Civil society organisations (CSOs), community groups, independent urban experts, development partners, donor organisations, and technical and administrative representatives of partner municipalities gathered for the final exchange conference, “Urban Labs Georgia: From Ideas to Action,” to share experiences, present results and reflect on lessons learned through the Urban Labs established under the Sustainable Urban Development (SUD) project.
Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), SUD has supported local stakeholders in developing and implementing urban initiatives, strengthening participatory planning processes and fostering collaboration among diverse actors at the municipal level. By bringing together municipalities, civil society and local communities, the project has promoted practical approaches to more inclusive, climate-resilient and liveable urban environments in Georgia.
The event was opened with welcome remarks delivered by Barbara Voss, designated Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Georgia; Nicholas Cendrowicz, Head of Cooperation, Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, Daniel Busche, Country Director at GIZ Georgia and Anka Derichs, Project Director of SUD at GIZ Georgia.
The designated Ambassador Barbara Voss emphasized that citizen participation is essential to shaping urban environments that responded to people’s needs and to build a pluralistic society. All main stakeholders have to be involved to create livable and sustainable environments.
Nicholas Cendrowicz, Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia, reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to the people of Georgia by highlighting the recently announced €38 million in funding for new projects. The EUwithYou projects aim to make a tangible difference in the lives of families and communities across the country.
To help reduce economic disparities, the EU will support inclusive socio-economic development in Georgia’s small cities and towns. The new projects will create economic opportunities, particularly for women and people in vulnerable situations, while also improving public and community spaces.
As part of this €38 million package, the EU will contribute €4.5 million over the next two and a half years to the EU for Sustainable Urban Development initiative, a joint initiative of the European Union and Germany. Mr. Cendrowicz expressed confidence that GIZ’s experience and expertise will provide a solid foundation for delivering tangible results.
The first part of the conference highlighted the tangible results achieved through the Urban Labs in five partner cities, which together have 360.000 inhabitants. In Batumi, for example the interventions developed and currently implemented in the historic Old Batumi neighbourhood have the potential to improve the urban environment for approximately 15,000 residents, as well as for visitors, by making the area more walkable, accessible and liveable. In Gori the Urban Lab has focused on upgrading social public spaces and green areas in the Chala district . In Zugdidi worked on improving the central city area, In Oni and Samtredia the focus was on nature-based solutions. Overall, 30 local and national Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), together with local residents, have actively contributed to shaping these improvements through participatory planning processes.,. Across the partner cities, the initiative has directly engaged more than 350 residents in co-creating integrated solutions for climate-resilient and liveable neighbourhoods.
It was presented that the project has also developed Neighbourhood Concepts in 3 cities based on urban analysis, local needs and participatory processes. The NC includes a number of possible interventions (urban solutions). Some of them are implemented as demonstration projects .
Also finance-ready investment projets were prepared in line with Georgian public investment standards..... The conference also showed, that policy briefs, practical tools and knowledge products are developed based on the urban lab exeperiences.
Another important area of achievement of the project has been the strengthening of municipal energy management (EMS). EMS have been introduced in 4 municipalities, complemented by energy audits and analytical tools to identify energy-saving potential and promote more efficient resource use. Meanwhile, Climate-friendly Energy Fairs reached more than 500 participants and engaged 30 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), bringing together civil society, businesses and other local stakeholders to promote energy efficiency and sustainable urban development. An SME competition has also been organised in three municipalities, inviting local businesses to put forward ideas and offers on how energy efficiency improvements could benefit the daily operations of their facilities. Of the participating SME, 6 are being financed by SUD, turning energy efficiency measures into concrete savings and more efficient resource use.
The second part of the conference, “Shaping the Future of Cities,” focused on emerging approaches to sustainable urban development. Experts and practitioners explored methodologies for developing integrated Neighbourhood Concepts and discussed how the principles of the New European Bauhaus — sustainability, inclusion and quality of design — can contribute to creating better neighbourhoods and attractive cities.
The conference concluded with an exhibition showcasing the experiences and achievements of the Urban Labs. City stands presented Neighbourhood Concepts, before-and-after visualisations of the implemented measures, participatory methods, tactical urbanism interventions and lessons learned throughout the project.
Together, these achievements demonstrate how targeted support from the German Government has helped advance participatory, climate-oriented and integrated urban development in Georgia.
