The Urban Nexus Workout – A Training Concept for Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities

More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to rise rapidly, particularly in Asia and the Pacific. Managing this rapid pace of urbanisation sustainably is no easy task: New solutions and processes that integrate various sectors will be needed to meet the increased demands for natural resources, urban space, higher quality of life and infrastructure.

Global goals and agreements such as the New Urban Agenda adopted in October 2016 as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) already recognise the importance of applying such integrated approaches, especially in urban areas. However, there is so far little guidance on implementing this cooperation in practice. As a result, many cities continue to plan and manage along sectoral lines and are not able to exploit the co-benefits arising from integrated resource management and planning.

The Urban Nexus approach seeks to fill this gap by translating integrated planning and management approaches into practice for the key resources energy, water and food. The approach guides stakeholders in the identification of synergies and connections between these sectors and technical domains in order to increase performance, efficiency, and the delivery of services.

On behalf of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), adelphi developed a modular-structured Urban Nexus training that aims to promote and institutionalise the Urban Nexus approach in Asia and the Pacific. The training links the Urban Nexus approach and global agreements, such as the Urban Agenda, the Paris Climate Agreement and the SDGs, and thus positions the Urban Nexus in the context of an international reference system. Moreover, the training elaborates on the governance and planning processes needed to successfully implement integrated approaches and introduce state-of-the-art engineering solutions.

Through a variety of training formats, the training seeks the active participation and engagement of the target group that includes the staff of the city administration, local and national governments, NGOs, and donor organisations, among others. To test the suitability of the training materials and chosen formats, adelphi conducted a two-day pilot training in Bangkok, Thailand.