growth.

Currently, the Bokamoso Entrepreneurial Centre is exploring its future strategic focus, undergoing an organisational development process supported through its sister city Freie Hansestadt in Germany.

💡 Read more about the good practice from Windhoek, which was presented during our current learning process "Startups and Innovation: Labor Market Opportunities and Prospects for Young People": https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/the-bokamoso-entrepreneurial-centre-in-windhoek/

17/09/2026

How can municipalities strengthen their local economies in times of structural change, global uncertainty and rapid technological transformation?

Connective Cities invites municipalities and local economic development actors to join our new international Deep Dive “Strengthening Local Economies – Globally Competitive, Profitable and Fit for the Future.”

Over approximately 1.5 years, participating municipalities will exchange experiences with international peers, explore approaches to strengthening local competitiveness and innovation, and develop concrete strategies, partnerships and local projects for more resilient and future-oriented local economies. Topics may range from business and investment promotion to innovation ecosystems, AI and sustainable energy, financing and cooperation with businesses, universities and other local actors.

📅 Submit your Expression of Interest by 31 October 2026.

Find out more about the Deep Dive and how to participate: https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/call-for-participation-strengthening-local-economies-globally-competitive-profitable-and-fit-for-the-future/

03/09/2026

How resilient are our municipalities when critical infrastructure is disrupted?

A power outage can affect much more than electricity. Water supply, communication, transport and emergency services are closely interconnected – and disruptions can quickly cascade across systems.

At the kick-off of our regional Connective Cities Learning Process in Tirana, 30 experts from 13 municipalities and nine countries came together to explore how these risks can be better understood and addressed locally.

The result: eleven municipal action plans – from backup power for heating systems and digital infrastructure monitoring to flood prevention, crisis communication and stronger coordination in emergencies.

Our new documentation captures the key insights, municipal experiences and practical solutions developed in Tirana – and shows how municipalities are moving from understanding vulnerabilities towards concrete local action.

📘 Curious to learn more? Explore the full documentation:
https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/municipal-resilience-safeguarding-critical-infrastructure/

02/09/2026

🚀 Municipalities play a central role in promoting startups: They network with stakeholders, provide founders with advice and support, and offer infrastructure and resources. They also facilitate access to funding and contacts with investors. In short, they create a founder-friendly climate and ecosystem at the local level.

🌐 From 30 June to 2 July 2026, around 25 experts from 11 local authorities and seven countries gathered in to share their experiences, learn from each other and develop new approaches together. Despite their different circumstances, many municipalities worldwide face similar challenges, including a lack of role models and networking opportunities, bureaucratic hurdles and inadequate infrastructure.

💡 However, 13 examples of good practice demonstrated how these challenges can be overcome. The event marked the launch of a new Connective Cities learning process. Take a look at our comprehensive documentation!
https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/startups-and-innovation-labor-market-opportunities-and-prospects-for-young-people/

25/08/2026

“Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood,” the French physicist Marie Curie once wrote. With this in mind, this issue takes a focused look at how municipalities can better protect their residents from extreme heat, make critical infrastructure more resilient, and create new opportunities for young people. We hope to deepen your understanding too, and we wish you an inspiring read!
https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/newsletter-issue-no-97-august-2026/

03/08/2026

🌡️Heat affects us all. It is one of the world’s fastest-growing and deadliest climate risks.

💪However, we are not powerless against it. Municipalities around the world are developing and sharing comprehensive strategies. These range from heat action plans and green and blue infrastructure planning to smart rainwater management, the use of AI, and the creation of digital twins for risk-informed crisis management.

🌇We’ve compiled a set of illustrative examples from the Connective Cities context for you, complemented by additional resources for further exploration:
https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/how-can-municipalities-cope-with-the-heat/

21/07/2026

Our July newsletter edition is out now! Read about how local authorities are collaborating with businesses to stimulate the local economy through green hydrogen, how obstacles to infrastructure projects are being overcome, how start-ups are creating job opportunities for young people, and the many advantages of urban digital twins. Don't forget to apply for the Goerdeler Prize, either!
https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/newsletter-issue-no-96-july-2026/

15/07/2026

🌍 Developing Green Hydrogen Projects through Municipal Partnerships

How can municipalities shape a just energy transition while creating new opportunities for sustainable economic development?
From 8–12 June 2026, Connective Cities, together with the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Waterberg District Municipality, brought together municipal representatives, researchers and industry experts from South Africa, Germany, Namibia and Kenya for an international Expert Mission on Green Hydrogen and Sustainable Economic Development.

Throughout the week, participants exchanged experiences on how municipalities can prepare for the emerging green hydrogen economy and support a just transition from coal-dependent industries. Site visits to the Eskom Matimba Power Station, the Exxaro Solar Power Station, and local education and training facilities provided valuable insights into the region's transitioning towards green energy production.

The following key topics of this process came to light:
▪️ Green hydrogen as a driver of local economic development and job creation
▪️ Municipal readiness for the energy transition
▪️ Skills development and capacity building
▪️ Governance, financing and strategic partnerships
▪️ Regional cooperation for sustainable industrial transformation
The mission concluded with a strategy workshop, where participants jointly developed a 36-month roadmap for regional development, outlining concrete priorities for infrastructure, investment, skills development and partnership building to advance the vision of a future “Waterberg Hydrogen Corridor”.

🤝 A sincere thank you to all partners, speakers and participants for their valuable contributions and commitment throughout the week. We look forward to continuing the collaboration and supporting municipalities on their path towards a sustainable energy future.

Take a look at the review: https://www.connective-cities.net/en/media-center/driver-of-green-transformation-connective-cities-expert-mission-in-waterberg/

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