Urban Innovation made in Africa
Urban Lab Kick-off workshop. Participants visit housing construction site. © GIZ, Jules Mugabo
What is Urban Innovation made in Africa?
Urbanisation is one of the defining challenges of our time, particularly in Africa, where the urban population is expected to triple by 2050. The buildings and construction sector is by far the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for a staggering 37% of global emissions. If the global community wants to meet the 1.5°C target, urban growth needs to be managed and designed in a climate-friendly manner.
The Urban Innovation made in Africa project fosters sustainable, climate-responsive, and socially just urban development. By promoting collaborative approaches, the project promotes local innovations to urban challenges in the Global South.
Key Achievements
- Promoting Sustainable Urban Planning
through a strengthened interministerial policy dialogue on urban development in Germany - Empowering Local Communities
by developing affordable and climate-friendly housing solutions that meet the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable population groups, engaging local actors in co-creating solutions to ensure inclusivity - Facilitating Knowledge Exchange
by establishing a global learning network with 600+ participants across multiple sectors and developing a Good Practice Collection, documenting scalable urban solutions
Cross-Sectoral Policy Dialogue
International matters of sustainable urban development are addressed by different German ministries. To increase policy coherence in their international engagement, Urban Innovation initiated a series of informal cross-sectoral policy dialogues between the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the Ministry for Urban Development and Housing (BMWSB).
The meetings strengthened a mutual understanding on core activities, processes and partnerships of each ministry. They also facilitated knowledge-sharing on key international development processes with relevance to urban planning and sustainable construction such as G7, G20, and the Buildings Breakthrough, and fostered collaboration towards global events such as the UN-Habitat Assembly, the Buildings and Climate Global Forum and the World Urban Forum.
World Urban Forum 12, Cairo, Opening Event at the German Pavillion: “Communities in Transition: Building Green, Inclusive and Equitable Cities”
© GIZ, Mohamed Subahi
Urban Lab Process
The Urban Lab Process in Rwanda, is implemented in cooperation with the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF) and the University of Rwanda and in partnership with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure (MININFRA) and the City of Kigali. Through a co-creative process, national and international stakeholders developed potential solutions on how to improve the provision of sustainable and affordable housing for low-income households (below 200.000 RWF / 140 EUR per month). This work has laid a foundation for the recently started urban development project “Climate-sensitive, socially just planning and housing” in Rwanda.
Key Findings:
- Small-scale developers play a crucial role in delivering affordable housing for low-income populations but are often overlooked in policy frameworks.
- Supporting them requires better incentives, access to knowledge, and sustainable materials.
- Recognizing incremental housing as a reality to adequately address the housing needs of low-income groups effectively.
Global Peer Learning
Across 2024, our Global Peer Learning Series engaged 600+ participants from diverse backgrounds, covering key topics such as:
Fostering sustainable construction in informal areas
Fostering inclusive nature-based solutions for low-income urban communities
Cities for all: Bottom-up action for just urban development
Leaving no women and no one behind in sustainable urban development
How to provide finance for the “unbankable”?
Global Peer Learning Series: Regional Distribution: 37% of participants were based in Africa, 14% in Asia, and 9% in Latin America. This diversity fostered a community of practice, enabling the exchange of best practices and innovative approaches to sustainable urban development.
The series was implemented together with partners from Cities Alliance, UN-Habitat, ICLEI, Slum Dwellers International, the Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa, the African Union for Housing Finance, and the City Diplomacy Lab . The recordings, presentations, and resources from all sessions are available in the Capacity4dev library.
One result of the Peer Learning series is the development of the good practice collection “Learning from Informality“. It was created in collaboration with Slum Dwellers International (SDI) and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). The collection features 14 cases in which those living in informality have developed urban innovations that advance more just and sustainable cities.
In addition, the project worked on the report “Local Solutions for Green Buildings and construction” in collaboration with ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and the GlobalABC Subnationals Action Group. Its aim is to contribute regarding the decarbonisation of the building and construction sector while enhancing climate resilience through effective multilevel governance and strong multilevel partnerships.
