Working Together for Sustainable Urban Development
The International Climate Initiative strengthens exchange and synergies between its sustainable urban development projects.
This October, the first online networking event of IKI’s urban community took place. It brought together 37 participants from 13 of IKI’s ongoing sustainable urban development projects around the globe.
The objective of this networking event was to promote an exchange between IKI projects, to identify synergies and increase efficiency through complementary activities. It also aimed at establishing regular communication among IKI’s urban projects to help operationalize the IKI strategy. This first online event, held as part of IKI’s 10 Years of sustainable urban development in the IKI celebrations, also provided the participating colleagues from the Federal Ministries in which the IKI is anchored with insights into current challenges and opportunities at project level.
During the event, the participants worked on a shared online Concept Board positioning their respective projects on various graphics (see exemplary graphic below) to identify synergies and discussed various key questions they are concerned with such as stakeholder engagement, new challenges, feedback from cities and subnational governments, and currents needs of the projects.
Stakeholder engagement as a key success factor
As a result of the group work, it was highlighted that maintaining stakeholder engagement in urban projects requires a combination of tangible results, inclusive participation, and continuous communication. Stakeholder engagement is sustained by demonstrating tangible local benefits and short-term wins through catalyst projects, even under budget constraints. Active participation and continuous dialogue are ensured via in-person meetings, regional collaboration, technical advisors on the ground as well as platforms for exchange and capacity development. Commitment remains strong when communication highlights visible impacts, feasible timelines, and co-benefits such as modern, energy-efficient infrastructure.
Operational challenges in focus
Further discussion results relating to key challenges identified at operational level include turnover of local staff, shifting political priorities, and coordination between government levels.
Important thematic issues include urban heat and biodiversity co-benefits. Projects see a role for IKI and initiatives such as the Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) and the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC) in improving coordination among projects and enhancing knowledge sharing.
Outlook
Further networking events for the IKI urban projects are envisaged for the coming year. This could include deeper thematic discussions, e.g. with a focus on jointly developing concrete solutions for the various topics covered by the projects, an opportunity to exchange best practices and strengthening the relationships among IKI’s urban projects.
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