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The KAS network “Strong Cities2030" ("SC2030"), which was successfully launched last year during a conference in the City of Essen, Germany brings together young politicians and urban development experts from international metropolitan regions to share expertise and ideas and to jointly develop new approaches based on shared political values. The creation of a lasting global network of politicians and urban development experts is one of the envisaged long term outcomes of this initiative. 

With this new global initiative KAS responds to the need to build capacity, share know-how and best practices as well as facilitate international collaboration in terms of sustainable urban development amongst young local policy makers and experts.

Since Africa has one of the fastest urbanisation rates worlwide, KAS has decided to host this year's SC2030 conference in Johannesburg, South Africa from 13-15th October. The conference, which will be co-hosted by the City of Johannesburg, focuses on the theme "Inequality" and explores innovative approaches on how to overcome inequality in terms of spatial planning, modes of transport, economic opportunities and city governance.

The conference will provide a platform for participants to share real best practices and expertise as well as to network and identify areas of future collaboration. Invited participants come from cities in Africa, Asia, Europe, as well as North- and South America.

Strong Cities 2030 Scholarship Programme

In 2020, KAS in cooperation with the South African Research Chair in Cities, Law and Environmental Sustainability (CLES) will introduce the Strong Cities 2030 scholarship programme for eligible PhD students with research interests in the Strong Cities 2030 agenda.

With the introduction of the Strong Cities 2030 scholarship programme, KAS intends to build research capacity in the field of urban governance and law, which will provide policy makers and urban development planners with much needed expertise and hence will promote sustainable urban development in South Africa and the region. CLES, a research partner in the Strong Cities 2030 initiative, forms part of the Research Union on Law, Justice and Sustainability of the Faculty of Law of the North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa.

For more information about the SC2030 conference in 2019 and the SC2030 scholarship programme, please visit our website.