The seventh and final meeting of the South African-German P2P Learning Network took place in Bottrop from June 10 to June 13, 2025. bgh. Gauly & Volgmann GbR supported the preparation and implementation of the network meeting.
35 participants from South Africa and Germany came together to discuss current challenges and potentials of urban development. The focus of the event, which was organized as part of the GIZ project “Dialogues for Urban Change (D4UC)”, was peer-to-peer consultation on issues of integrated and community-oriented urban development based on eight living labs of the participating cities. These living labs are ongoing urban development projects that deal with the revitalization of inner cities and neighbourhood centres as well as the creation of liveable and safe public spaces for all residents.
A special feature of the network is the multi-level dialog. Participants in the network are representatives of the:
- Municipal level: KwaDukuza, Nelson Mandela Bay, uMhlathuze, Stellenbosch, Karlsruhe, Ludwigsburg, Nuremberg and Bottrop,
- Municipal umbrella organizations of both countries: South African Local Government Association (SALGA), The South African Cities Network (SACN), German Association of Cities (DST),
- lead ministries: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), South Africa and the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building as well as
- other South African ministries: Department of Human Settlements and National Treasury.
The following key points were discussed in Bottrop.
- Getting to know Bottrop, general figures and data with emphasis on the complexity of urban development in Bottrop.
- Collegial advice Bottrop´s Got Talent – What special talent do selected shopping streets and public spaces in Bottrop’s city center have?
- Current state of the Living Labs with a focus on changes which have occurred since our last meeting in Ludwigsburg and lessons learned.
- Final reflection on learnings and impact of the network, the learning experiences at individual, institutional and project level as well as decisions on the further development of the network, even after the official end of the network.
Review 6th network meeting (Link)
More information about the project D4UC (Link)
Commissioned by: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
Period: 2022 – 2026