sustainable urban and regional development – UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV course program

CIPSEM at the International Transport Forum

Having an exciting week in the beautiful Island of Vilm –BFN, CIPSEM (EM42) group was back to Dresden on 19^th of May 2019. A bit tired after long travel and the expectation of the upcoming excursion to Leipzig was not too big at this point.However, then comes Sunday, a very good day to rest and get ready for travel to Leipzig arguably our second home in Germany. It was not so long when CIPSEM group arrived in Leipzig on Monday morning 20^th of May 2019. The afternoon was a very intensive excursion to the German Biomass Research Center. Tuesday, the group convened for intensive classes at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research.

On the following three days from Wednesday 22^nd to Friday 24^th, the CIPSEM (EM42) group joined the International Transport Forum 2019 in Leipzig, Germany. The Annual Summit of the International Transport Forum is the premier global transport policy event started in 2008. More than 1000 participants from more than 70 countries including ministers from around the globe, heads of international organizations, civil society leaders, academia, business associations and the media come together to share policy perspectives and to discuss the future of transport. The summit addresses strategies, policies and challenges of all transport mods where participants can engage in intense discussion through variety of session formats. The 2019 ITF summit offered a rich of important programme from 22 to 24 of May. The policy discussions with ministers, networking opportunities, demonstrations, technical tours and an exciting exhibition were major parts of the program. Side events by ITF partners, evening receptions, cultural tours, cycling event and Gala dinner complemented the summit.

Each year, the international transport forum honors exceptional initiatives in the transport sector with its annual transport awards. The emphasis for the 2019 summit was transport connectivity for regional integration which explores how transport links work and how to improve connectivity. There were two awards-the transport achievement award and the young researcher of the year award.

Dr. Rafael Pereira wins the 2019 Young Researcher Award

Transport connectivity is a major contributor to economic development, social inclusion and increasing potential for growth by connecting people to opportunities and business markets. Improved connectivity also leads to better access to employment, education, health and public services. The 2030 agenda for sustainable development by United Nations (2015) “transforming our world” defines the goals to achieve sustainable development in three dimensions; economic, social and environmental-a better transport connectivity holds key for achieving these goals by acting as a catalyst for integration between communities, cities, regions and countries contributing to peace and stability. Connectivity is also vital for reducing trade costs and boosting economic growth. So far, the progress towards sustainable development is impressive however, there remain significant discrepancies in levels of progress between and within regions. Improved transport connectivity can help to reduce the gap and necessary actions need to be implemented to improve transport connectivity in all dimensions; physical, digital, modal, operational, individual, institutional. Therefore the ministers responsible for transport in the member countries of ITF assembled in Leipzig under presidency of Korea to pursue mutual understanding and frame response to challenges. Finally the minsters agreed on the following key issues:

Improving connectivity of transport infrastructure and operations
Enhancing development of sustainable transport
Improving governance to enhance connectivity

The 2020 ITF summit will be hosted by Ireland from 27 to 29 May in Leipzig with the theme of transport innovation for sustainable development. A final word from the CIPSEM participants: “Thank you Leipzig, and thank you Korea.”

by Nyein Nyein (Myanmar) and Fiseha Bekele Teshome (Ethiopia)

Solving a forest belt problem in Ukraine – a Role Play @CIPSEM

The “Role Play” plays a significant role in problem-solving activities. Its concept follows the “power-free dialogue.” The German sociologist Jürgen Habermas designed this concept. The EM41 CIPSEM participants used this technique (29/05/2018) to find the solution to the following problem:

A forest belt system was planted in the former USSR to combat erosion, droughts and increasing yields. Depending on the planted species, it could increase yields by 20-100 . After the collapse of the USSR the department responsible for forest belt management was terminated. The follow-up legislation was not created accurately in Ukraine. Communities in cooperation with an NGO who have registered a forest strip cutting outside the settlement have applied to the local government body. In the public cadastral map, there is no cadastral number for the forest belt, therefore it is not possible to legally install an owner. On the other hand the State Administration stated, that their powers do not apply to agricultural forest bands. The State Geo Cadaster declared that these bands were transferred to the collective ownership of the collective farms, and therefore belong to the successor who did not correctly draw up his right, so they are subject to transfer to the Rural Council as a “waste of property”.

The following stakeholder groups were represented in the role play:

Ministry of Agriculture and Land Use
Ministry of Environment
Regional Government and land use planning
Council of villagers, composed of small-scale farmers
EcoLtava (regional NGO, doing consultancy services)
Large-scale agro-holdings
Timber and fuel producer

The fellows had an excellent discussion about the forest belt, land use change, legislation, environmental management, stakeholder collaboration and made their recommendations and solutions for the forest belt issue in Ukraine.

by Mkhitar Avetisyan (Republic of Armenia)

The Dilemma of land use: Bringing Reality to the Classroom

By: Ahmed Said Sulaiman

Making decisions that affect people’s use of land is among the most anxious actions that any progressive society has to deal with. Some of the mainstream arguments claim that the economic needs of the country should always take the priority in determining land use, while others say that indigenous or traditional claims to land use have to be respected. Emphasizing humankind’s stewardship obligations, still others argue that where nature is threatened, the best use of land is excluding human intervention. Even though, the intensions of conservation might be industrious in protecting fauna and flora, its final consequences could also be destructive. For example, if the actions of protected areas impose misery on people especially those who are fully dependent on it for their survival, it is unlikely to succeed in the long run. Well! What is the best option of using natural resources then? This question seems easy to ask than answered!

As part of unpacking this complexity associated with land use, Environmental Management Class (EM40) led by Dr. Eckhard Auch, performed a simulation game on May 3^rd 2017. The role play was based on a case of conservation area located in India (Kaziranga National Park) which was threatened by human encroachment. The intension of the scene was to bring all relevant stakeholders and involved actors to a meeting and eventually make an agreement on issue at stake (eviction of local users). The scene brought reality on the ground to the classroom and provided a lively discussion, arguments and counterarguments among the opposing parties.

Jürgen Habermas, a German Sociologist was right when he said “only by knowing the partner’s real interests (best), a negotiation can achieve best compromises”. I learned that land use is beyond the affiliation of certain actors. There are other stakeholders (private, civil society and NGOs etc.) who have a say and influence the decisions of every aspect. Hence, making compromises was one of the determinants of reaching success.

However, even with in this role play, the process of making compromise was not smooth either. It was quite challenging to reach a common ground even with in a small group of the same interest let alone confronting opposing parties.

On the other hand, moderation of such kind of meetings needed skillful tactics and attention to the details. For example, the facilitators’ understanding about the culture of the involved community or behavior of individuals is crucial while on the other hand systematically balancing the power of the actors in the discussion process is important factor for reaching a fair consensus.

Overall, being part of this exercise was a valuable brainstorming. It stirred my sense and brought my attention that land use management does not happen in a vacuum – it combines science and society. Though the process is complex per say, if well designed and managed, it can make a tangible progress and lead to a cumulative positive outcome or, in other words a win-win solution.

Ahmed Said Sulaiman is EM40 participant from Ethiopia

Cycling in Dresden

By Augusto Mosqueda

During the week from 20-24^th of March we had classes dedicated to mobility, infrastructure and transportation.

Preparing the ride at CIPSEM facilities

Riding through the Großer Garten

Riding along the Elbe River

Luckily the weather improved and we were able to have a smooth ride. First, the safety instructions and set up of the bikes and accessories were given to the riders. The instructors, Thilo and Angela, explain to us the route and set up the group by following Thilo and Angela on the back for ensuring a group ride.
The route covered from CIPSEM towards the Großer Garten, Elbe River shoreline, Downtown, Postplatz, CIPSEM.
During the ride, there were some intermediate stops to further explain about the importance of cycling roads, statistics, coexistence with the other transportation methods and general information about speed limits and roads inside the city.
The overall experience of riding a bicycle in Dresden made us realize the alternatives of transportation and the importance of its infrastructure for coexistence with cars, buses, trams, trains, etc.

Good Bye SC70 – and Merry Christmas!

On Tuesday, December 13th, we sent the last course participants in 2016 on their way towards a new and sustainable urban agenda. Four weeks of intensive course work, but also coping with the challenges (cold temperatures) and enjoying the benefits (Christmas cake and sweets) at this time of the year in Germany are over.

Christmas party with Dr. Lohmann

Mrs. Königsberg (BMUB) and Prof. Dr. Dr. hc. Müller (IOER, TUD) during the final ceremony

CIPSEM will welcome the 40th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUB International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing and Emerging Countries in January 2017.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

photos by Harald Schluttig

Urban energy management

We met with the head of the environment office of the city of Dresden, Dr. Korndörfer, and his colleague Mr. Pielenz to learn about and discuss the city’s approach to energy management. In the light of an ambitious commitment to reduce greenhouse gases, the integrated approach spans transportation, supply of heat and cold as well as electricity. In the coming years a seasonal thermal storage facility will be added to mix.

For a new urban agenda and a better urban future …

… only two weeks after the conclusion of the HABITAT-III conference in Quito, 21 new participants from Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Lesotho, Mauritius, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam have arrived to learn and share about their experiences in the 70th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUB International Short Course on Sustainable cities. The course under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bernhard Müller thereby follows the concept of developing and implementing a new urban agenda.

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Urban planning in the city of Dresden and surroundings

On April 29^th, one of the first and long-awaited sunny days of the Dresdner Frühling (spring in Dresden), we explored some key places of the city to learn about different methods of urban planning and urban changes that took place in the last 30 years, with the guidance of Dr. Schmidt (Chair of Landmanagement, TU Dresden). The first place we visited was the southern area of the city of Dresden, next to the Bismarckturm (Bismarck Tower) in the District of Zschertnitz, from where we had a wonderful view of the valley in which the central part of the city was developed and is still growing. There, some important explanations were done by Dr. Schmidt concerning the types of land uses (forests, agriculture, industrial areas, settlements), the distribution of the agglomerations, the rural areas and the traffic corridors in the State of Saxony, as well as the population changes in the city of Dresden between the 1970s and nowadays, which shows the increasing amount of inhabitants in the city since 2005 due to higher rates of births and migration from the surroundings to Dresden. At the moment, Dresden is the 12^th biggest city in Germany.

View of Dresden from the southern part of the city.

Dr. Schmidt presenting to the CIPSEM Course participants some important geographical, urban and demographic data of the State and the city of Dresden.

The Bismarckturm.

The CIPSEM Cours participants with Dr. Schmidt.

After this first insight we headed to the District of Gorbitz, part of the city of Dresden, to see a housing complex with a total of 15,000 flats for 40,000 people, 10% of the population of the city at the end of the 1980s. The complex was first planned in the 1970s, in the GDR (German Democratic Republic) times, when a lack of housing for the population in East Germany urged the Government in Berlin to plan large house building programs that would be developed up to the 1990s, in 5-year plans. The municipal planners of the city of Dresden decided to build the houses on former agricultural lands in Gorbitz. The reasons to choose this area were a relative good connection to the city center through the existing transportation network at the time and the proximity to a market and shopping area to ensure the provisioning of basic goods for the population that were going to inhabit the new flats. To build such a large amount of houses, an industrialized method of building was developed: the prefabricated type. In 1981 the first constructions started. The buildings had 6-floors each and contained many flats of 1 or 2 rooms that were all designed with the same shape, look and disposition. All the flats were owned by the Government and/or by cooperatives, to which people had to apply to rent one. The complex was fully planned with all the basic services (water, sewerage, heating, electricity), new streets, the extension of the transportation network, open green areas, schools and kindergartens, new market areas, but without working areas such as industries, large commercial areas, etc. After the reunification of Germany, a lot of houses were built in other places of Dresden and many people moved out from Gorbitz to the newly built flats. Several of the empty flats of the complex were deconstructed completely or reduced to fewer floors due to the high costs of maintenance. Nowadays, the city of Dresden is investing in the improvement and modernizing of the flats to attract people again to live there.

Map of the housing complex in Gorbitz.

View of a part of the Gorbitz housing complex.

Renovated buildings of the Gorbitz housing complex.

The third site we visited was in the District of Kesselsdorf in the city of Wilsdruff, right next to Dresden, as an example of “sub-urbanization”. Kesselsdorf remained mostly a rural area up to the 1990s, when a settlement was developed on former agricultural lands by the hand of private initiative of investors of the so called West Germany. This represented new opportunities of tax incomes for the municipality, which was the responsible to choose the site for the construction. This sub-urbanization was very common after the reunification of Germany, since an increasing amount of housing buildings in the surroundings of the cities were built. In the case we visited, those houses were designed to attract the part of the population with higher incomes who wanted to leave the city center of Dresden and live in a quieter and cleaner environment. About 2,000 people moved from Dresden to Kesselsdorf during the 1990s. The housing offer was created after surveys conducted by the private initiative to know how many people from the city would like to move outside Dresden, resulting in a 75% of those surveyed. The new buildings did not match with the rural environment of single houses style, since they contained many floors and the capacity to house several families. In the last years, people from the surroundings moved back to Dresden to get better access to their work places, education and leisure and cultural offers, as well as to better infrastructure. This process is the so called “re-urbanization” of the city.

The CIPSEM course participants listening to the explanations of Dr. Schmidt in Kesselsdorf.

The new housing complex in Kesselsdorf.

In between, we also could pass through Moritzburg, a community in the city of Meissen, near Dresden, which maintains a baroque Schloss (palace/castle) that started to be built in the 16^th century and served as a hunting lodge for members of the nobility of Saxony, including Augustus the Strong in the 18^th century.

The castle of Moritzburg.

Some of the CIPSEM Course participants in front of the castle of Moritzburg. From left to right: Dulip, Mehri, Rocío, Nga, Karimon, Hiba, Su Mon, Fany and Hisham.

On the was back to CIPSEM, we had finally the great pleasure of visiting the District of Hellerau, part of the city of Dresden, in which the second oldest Garden City of Germany is located. The Garden City concept was initiated at the end of the 19^th century in the UK as a method of urban planning. The development of this concept in Hellerau took place by the hand of Karl Schmidt-Hellerau, a businessman who moved his furniture manufactory from the center of the city to the outskirts in the first years of the 20^th century. The city was completely planned and had the purpose of providing better conditions of life for the manufactory’s employees, allowing them to inhabit in single houses with small gardens in the yards. The urban complex includes the houses, a central market, the industry and its administrative offices and even a theater. The place is still visited nowadays, mainly by architecture students and specialists because of the attractiveness of the complex from the sight of the urban planning and the outside look of the buildings.