For the first time, all ministers responsible for urban development met in September 2022 as part of the German G7 Presidency and exchanged views on the sustainable development of cities. In a communiqué, the results of the consultations and cornerstones for further work were agreed. The G7 Urban Development Track is part of the International Urban Development Policy (ISP) of the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB). The aim of the cooperation is the close cooperation and coordination of the participating states to solve global sustainability issues together with urban actors and using instruments of integrated urban development.
In one of the four 'commitment for joint action' set out in the communiqué, the G7 countries agreed to focus on joint development and exchange on strategies to strengthen resilience in cities. At national level, German urban development policy can already draw on the memorandum "Urban Resilience" published in 2021 and use it for international discourse. The memorandum also provides for the promotion of international exchange formats that are both practical and include science and research. However, there is still a lack of an overview of current and comparable documents and strategies of all G7 countries.
The project understands the term Urban Resilience as a definition of UN HABITAT that is also the basis of the communiqué of the G7 countries. Urban resilience is therefore "the measurable ability of any urban system, with its inhabitants, to maintain continuity through all shocks and stresses, while positively adapting and transforming toward sustainability" (G7 2020: 4). A distinction must be made between different phases in dealing with resilience: (1) anticipation (anticipating the crisis with foresight), (2) crisis management (overcoming the crisis) and (3) adaptation (learning from the crisis) (see also resilience cycle). Not only current crises and catastrophes are relevant in this context, but also "creeping" crises that need to be uncovered. The topic of urban resilience is to be explicitly operationalized in its effects on integrated urban development (including urban development policy instruments and processes) in an international context.
Within the framework of the ISP of the BMWSB and to strengthen urban resilience in Germany, the current G7 process offers the opportunity to enter into an in-depth learning and exchange process on current issues of urban development. Despite pronounced differences, for example in the systems of government or the initial urban geographical conditions, the G7 countries share common ground in terms of economic strength, democratic constitution and municipal human and financial resources, so that a comparative view of these nations is very valuable for the Federal Government.
The findings of the project are to be selectively incorporated into the professional exchange with other countries outside the group of G7 countries (e.g. G20 countries). The project has an interface with the call for projects of the National Urban Development Policy "Post-Corona City" of the BMWSB / BBSR. Within this framework, 17 pilot projects throughout Germany are testing innovative and exemplary ideas for resilient urban development.
An important methodological aspect of the project is the multi-level approach and the involvement of relevant stakeholder groups - on the one hand for the international exchange of expertise on urban resilience and on the other hand for the involvement of municipal actors. To this end, case studies are to be provided that promote dialogue between the participating cities of the G7 countries within the framework of international networking formats.
See "Description of Services"