Project: Urban Act: Integrated Urban Climate Action for Low-Carbon & Resilient Cities

From 4-9 August 2025, a Thailand-China workshop on Ecological Spatial Planning (ESP) took place in Shanghai, China. The event provided a platform to exchange and learn about how ESP and other concepts are developed and implemented in China, and how ESP can be enhanced in Thailand. Following the workshop, the delegation conducted site visits in the Yangtze River Delta for first-hand exposure to ecological spatial planning practices in China. Participants from both countries expressed their interest in continuing the dialogue and exchanges in Thailand, with a view to fostering more concrete cooperations in ESP and related fields in the future.

Germany and China are protagonists and role models for a successful urbanisation process offering significant scope for transformation and innovation. As many cities and local governments take steps to become low-carbon and climate-resilient, they face common challenges to address sustainability and climate goals.

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.