Cities

Cities

Ecologic Institute's urban and spatial governance team draws on the expertise of the Institute's sector-specific teams to cover a broad range of research topics. These include green and blue infrastructure (i.e. nature-based solutions), local climate change mitigation and adaptation, urban water cycles, city region food systems, urban food policies, urban-rural linkages, as well as smart cities and digital transformation at the local level.

Projects undertaken by the team include evaluations of programs. In our transdisciplinary research, projects regularly include process design, the facilitation of participatory processes at the local level, or the development of strategies with direct participation by municipal actors and other stakeholders. While aiming at the implementation of specific policies and measures, the projects also contribute to building capacity at the local level for such processes.

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Related Topics

Cities

Biodiversity

Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure

International Development

Adaptation

Land Use

Evaluation

Health

McKenna Davis
Senior Fellow

Cities

International Development

Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure

Climate

Ewa Iwaszuk
Fellow

Cities

Plastics

International Development

Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure

Climate

Evaluation

Indicators

Education

Governance

Doris Knoblauch
Coordinator Urban & Spatial Governance
Senior Fellow

Cities

Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure

Climate

Education

Plastics

Linda Mederake
Researcher

Biodiversity

Cities

International Development

Land Use

Nature-based Solutions and Green Infrastructure

Sandra Naumann
Coordinator Biodiversity and Nature-based Solutions
Senior Fellow

Cities

Food

Land Use

Soil

Agriculture

Education

Stephanie Wunder
Coordinator Food Systems
Coordinator Land Use Policy
Senior Fellow
Selected Projects for Cities
ProjectHorizon 2020Co-designing Locally-tailored Ecological Solutions for Value-added, Socially Inclusive Regeneration in Cities (CLEVER Cities)
 
With three quarters of the European Union's population living in cities and further increases expected, societies are increasingly facing socio-political shifts and marginalization. Limited availability of physical space, changing urban demographics, and increasing... Read more

Co-designing Locally-tailored Ecological Solutions for Value-added, Socially Inclusive Regeneration in Cities (CLEVER Cities)

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectHorizon 2020Digital Water City – Leading urban water management to its digital future (DWC)
 
| ©JFL Photography|Fotolia.com
European cities face major challenges to achieve the desired level of sustainability in the management of urban water systems. Digital technologies such as mobile devices, sensor network, real-time monitoring, machine learning, and modeling tools have the potential to... Read more

Digital Water City – Leading urban water management to its digital future (DWC)

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectHorizon 2020Nature Based Urban Innovation (NATURVATION)
 
| Fotolia © kalafoto
Nature is important for the urban environment: trees grant shade during the summer months, while parks and lakes function as areas for relaxation, as places where the urban population comes together, and as space where children can experience nature and learn about it... Read more

Nature Based Urban Innovation (NATURVATION)

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectEnabling Green and Blue Infrastructure Potential in Complex Social-ecological Regions (ENABLE)
 
Green and Blue infrastructure (GBI) in cities holds large potential to effectively address emerging global challenges, such as climate change impacts, increasing urbanisation and declining access to nature, as it can deliver multiple societal, ecological and economic... Read more

Enabling Green and Blue Infrastructure Potential in Complex Social-ecological Regions (ENABLE)

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectRural Urban Nexus – Global Sustainable Land Use and Urbanisation (RUN)
 
Between 2016 and 2019 the project "Rural Urban Nexus – Global sustainable land use and urbanisation" developed conceptual approaches and policy recommendations directed at an integrated and sustainable rural and urban development. Background More than half of the... Read more

Rural Urban Nexus – Global Sustainable Land Use and Urbanisation (RUN)

Duration
-
Funding
ProjectFP 7Post-Carbon Cities in Europe: A Long-Term Outlook (POCACITO)
 
TeilnehmerInnen des Pocacito-Kick-Off-Meetings
In the transition to a post-carbon economy and sustainable societies, cities will be faced with unique challenges. POCACITO focused on uncovering how to improve the resilience of cities and regions in order to reduce existing and emerging conflicts over resources and... Read more

Post-Carbon Cities in Europe: A Long-Term Outlook (POCACITO)

Duration
-
Funding
All projects on Cities
Selected Publications for Cities
PublicationBookAddressing Climate Change in Cities – Catalogue of urban nature-based solutions
 
Nature-based solutions (NBS) are solutions that are inspired and supported by nature. They can be used in urban settings to complement or replace "traditional" or "grey" solutions to perform functions, such as thermal insulation and stormwater retention and filtration.... Read more

English version: Iwaszuk, E., Rudik, G., Duin, L., Mederake, L., Davis, M., Naumann, S., Wagner, I., 2019: Addressing Climate Change in Cities. Catalogue of Urban Nature-Based Solutions. Ecologic Institute, the Sendzimir Foundation: Berlin, Krakow.

Polish version: Iwaszuk, E., Rudik, G., Duin, L., Mederake, L., Davis, M., Naumann, S., Wagner, I., 2019: Błękitno-zielona
infrastruktura dla łagodzenia zmian klimatu w miastach. Katalog techniczny. Ecologic Institute, Fundacja Sendzimira: Berlin, Krakow.

PublicationBook SectionThe Transformative Potential of Local Climate Change Strategies
 
With both the impact of climate change on cities and the role cities play in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions becoming increasingly apparent, many cities around the world are adopting long-term climate policy strategies or vision documents outlining how they... Read more

Iwaszuk, Ewa; Mederake, Linda; Knoblauch, Doris (2019): The Transformative Potential of Local Climate Change Strategies. In: Zevi, Tobia (Ed.) The Century of Global Cities. How Urbanisation is Changing the World and Shaping our Future. Milan: Italian Institute for International Political Studies.

PublicationArticleSieben auf einen Streich
 
©Stephanie Wunder|CC BY NC
The German article "Seven at one blow! Regional Food Strategies as key to more sustainable Urban-Rural cooperations" deals with the role of regional food strategies as a promising approach for an integrated, sustainable development of urban and rural areas.... Read more

Wunder, Stephanie and Franziska Wolff 2020: Sieben auf einen Streich. Regionale Ernährungsstrategien als Schlüssel für eine nachhaltigere Stadt-Umland-Kooperation. In: AgrarBündnis e.V. (Hg.): Kritischer Agrarbericht 2020. Konstanz.

PublicationReportMulti-level Policy Framework for Sustainable Urban Development and Nature-based Solutions – Status quo, gaps and opportunities
 
In this report, Doris Knoblauch, Sandra Naumann, Linda Mederake and Ariel Carlos Araujo Sosa (all Ecologic Institute) explore the extent to which current policy frameworks support sustainable urban development and nature-based solutions (NBS). To this end, policies... Read more

Knoblauch et al. (2019). Multi-level policy framework for sustainable urban development and nature-based solutions -- Status quo, gaps and oppor-tunities. Deliverable 1.2, CLEVER Cities, H2020 grant no. 776604.

PublicationBook SectionThe Evolving Role of Cities as Non-state Actors in the International Climate Regime
 
"While nations talk, cities act." This quote from Mike Bloomberg, the former New York mayor, reflects the frequent portrayal of the role of cities and local governments in global climate governance: in light of concerns about the inability of national... Read more

Mederake, Linda; Iwaszuk, Ewa; Knoblauch, Doris (2019): The evolving role of cities as non-state actors in the international climate regime. In: Abdullah, Hannah (Ed.) Cities in World Politics. Local responses to global challenges. Monografías CIDOB 75. Barcelona: CIDOB.

PublicationReportRegionale Ernährungssysteme und nachhaltige Landnutzung im Stadt-Land-Nexus
 
This study shows that a commitment to a regional food policy promises positive effects in a whole range of policy areas, including environmental protection, sustainable land use, health, strengthening local value chains, education, and participation. Regional food... Read more

Wunder, Stephanie (2019): Regionale Ernährungssysteme und nachhaltige Landnutzung im Stadt-Land-Nexus. Dessau-Roßlau: Umweltbundesamt.

PublicationReportRural Urban Nexus – Globale Landnutzung und Urbanisierung
 
The report "Integrated approaches for sustainable urban-rural development" published by the German Federal Environment Agency at the end of 2019 summarizes the results of the three-year research project "Rural Urban Nexus – Global Land Use and Urbanization" (RUN). The... Read more

Wunder, Stephanie et. al. (2019): Rural Urban Nexus – Globale Landnutzung und Urbanisierung: Integrierte Ansätze für eine nachhaltige Stadt-Land-Entwicklung. Dessau-Roßlau: Umweltbundesamt.

PublicationReportNachhaltige Ernährungssysteme in Zeiten von Urbanisierung und globaler Ressourcenknappheit
 
This working paper identifies the main overarching trends affecting the food supply system, sets out the environmental and socio-economic implications of spatial decoupling of food production, consumption and disposal, and addresses the particular role of urbanisation... Read more

Wunder, Stephanie (2019): Nachhaltige Ernährungssysteme in Zeiten von Urbanisierung und globaler Ressourcenknappheit: Herausforderungen und Handlungsmöglichkeiten. Dessau-Roßlau: Umweltbundesamt.

PublicationReportRahmenbedingungen und Instrumente für die Gestaltung nachhaltiger Stadt-Land-Verknüpfungen
 
The report first presents non-institutional factors that influence the relationship between urban and rural areas. In the second part, it provides an overview of institutional framework conditions and instruments for the design of sustainable urban-rural linkages. The... Read more

Wolff, Franziska Wolff; Mederake, Linda; Bleher, Daniel; Sosath, Olaf; Westphal, Ida (2019): Rahmenbedingungen und Instrumente für die Gestaltung nachhaltiger Stadt-Land-Verknüpfungen. Dessau: Umweltbundesamt.

PublicationArticleClimate Pioneership and Leadership in Structurally Disadvantaged Maritime Port Cities
 
In this article, the authors, among them Ecologic Institute's Linda Mederake, assess innovative climate governance in small-to-medium-sized structurally disadvantaged cities (SDCs). Considering their deeply ingrained severe economic and social problems, it would be... Read more

Wurzel, Rüdiger; Moulton, Jeremy; Osthorst, Winfried; Mederake, Linda; Deutz, Pauline; Jonas, Andrew (2019): Climate pioneership and leadership in structurally disadvantaged maritime port cities. Environmental Politics 28(1): 146-166.

All publications on Cities
Selected Events for Cities
All events on Cities
Selected Presentations for Cities
PresentationSpeechClimate Protection in the Pankow District – Successful examples from other municipalities
 
Doris Knoblauch bei ihrem Vortrag in der BVV Pankow.
On 20 November 2019, Doris Knoblauch of Ecologic Institute was invited as an expert to a hearing on "Climate Protection in the Pankow District" at the Pankow District Assembly in Berlin. The expert's presentation dealt with possible climate protection... Read more

Speech:Climate Protection in the Pankow District – Successful examples from other municipalities

Date
Location
Berlin, Germany
PresentationSpeechRegional Food Systems in the Rural Urban Nexus
 
Stephanie Wunder © NürnbergMesse | Thomas Geiger
"More organic, more regional food, fit for the future – transition of food systems through urban-rural cooperation". That was the motto of this year's STADTLANDBIO congress on 14 and 15 February 2019 that took place as part of the BIOFACH – the international trade Fair... Read more

Speech:Regional Food Systems in the Rural Urban Nexus

Date
-
Location
Berlin, Germany
PresentationSpeechWhat Does the European Green Deal Mean for Cities and Metropolitan Areas?
 
The Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) and the Àerea Metropolitanade Barcelona (AMB) invited Doris Knoblauch from Ecologic Institute to speak at the workshop "Metropolitan Challenges in the post 2020 European Union" in Barcelona (Spain), on 10 March 2020... Read more

Speech:What Does the European Green Deal Mean for Cities and Metropolitan Areas?

Date
Location
Barcelona, Spain
All presentations on Cities