Insight Sessions: (Post-)COVID Urban Futures

Date

Topic

28.07.21

COVID-19 Recovery and SDG 11

The kick-off event of the series "Insight Sessions: (Post-)COVID Urban Futures" will focus on COVID-19 Recovery and Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Following an overview of the Connective Cities COVID-programme and Insight Sessions, a panel discussion will explore the challenges and opportunities of the COVID-19 crisis for reaching SDG 11 on making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. In the panel discussion, urban practitioners and experts from different world regions will share their perspectives and insights on the topic.

Digital literacy and digital municipal service design in Post-COVID Cities

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of public services. With the establishment of pandemic response measurements like contact tracking or remote work there was the sudden need for the immediate digital implementation of municipal services.  Now that we are living with the pandemic for more than one year, the new digital reality has become the new normality for many, but not for all of us.  

Through the rapid digitalisation process many have been left out who either are missing in digital literacy or don´t have the access to technology to participate. This problem is especially relevant for municipalities as they have the responsibility to include all citizens in their activities and allow them to participate in the society. The (new?) digital divide becomes apparent in the fields of education, communication and many more.  In this session, we will exchange on and discuss the challenges municipalities are facing to overcome the digital divide while still enhancing their digital services and good examples in that regard.

01.09.21

The importance of disaster preparedness in cities and municipalities: experiences and lessons learned.

European cities have experienced flooding many times in history, however, the scale and numbers of losses of life from the flooding in July 2021 have been devastating. Hitting the long safely imagined temperate zone, the events reveal the importance and urgency of discussing measures to enhance disaster preparedness and strengthen resilience in cities around the globe. The need of cities worldwide to adapt to a changing climate and an increasing number of extreme weather events is more prominent than ever to save lives, reduce economic losses and protect critical infrastructure.

In this session we will reflect on the experienced challenges and lessons learned from the devastating flood events in Europe in 2021 and around the globe and discuss how we can better prepare for extreme weather events, improve multi-hazard early warning systems and strengthen public understanding of disaster risks with urban practitioners and experts from the field.

08.09.21

Pop-up bike lanes: Long-term opportunities for green urban development after the COVID-19 pandemic?

They appeared suddenly: bike lanes separated by yellow markings and conspicuous warning bars, replacing the parking lane, part of the roadway or even the entire right lane on busy roads. Following the example of the Colombian capital Bogotá, dozens of kilometres of new bike lanes have been built in cities around the world after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bike lanes allow urban residents to get more physical activity and offer hope for a shift towards a more sustainable urban transportation and a reduction of CO2 emissions in cities. However, there is also criticism on the new bike lanes. Motorists fear more congestion and longer travel times with increased traffic after the Corona pandemic, as the pop-up bike lanes mean fewer lanes are available for cars. This would also contradict the plan to improve air quality. In this session we will exchange and discuss the efforts of long-term preservation of pop-up bike lanes and its’ opportunities for green urban development in the post-Corona era worldwide.

29.09.21

Crisis Management – Cross Border Solidarity in time of crisis

The pandemic challenged international cooperation. Namely, the border closures worldwide, and the rise of populist and national voices as well as different national regulations and the lack of adequate communication tools challenged cooperation. However, unlike national governance, municipalities often have a closer, more personal partnership with other cities and can react faster to crises. Thus, this session of the Insight Sessions will focus on international cross-border solidarity among cities in times of crisis. The focus will lie on municipal cooperation in terms of crisis management, aid supplies and vaccination. The challenges and best practices will be discussed as well as the means of communication between municipalities.

Further topics will be determined based on the participants needs and interests