Project: Urban Act

Earlier this year, the Urban-Act project set up a working group to promote climate-resilient urban spatial planning through technical research and pilot demonstrations. On 29 August 2024, the project organised a technical workshop in Beijing to discuss the progress made in the pilot cities and areas together with the working group. The event brought together representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), GIZ, the project’s implementing partners, natural resources and planning bureaus of various cities, as well as a group of Chinese experts in the field of urban planning who provided guidance and advice.

From July 21 to 25, 2024, a group of six Chinese e-bus and e-taxi operation experts from Shenzhen Bus Group visited the Indonesian cities of Padang and Medan, pilot cities of the Urban-Act project in Indonesia. Organised by GIZ China and GIZ Indonesia, this visit facilitated expert exchange and thus optimise local public transportation systems and promote climate-friendly transportation solutions. Through site visits and discussions with local authorities and agencies, the experts discussed bus electrification and supportive infrastructure.

The visit of a group of Chinese academics and experts to Bangkok from 12 to 14 June 2024 marked the first in-person visit by the Chinese partners involved in the Urban-Act project since its inception in 2022. The delegation comprised academic and technical experts from Tongji University, the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC) under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), the Shanghai Urban Planning & Design Research Institute (SUPDRI), and the National Climate Center (NCC) of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA).

GIZ successfully conducted its kick-off workshop of the Urban-Act Project China Component on January 25, 2024, in Beijing. The event was attended by over 50 participants from the German Embassy Beijing, GIZ East Asia, GIZ Urban-Act Thailand Component, GIZ Urban-Act Philippines Component, GIZ Urban-Act Indonesia Component, U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) and Chinese partners at national and city levels.

On 15 November 2023, the Urban-Act project China component and its regional consortium partner United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) organised a learning forum titled “City Enabling Environment Assessment on Environmental and Climate Change Governance”. The event took place in conjunction with the 9th UCLG ASPAC Congress in Yiwu, Zhejiang, and gathered about 40 representatives and practitioners from city governments and institutes in China, Thailand, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, and other countries.

The Urban-Act project held a knowledge sharing workshop titled “Urban Spatial Planning in the Context of Climate Change: Indicator System and Implementation Assessment” in the project’s pilot city of Xi’an on 13 October 2023. With the support of Tongji University and Xi’an Urban Planning and Design Research Institute, the workshop allowed for exchanges on current developments and noteworthy practices by twenty representatives and implementation partners from Xi’an, Xiamen, Beijing, and Shanghai.