Urban Nexus Publication

The Urban Nexus
Integrating Resources for Sustainable Cities

The Urban Nexus
Integrating Resources for Sustainable Cities
United Nations publication
Copyright © United Nations 2019
All rights reserved
Printed in Thailand
ST/ESCAP/2859
This publication was prepared under the project “Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities:
The Urban Nexus, which was jointly initiated with ESCAP, the Deutsche Gesellchaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and ICLEI − Local Governments for Sustainability as partners, with funding
from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
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Foreword
For centuries, energy, water, food and land have been the major resources contributing to life as we know it and serving
as the basis for establishing social structures and economic systems. The sustainable use of these resources is
necessary for maintaining a sustainable equilibrium on our planet. However, overexploitation and resource-intensive
growth patterns have highlighted the Asia-Pacific region’s vulnerability to resource volatilities, resulting in negative
impacts on efforts to achieve poverty reduction, environmental integrity and ecological sustainability.
Profound economic development, population growth and urbanization combined have increased demand for limited
natural resources. Rapid urbanization, particularly in the Asian and Pacific region where 60 per cent of the world’s
urban population resides, has been driving much of the demand for natural resources. The growth of cities is a key
contributor to environmental degradation and climate change; however, cities provide the physical and institutional
space where knowledge is created and diffused, infrastructure is developed, social structures are instituted, markets
are established and interactions between people, technology, economy and environment are taking place. The Urban
Nexus approach recognizes that cities must be part of the solution by examining and optimizing interdependencies
and synergies between water, energy, food and land resources. The approach requires a shift from traditional, sectoral
practices to cross-sectoral, integrated approaches that involve broad stakeholder and government engagement.
Decoupling economic growth from environmental impact and valuing waste as a resource are fundamental to the
Nexus concept.
Since 2013, our Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus project, supported by the German
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), has collaborated with representatives from 12
project cites and 7 countries to assess, design and implement innovative solutions in the areas of water supply, waste
water, energy and solid waste management. Several Nexus pilot investment projects costing less than $1 million have
been implemented and financed by the project cities, resulting in improvements in residents’ lives and cost savings
for the municipalities. Altogether more than 55 cross-sectoral investment projects amounting to $600 million have
been jointly studied and elaborated, often still in the pipeline for financing. Dialogues, particularly between local and
national levels of government, have laid the groundwork to introduce the required policy shifts needed to advance
integrated resource management in cities, including to mainstream the Nexus approach into national initiatives for
the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Climate
Agreement. Achieving national targets and global agenda commitments demands coordination and coherence with
involved stakeholders from Governments, academic institutions, private sectors and civil societies, working together
to ensure optimization of resource integration.
The Urban Nexus project evolved from initiating activities in project cities and increasing national-level engagement to
collaborating with many sectors and groups, including youth and academia, to cultivate a mindset of lifelong learning
needed to advance sustainable development. Many training institutes have already embraced transdisciplinary,
integrated approaches in their curricula and teaching. Today’s youth are the leaders of tomorrow, and students,
teachers and schools are natural multipliers needed to mainstream sustainable development values.
The ideas, partnerships, networks and activities that have been initiated through the Urban Nexus project offer
great potential for cities to take forward integrated approaches and develop innovative policies to reduce resource
consumption. Work must continue on regulatory and incentivizing instruments to guide transparent urban development
and conscious use of our natural resources, and we must recognize that waste and wastewater, if managed well in the
context of a circular economy, can be a prosperous income source and foster market opportunities. Mainstreaming the
Urban Nexus approach can lead to entrepreneurial solutions to resource management throughout Asia and the Pacific.
We hope that this publication will become a substantive contribution to the growing dialogue, work and training to
support further application of integrated resource management within the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
Stefanos Fotiou Ruth Erlbeck Emani Kumar

Director Project Director Deputy Secretary-General and
Environment and Development Integrated Resource Management in Executive Director
Division Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus ICLEI World Secretariat and ICLEI
ESCAP GIZ South Asia
iii
Acknowledgements
This publication brings together practical and technical expertise gained over six years by practitioners
and stakeholders working to advance the Urban Nexus approach. ESCAP worked closely with project
partners (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Urban Nexus and ICLEI
− Local Governments for Sustainability) and project cities, and engaged international and national experts
on resource efficiency and integrated resource management to draft and finalize this guide. ESCAP would
like to acknowledge the following individuals who contributed to the process:
Supervision and coordination: Stefanos Fotiou, Curt Garrigan and Kyungkoo (Philip) Kang
Principal author: Eva Wong
Contributing authors: Ruth Erlbeck, Ralph Trosse, Rashane Sala Ngarm, Emani Kumar, Kyungkoo
(Philip) Kang, Julia Tomalka, Samuel Law, Jinghong Lyu, Alexander Nordt, Tserendash Sugarragchaa,
Werner Haberzettl, Yuxia Yin, Suarni Daeng Caya, Phong Le Van, Vic Aquitania, Ritu Thakur, Ranell Martin
Dedicatoria, Joy Baldo, Steven Gu and Duangta Pawa (graphics)
Technical assistance and editing: John Loftus
Graphic design and layout: Jeff Williams
Support staff: Sirikul Suvarnanetra, Paradee Pethaibanlue, Orani Potchapornkul and Nattawan Chantochoto
ESCAP gratefully acknowledges the generous financial support received from the German Federal Ministry
for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), which enabled development of this publication, and
GIZ Urban Nexus, for leading project implementation.
iv
Contents
Foreword iii
Acknowledgements iv
Acronyms and abbreviations vii
Introduction 1
Chapter I. The water-energy-food/land nexus and cities 3

1.1 Natural resource linkages and scarcity 3
1.2 A brief history of the Nexus concept 4
1.3 Urbanization in Asia and the Pacific 7
1.4 The Urban Nexus 9
1.5 Benefits of a circular economy 9
Chapter II. Global development agendas and the Urban Nexus 12

2.1 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Urban Nexus 12
2.2 Paris Agreement 15
2.3 New Urban Agenda 16
2.4 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 17
2.5 Addis Ababa Action Agenda: funding the 2030 Agenda 18
2.6 From global frameworks to local actions 18
In Focus. Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus Project 20
Chapter III. Urban Nexus Guidance Framework 47

3.1 Enabling the Urban Nexus 47
3.1.1 Governance dimension 48
3.1.2 Inclusive decision-making dimension 49
3.1.3 Science, technology and innovation dimension 49
3.1.4 Finance and business dimension 50
3.1.5 Urban planning dimension 51
3.2 Urban Nexus project cycle 53
3.2.1 Action: Identify 54
3.2.2 Action: Assess 56
3.2.3 Action: Plan and design 56
3.2.4 Action: Monitor and evaluate 57
3.2.5 Action: Mainstream, disseminate and scale up 58
3.3 Urban Nexus vortex 59
3.4 Capacity development 61
3.5 Conclusion 62
References 64
Endnotes 69
Annexes
I. Key resource Nexus frameworks 70
II. Summary of select examples of Nexus tools and methods 73
III. Urban Nexus events and activities from 2013 to 2019 80
Boxes
I.1 Cities − centres of challenge and opportunity 8
I.2 Measuring resource efficiency 10
I.3 Closing the loop on solid waste 11
II.1 The SDG Help Desk 13

II.2 Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar integration efforts 15
II.3 Localizing the 2030 Agenda 15
II.4 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Conference
of the Parties 16
II.5 Asia-Pacific Urban Forum recommends Nexus approach 17
II.6 “Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient” 17
II.7 Regional Roadmap for Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development in Asia and the Pacific 18
III.1 Gender mainstreaming essential to creating inclusive and sustainable cities 49

III.2 Water, Energy & Food Security Resource Platform 50
III.3 Innovation and the Urban Nexus 50
III.4 Evolution of urban planning 52
III.5 Stakeholder coordination within project cities 54
III.6 Initiatives for measuring progress on global agendas 58
III.7 Translating standards to promote innovative technologies 59
III.8 Capacity WORKS 61
III.9 Urban Nexus training 62
Figures
I.1 Three resource supply securities 4
I.2 Key sustainable development and Nexus events 6
I.3 World urbanization figures 7
I.4 Urban population, by regions of the world 8
I.5 Circular economy with energy and mass flow cycles 10
II.1 Sustainable Development Goals 12

II.2 Urban Nexus interlinkages with the Sustainable Development Goals 14
III.1 Urban Nexus wheel 47

III.2 Naga City’s planning framework 52
III.3 Urban Nexus project cycle 53
III.4 Urban Nexus vortex 60
Tables
II.1 Key aspects of five global agendas 19
III.1 Stakeholder analysis and capacity assessment 55
Acronyms and abbreviations
ADB Asian Development Bank
BAPPENAS Ministry of National Development Planning, Indonesia
BISCAST Bicol State College for Applied Science and Technology, Philippines
BMA Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
BMZ Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany
CDIA Cities Development Initiative for Asia
COP 21 Twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change (2015)
CPI City Prosperity Initiative of UN-Habitat
CSO civil society organization
ECE Economic Commission for Europe
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations
GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
ICIMOD International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development
ICLEI International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives – Local Governments for
Sustainability
IAEG-SDGs Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators
IFC International Finance Corporation
IFES integrated food and energy systems
IRM integrated resource management
IWMP Integrated Watershed Management Programme, India
LLDA Laguna Lake Development Authority, Philippines
MASM Mongolian Agency for Standardization and Metrology
MNS Mongolian national standard
MoHURD Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, China
MYT® Maximum Yield Technology®
NDC nationally determined contribution
NEDA National Economic and Development Authority, Philippines
NGO non-governmental organization
RAC room air conditioner
SDGs Sustainable Development Goals
TC technical cooperation
TICA Thailand International Cooperation Agency
UCLG-ASPAC United Cities and Local Governments Asia-Pacific
UNC University of North Carolina
UNDESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
UNDG United Nations Development Group
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme
UN-Habitat United Nations Human Settlements Programme
UNU United Nations University
VNR voluntary national review
WBCSD World Business Council for Sustainable Development
WEF World Economic Forum
vIi
The Urban Nexus: Integrating Resources for Sustainable Cities
Introduction
The world is rapidly urbanizing, with the urban population projected to reach 6.7 billion in 2050 (United
Nations, 2018c). The Asia-Pacific region is among those parts of the world growing most quickly, adding
approximately 120,000 people to urban centres each day (IOM, 2015). The region is expected to reach a
milestone in 2019, passing the 50 per cent urbanization threshold, with an urban population of more than
2 billion. As the largest region in the world, with 30 per cent of the Earth’s land mass and a population of
more than 4 billion people,1 Asia and the Pacific is perhaps the world’s most diverse region in terms of
economy, environment, society and human settlements. Managing fast-growing cities and metropolitan
areas is one of the most critical challenges facing the region, particularly regarding urban development
and natural resource use.
Although the Asia-Pacific region is home to 60 per cent of the world’s population, it possesses only 36 per
cent of global water resources. The region has the lowest per capita water availability in the world.2 More
than 421 million residents of the Asia-Pacific region lack access to electricity (ESCAP, 2018), and nearly
half a billion people (486 million) are undernourished (FAO and others, 2018). Demand for water, energy
and food will increase given the region’s rapid rate of urbanization. Coupled with the persistent challenges
of climate change and the region’s vulnerability to natural disasters, development gains risk being eroded
(ESCAP and UN-Habitat, 2015).
Water, energy, food and land are essential resources needed to sustain development efforts, but they
are also the most vulnerable to future demand and urbanization trends. By 2030, the demand for water,
energy and food is estimated to increase by at least 40, 50 and 35 per cent, respectively, as discussed at
the 2014 General Assembly thematic debate on water, sanitation and sustainable energy in the post-2015
development agenda.
Most municipal administrations in the Asia-Pacific region plan and manage along sectoral lines and rarely
in a coordinated manner. Thus, they are unable to harness synergies in the water-energy-food/land sectors
and benefit from potential co-benefits provided by integrated resource planning and management.
Nexus helps address resource challenges
Water, energy and food security are inextricably linked. Water is used for energy production, and energy is
the dominant cost factor in providing water and wastewater services. Energy is needed for land conversion,
construction and transportation, and energy and water are needed for agricultural productivity. Land is
required for water, energy and food production but is becoming increasingly scarce. The Nexus approach
is aimed at optimizing resource use by recognizing the interdependencies between water, energy and
food/land resources. It is aimed at minimizing trade-offs and promoting synergies by working across
sectors and between levels of government.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in 2013 began implementing the
project “Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus” in partnership with the United
Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the International Council
for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) – Local Governments for Sustainability, funded by the German
Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project assisted 12 cities in
7 countries with developing and advancing integrated approaches to natural resource management,
including mainstreaming the Nexus approach into strategies for the implementation of key global
agendas. An evaluation of phase I (2013–2015) of the project concluded that it had been successful
and acknowledged its positive impact while concurrently recommending phase II (2016–2019) to further
assist cities in securing financing for identified projects and engaging national Governments to introduce
required policy shifts.
1
Wastewater and solid waste management were foci of the project in addition to water, energy and food/
land, as project cities often identified these as their most urgent problems. Wastewater and waste were
viewed as resources to close the loops in Urban Nexus projects. A multilevel approach was applied, with
the local level as the starting point. Nexus initiatives supported municipal administrations with analysing
the cities’ problems and identifying cross-sectoral solutions to address them. At the meso level, city
associations, universities, training institutions and civil society organizations were central actors. At
the macro level, national ministries and agencies were engaged to support advancement of the Nexus
concept.
The need for integrated approaches to natural resource management was highlighted in the Rio+20
outcome document3 as well as in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development4 that encompasses 17
Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015. The Paris Agreement5 and New Urban Agenda,6 adopted
in 2015 and 2016, respectively, also support integrated solutions with which Urban Nexus projects and
initiatives are aligned. With reference to the ESCAP programme of work, the relevance of the Urban Nexus
approach was highlighted in the Jakarta Call for Action, adopted at the Sixth Asia-Pacific Urban Forum
in October 2015. The project is aimed at linking the Nexus approach with the Sustainable Development
Goals in the hope that it is mainstreamed into national initiatives for the implementation of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Purpose of the publication
The present publication is aimed at sharing knowledge and experience accumulated from the project
“Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus”, providing cities, interested in
advancing the Urban Nexus approach, with information to get started. The publication has relevance
to national and local administrators and technical staff, development organizations and United Nations
officials and other institutions promoting sustainable management of natural resources and efficient
urban management.
Chapter I explains the relationships between water, energy and food security; highlights growing challenges
within these sectors; and presents the evolution of the Nexus concept as a solution. It describes the
current situation in the Asia-Pacific region and key concepts, such as decoupling, resource efficiency and
a circular economy, which are relevant to understanding the Urban Nexus.
Chapter II highlights five landmark global agendas that were adopted in 2015 and 2016 and explains how
the Urban Nexus approach contributes to achievement of these agreements. The Urban Nexus approach
involves cross-sectoral collaboration and vertical integration – working with different levels of government,
thus serving as a logical entry point to developing integrated policies and programmes needed to reach
national commitments regarding sustainability and climate change.
Chapter III introduces the Urban Nexus Guidance Framework which outlines five enabling dimensions:
governance; inclusive decision-making; science, technology and innovation; finance and business; and
urban planning, all of which need to be considered when implementing Urban Nexus projects. The
framework presents a project cycle with guiding questions to support local governments when taking
initial action to advance integrated solutions.
The special “In Focus” insert following chapter II describes in detail the project “Integrated Resource
Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus”.
2
Chapter I
The water-energy-food/land nexus and cities
“The population of the world is growing rapidly. More people will get out of poverty
and receive a higher standard of living. This will also mean an increased demand for
food production and household water, sanitation, industrial and energy production”.
Isabella Lövin, Minister for International Development Cooperation, Sweden7
1.1 Natural resource linkages and scarcity

Rapid growth, without decoupling economic progress from environmental degradation, has accelerated
wasteful use of natural resources and produced negative environmental and social externalities, straining
supplies of water, energy and food/land. Water, energy and food/land are essential to sustain life and
development but are also the most vulnerable to future demand. Globally, more than 2 billion people still
lack access to safely managed drinking water (WHO and UNICEF, 2017), about 1 billion lack access to
electricity,8 and 815 million are undernourished (FAO and others, 2017). Population growth and climate
change are having further adverse impacts on the future availability and sustainability of these key
resources. Between 2015 and 2030, the global population is projected to increase by roughly 16 per cent
(United Nations, 2015), and by 2030 the demand for water, energy and food is estimated to increase by at
least 40, 50 and 35 per cent, respectively, as discussed at the 2014 General Assembly thematic debate on
water, sanitation and sustainable energy in the post-2015 development agenda.
There is growing recognition that society cannot continue to extract and manage environmental resources
in silos. Current production and consumption patterns may result in severe supply shortages by 2030,
particularly regarding water, energy and food/land. Security of supply in these three resource sectors are
interlinked, and these supply securities depend on ecosystems, of which water, energy and food/land are
a part. These resources need to be protected and used in an efficient and balanced manner (figure I.1).
3
Figure I.1
Three resource supply securities
Source: Water, Energy & Food Security Resource Platform.
Water, energy and food/land are inextricably linked. Most types of energy generation (coal, gas,
geothermal, hydro, nuclear, oil) consume water through raw material extraction, construction, operation
and maintenance of the generating plant and for cooling during the process of generating electricity. On
average, 15 per cent of the world’s total water withdrawal is used for energy production (WWAP, 2016).
Energy is the dominant cost factor in the provision of water and wastewater services (extracting and
conveying water, treating water, distributing water, using water and collecting and treating wastewater).
Energy can account for up to 30 per cent of total operating costs of water and wastewater utilities (World
Bank, 2012). Energy is also critical to development activities, such as land conversion, construction and
transportation.
Energy and water are needed for agricultural productivity (processing, refrigeration and transportation;
crop irrigation; and livestock production). Often energy and water are wasted due to poor irrigation
equipment and/or operations. Land is required for water, energy, food production and housing, but it is
becoming increasingly scarce (Schreiner, 2015).
1.2 A brief history of the Nexus concept

The nexus of natural resources is not a new concept. As early as 1983, the United Nations University’s
Food-Energy Nexus Programme conceptualized an integrated food-energy systems approach for
sustainable development and supported action-oriented, interdisciplinary research that considered
biophysical, social, ecological and institutional dimensions (Sachs and Silk, 1990). A series of milestone
4
events followed, advancing the Nexus concept and contributing to the dialogue leading to the adoption
of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which will be covered in chapter II. In particular, the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Rio Earth Summit) in 1992 galvanized
the sustainable development movement. Representatives from Governments, academia and non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) came together for this event to rethink economic development, find
ways to curtail natural resource destruction and pollution and recognize the interrelationships between
natural resources and growing scarcity.9 The 2008 World Economic Forum annual meeting assembled
the leading public sector, corporate, NGO and academic experts to examine the water crisis issue
from different perspectives. Results included the Call to Action on Water to increase understanding of
water’s linkages to economic growth across a nexus of issues. The outcome report Water Security: The
Water-Food-Energy-Climate Nexus forecast an impending water crisis by 2025, if society continues on
a business-as-usual path of (mis)managing water resources (WEFWI, 2011). The report recommended
solutions regarding how to manage the water-energy-food-climate interrelationships and emphasized
linkages between water, energy, food and economic growth. In 2011 the World Economic Forum identified
the lack of understanding about the nexus as a major economic challenge.
At the landmark Bonn Nexus Conference in 2011, a breakthrough was achieved regarding the term “Nexus”,
which was presented as a solution to address the limitations of existing approaches, including:
• Individual examination of resources

• Sector-based tools and methods without integration
• Institutions with sectoral mandates
• Microeconomic models focused only on economic flows
• Qualitative environmental models without quantitative approaches (Hoff, 2011)
Building on the growing momentum, the Nexus work of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United
Nations (FAO) and the University of North Carolina Water Institute’s “Nexus 2014: Water, Food, Climate
and Energy Conference” (with a follow-up conference in 2018) helped anchor Nexus as an approach within
global agendas. The scope of dialogue on Nexus continues to expand and evolve, encompassing urban
challenges ranging from waste, mobility and land use to education, health and social equity.
Figure I.2 highlights the progression of various Nexus-related conferences between 1983 and 2018. Annex
I provides more detailed information on key resource Nexus events and frameworks.
5
Figure I.2
Key sustainable development and Nexus milestones
Source: ESCAP.
6
1.3 Urbanization in Asia and the Pacific

In the context of the previous sections of this chapter, which described global resource challenges,
interlinkages between resources, and the Nexus concept as an entry point to advance sustainable
development, this section covers new developments, obstacles and opportunities arising from urbanization
in the Asia-Pacific region.
Figure I.3 illustrates how the world is rapidly urbanizing. The urban population has grown from 751 million
in 1950 to 4.2 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach 6.7 billion in 2050 (United Nations, 2018c). Rapid
urbanization entails the risk of further widening supply gaps for water and sanitation systems, energy, land
and food. Unless drastic actions are taken to transform their economies, cities will continue to consume
substantial amounts of resources under a business-as-usual, extractive economy scenario.
Figure I.3
World urbanization figures
Source: United Nations, 2018c.
The Asia-Pacific region has the second highest urban growth rate in the world. Between 1980 and 2010,
the region’s cities grew by more than 1 billion people (United Nations, 2018c). The urban population in
South Asia and middle- and low-income countries in East Asia and the Pacific is growing by 2.6 per cent
annually.10 An additional 1.4 billion people will live in Asia’s cities by 2050. That translates into 120,000
more people being added to urban centres each day (IOM, 2015), a number equivalent to the entire current
population of Kiribati. In 2018, the Asia-Pacific region had more than 2.1 billion urban residents, or 60 per
cent of the world’s urban population (figure 1.4).11
7
Figure I.4
Urban population, by regions of the world
Source: ESCAP.
Despite growing economies providing greater opportunities, basic living conditions remain unmet for
millions of people in the region’s cities, and environmental consequences are becoming increasingly
severe. Fortunately, for most cities in the Asia-Pacific region much of the needed infrastructure is yet
to be built, providing a major opportunity to promote integrated solutions and leapfrog to more durable
and efficient technologies and construction. As such, it is the urban environment where the pressure and
opportunity for change lies.
Box I.1
Cities − centres of challenge and opportunity
Urbanization has created some of the world’s greatest development challenges. Although the world’s cities
occupy only 3 per cent of the global landmass, they are responsible for 60-80 per cent of global energy
consumption and 75 per cent of global carbon emissions.a Cities are often characterized by extreme poverty,
unemployment and socioeconomic disparities, unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, and
they are key contributors to climate change and environmental degradation. On the other hand, most of the
world’s businesses and informal enterprises are located in cities, which currently generate roughly 80 per
cent of global GDP. Cities provide markets for industry and employment, foster technological innovations
and support high-density habitation and efficient land use. Further, they generally provide better access to
education, health, social services, income opportunities and cultural activities compared with rural areas.
a
For more information, see www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/.
8
1.4 The Urban Nexus

Although researchers and practitioners have studied the water-energy-food/land nexus for some time,
the emergence of the Urban Nexus approach has been more recent. In 2013, GIZ was commissioned by
the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development to implement the Integrated
Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus project in partnership with ESCAP and ICLEI −
Local Governments for Sustainability in order to address pressing concerns in cities in the Asia-Pacific
region. (See the “In Focus” insert for more details.)
The Urban Nexus approach examines the interdependencies between water, energy and food/land
and the synergies and competing uses of these resources, requiring a shift from a sectoral to a cross-
sectoral, integrated approach. It challenges existing structures, sector policies and procedures to promote
the protection and use of water, energy and food/land in a balanced manner, countering traditional silo
thinking and divided responsibilities that often result in poorly coordinated investments, increased costs
and underutilized infrastructure and facilities (BMZ, 2014).
The Urban Nexus approach is an action-oriented guiding principle within the vision of a circular economy,
where waste is viewed as a resource (see section 1.5 below). Multisectoral and multilevel approaches
which integrate resources contribute to improved resource efficiency. With many project cities identifying
wastewater and solid waste management as their most pressing problems, the Urban Nexus approach
emphasizes how wastewater and waste can be converted into sources of energy and useful by-products,
such as fertilizer (Schreiner, 2015).
As an integrated and holistic concept, the Urban Nexus approach helps break barriers between sectors
and stakeholders to take advantage of synergies.
1.5 Benefits of a circular economy

Transitioning from an extractive, linear economy to a circular economy is fundamental to promoting
sustainable natural resource management and is intrinsically related to the Urban Nexus. A circular
economy approach entails decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources,
“designing” waste out of the system. It involves moving away from the “take, make and dispose” extractive
industrial model that generates waste and loses most material value to landfills towards sustainable
production and consumption, which minimizes the use of natural resources, toxic materials, waste
emissions and pollutants over the life cycle of the service or product in order to meet the needs of future
generations. Keeping resources in use for as long as possible, extracting maximum value from them while
they are in use and recovering and regenerating products and materials at the end of each service life are
aspects integral to this approach.12
A circular economy distinguishes between biological and technical cycles. Biological cycles contain
materials that can safely cycle in and out of the biosphere, such as food, fibres, wood and other biobased
construction materials that can be fed back into the system through such processes as composting
and anaerobic digestion, and regenerate living systems, providing renewable resources for the economy.
Technical cycles contain material flows that cannot be appropriately returned to the biosphere, such as
plastics, and involve recovering and restoring products, components and materials through such strategies
as reuse, repair, remanufacture or recycling (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). A Nexus perspective to
resource use in an urban context can help identify these cycles and synergize across waste, water, energy,
food and land use (figure I.5).
9
Figure I.5
Circular economy with energy and mass flow cycles
Source: GIZ Urban Nexus Project.
Box I.2
Measuring resource efficiency
Resource efficiency can be determined using a material footprint measure, which presents a complete
picture of material inputs needed to supply a country’s consumption demand.
ESCAP has developed a simulation and scenario-building methodology to help policymakers understand
the benefits of resource efficiency improvement in materials, energy and water. ESCAP has estimated that
a 1 per cent improvement in resource efficiency of material resources (domestic material consumption) and
energy combined can deliver benefits worth up to $275 billion.a To give an idea of the size of this impact, that
amount of money translates into 51 per cent of the current foreign direct investment inflows into the region.
a
These matters were considered at the fifth session of Committee on Environment and Development, based on
the document entitled “Benefits of environmental action, including through enhanced regional cooperation”, 12
September 2018, which is available at www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/CED5_2E_0.pdf.
In addition to saving natural resources, a circular economy can also create opportunities for economic
growth, improve economic competitiveness and address emerging resource security and scarcity issues.
Globally, a transition to a circular economy approach could provide material cost savings worth more than
$1 trillion by 2025 (WEF, 2014). In the case of the fast-moving consumer goods sectors,13 the potential
material resource savings generated from transition to a circular economy approach could be worth up to
$706 billion annually (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2013).
10
The Asia-Pacific region accounts for more than 60 per cent of fast-moving consumer goods globally
(WWF, 2016), so most of these potential cost savings could be made within the region. Further, circular
economies can generate both skilled and unskilled jobs. A global study estimated that the impact of
transition to a more circular economy in just three to four material flows alone could deliver more than
100,000 new jobs globally (WEF, 2014).
Box I.3
Closing the loop on solid waste
In 2016, East Asia and the Pacific generated the most waste globally, with an average of 0.56 kg per capita
per day. South Asia’s average was 0.52 kg, with waste generation expected to rise. Viewing and using waste
as a resource is essential. In the East Asian, Pacific and South Asian subregions, organic material, such
as food and green waste, comprise the largest proportion of waste at approximately 53 and 57 per cent,
respectively (Kaza and others, 2018). This organic content could provide valuable sources of nutrients
and energy rather than being discarded. Further, a significant percentage of inorganic materials, including
paper, plastic, glass and metal, could be recycled and returned to manufacturing processes. The waste-to-
resource approach views waste as a valuable product that can be managed to provide sustainable benefits
for a range of actors.
ESCAP, Waste Concern and their partners have promoted a waste-to-resource approach to sustainable solid
waste management in towns and cities across the region, helping local actors deploy inclusive programmes
and strategies for adopting 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycling) practices.a Further, an ESCAP initiative in
partnership with the Stockholm Environment Institute Asia Centre and Kashtakari Panchayat – the local
partner of Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing, in Pune, India, explored ways to make
waste management processes more inclusive and circular in order to increase the rate of recovery and
reduce plastic leakage within that region of the country.b
a
For more information, see www.unescap.org/waste-to-resource.
b
For more information, see www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/Plastics_Nov19_ESCAP_PPT_0.pdf.
11
Chapter II
Global development agendas and the Urban Nexus
“We live in a world of changes so profound and rapid that no country can stand
alone. The world’s interlinked threats and challenges require everyone to share
responsibility and contribute to a common vision”.
Thomas Gass, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination

and Inter-Agency Affairs14
Five key landmark agreements to advance sustainable development were adopted in 2015 and 2016.
The Urban Nexus approach aligns with these agreements, as the commitments in the agendas are
interconnected and require local government involvement, working across sectors and engaging
stakeholders between government levels to advance integrated solutions and achieve the agendas’
objectives.
2.1 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Urban Nexus
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development contains 17 Sustainable Development Goals that are
interlinked (figure II.1). No Goal can be attained in isolation, but rather only in conjunction with other Goals.
Multisectoral engagement is required, and the Urban Nexus approach provides an ideal entry point, with
its focus on working across and among different sectors, examining trade-offs and identifying synergies
between resources and institutions. Although the Sustainable Development Goals rely on nationally led
initiatives, such as sustainable development plans, policies and programmes, local governments, with
their role in providing basic services, including water and sanitation, are essential to the process. It has
been estimated that local level involvement is needed to achieve up to 65 per cent of the targets under the
Sustainable Development Goals (Misselwitz and others, 2016).
Figure II.1
Sustainable Development Goals
12
Box II.1
The SDG Help Desk
The SDG Help Deska is a one-stop, online platform that serves as a gateway to a wide range of knowledge
and analytical products, including Sustainable Development Goal data portals, toolboxes, e-learning courses,
multimedia resources, technical advice and opportunities for peer-learning and South-South cooperation.
ESCAP established the SDG Help Desk in response to requests for capacity development support from
member States. Policymakers, sustainable development practitioners, academics, students and anyone
seeking information and capacity support on the Goals and their implementation will find it a valuable
resource.
a
For more information, see https://sdghelpdesk.unescap.org/.
By engaging local governments in integrated planning and management of natural resources, the Urban
Nexus approach directly addresses the urban and resource-related Sustainable Development Goals for
food, water, energy and cities: Goals 2, 6, 7, 11 and 12. This approach also contributes to the Goals and
targets in the periphery that are related to improving urban services and resource efficiency, building
resilient infrastructure, mitigating environmental pollution and facilitating innovation and multi-stakeholder
partnerships. The Urban Nexus approach supports cities in the process of decoupling economic
growth from environmental degradation, reducing deaths and illnesses caused by pollution, upgrading
infrastructure and adopting more environmentally sound technologies by addressing targets under Goals
3, 8 and 9. Goals 14 and 15, concerning life on land and ecosystems, are subject to impacts from misuse
and mismanagement of land if urban planning is not conducted sustainably. Goal 16 ensures that Urban
Nexus decisions are made in a responsive, inclusive and participatory manner at all levels of governance,
and Goals 1, 13 and 17 have a mainstreaming effect to ensure that no one is left behind, the planet is
healthy and that the global community works in closer partnership to achieve the rest of the Goals.
Figure II.2 provides a visualization of some of the interlinkages between the Sustainable Development
Goals which the Urban Nexus approach addresses. It highlights some of the key relationships for
consideration. As the diagram illustrates, the Goals closely related to the Urban Nexus are at the centre,
while the other Goals that are indirectly associated are in the periphery. Further beyond the concentric
circles are where three Goals that have overarching and mainstreaming values encompass and comprise
the entire universe of the Sustainable Development Goals.
13
Figure II.2
Urban Nexus interlinkages with the Sustainable Development Goals
Source: ESCAP.
14
Box II.2
Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar integration efforts
In 2016, Mongolia approved its Sustainable Development Vision 2030,a and work has been ongoing to
support policy coherence at the national and local levels through the development of the Sustainability
Outlook of Mongolia in 2018.b Ulaanbaatar has developed its own Sustainable Development Goal targets and
indicators, and efforts are under way to clarify how local progress contributes to national and global targets.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides an opportunity to align policies that currently have
different timelines. Mongolia’s medium-term plan serves as a backbone policy to ensure cross-sectoral
planning and implementation. Although resources are limited, having an interlinked plan helps the country
prioritize activities for the next few years, including which of the Sustainable Development Goals to tackle
first.
Mongolia is at the forefront of applying a scientific approach to assessing policies; it is scheduled to present
its voluntary national review at the seventh session of the United Nations High-level Political Forum on
Sustainable Development in July 2019. That meeting will provide an opportunity for Mongolia to inform
others of the work needed to coordinate and align national and local policies, identifying leverage points and
the use of systems thinking.
a
For details, see www.un-page.org/files/public/20160205_mongolia_sdv_2030.pdf.
b
For details, see www.unescap.org/resources/sustainability-outlook-mongolia.
Box II.3
Localizing the 2030 Agenda
A joint ESCAP and UN-Habitat project, “Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into local action in
support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Asia and the Pacific”, uses a sustainable urban resource
management approach in five pilot cities: Battambang, Cambodia; Nasinu, Fiji; Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Naga
City, Philippines; and Nadee, Thailand. The project’s approach is aimed at strengthening local government
and other urban stakeholders’ capacities to apply a collaborative, evidence-based and systemic approach
to localizing the Sustainable Development Goals. It goes beyond adjusting global Goals for the local level
and calls for co-creating solutions through the generation of partnerships resulting in more inclusive, needs-
driven, local-level responses to global challenges and objectives.
The sustainable urban resource management approach has four components that interlink urban resource
use with the other sustainable development dimensions to ensure that processes and outcomes are
equitable, inclusive and help to reduce vulnerability: (a) moving from linear to circular models of resource
use; (b) recognizing the multidimensional nature of poverty by identifying the root causes and interlinkages
between them; (c) being gender-responsive by systematically accounting for the different roles and needs
of men and women and transforming relations to promote equity; and (d) increasing resilience to social,
economic and environmental shocks and stresses by addressing the root causes of vulnerability and
enabling people to deal with a range of uncertainties.
2.2 Paris Agreement

In addition to the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement adopted under the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change serves as a landmark accord for countries that are trying to keep global
temperature rise this century to well below 2°C of the temperatures of pre-industrial levels. These two
agendas demand action and require local engagement. Urban Nexus initiatives support climate actions by
optimizing the use of energy in water, wastewater, food/land and solid waste projects and through direct
energy-saving efforts, such as promoting energy-efficient building design. Buildings use about 40 per cent
of global energy and contribute approximately one third of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.15
15
Box II.4
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Conference of the
Parties
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an international environmental
treaty negotiated by the General Assembly and adopted in May 1992 that entered into force in March 1994,
after a sufficient number of countries ratified it.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme decision-making body for UNFCCC. Parties take
decisions needed to promote implementation of the Convention, including reviewing the Parties’ emission
inventory submissions, assessing progress and making institutional and administrative decisions to promote
implementation of the Convention. COP meets annually; the twenty-first session of the Conference (COP21)
took place in Paris, from 30 November to 11 December 2015. At that session, a total of 195 countries
negotiated and adopted the landmark Paris Agreement, a global accord to address climate change, which
many see as a great success in multilateral diplomacy and a global milestone in the efforts to foster climate
action.
The Paris Agreement acknowledges the local dimension of climate change by encouraging cities and
subnational authorities to reduce GHG emissions and build resilience. At COP23 in Bonn, in 2017, ICLEI
– Local Governments for Sustainability noted that success requires countries to set clear mechanisms
for consulting and engaging with their local and regional governments, making them equal partners
in a well-coordinated and effective effort.16 City-led initiatives are responding to this call by monitoring
and reporting on climate action. One example is the Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action, which
tracks commitments to climate action and has more than 12,000 stakeholders, including cities, regions,
companies, investors and NGOs. Another initiative is the carbonn® Climate Registry, a public platform for
local and other subnational governments to report their commitments, emission performance and other
plans for climate change mitigation and adaptation. With 90 per cent of the world’s urban areas being
coastal, cities are at high risk of tsunamis, storms and flooding, which are intensified by climate change.17
Many cities are already addressing climate change in their urban policies, helping to mitigate climate
change causes and adapt to its impacts.
2.3 New Urban Agenda

Adopted in 2016, the New Urban Agenda provides the underpinning and framework that places sustainable
urban development at the centre. In the New Urban Agenda, leaders committed to providing all citizens
with basic services, such as housing, water, sanitation, health care and education; ensuring that all citizens
have access to equal opportunities and face no discrimination; promoting safe, accessible and green
public spaces; promoting measures that support cleaner cities; strengthening resilience to reduce the risk
and the impact of disasters; and taking action to address climate change. The New Urban Agenda calls for
an integrated approach, directly in line with the Urban Nexus approach, considering urban-rural linkages,
environmental sustainability and circular economy principles. The Urban Nexus approach helps cities
achieve the New Urban Agenda objectives, particularly in areas emphasizing sustainable management
of wastewater and solid waste and the need for equitable and affordable access to basic infrastructure,
including modern and renewable energy, nutritious and adequate food, and waste management.
16
Box II.5
Asia-Pacific Urban Forum recommends Nexus approach
The Sixth Asia-Pacific Urban Forum, which was held in Jakarta from 19 to 21 October 2015, was guided
by the theme “Sustainable Urban Development in Asia-Pacific: towards a New Urban Agenda”. More than
900 participants, including government ministers, mayors, academics, urban professionals, members of the
private sector, civil society and international organizations, gathered to discuss emerging issues related to
urban development in the region. Participants focused on implementation of the 2030 Agenda and outlined
priority issues for consideration in the New Urban Agenda.
The Forum adopted a “Call for Action”a on sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban development that
recommended a Nexus approach, stating that “meeting current and future natural resource demands in
cities, in particular for energy, water and food, as well as housing and basic services, requires the adoption
of a Nexus approach and a shift from sectoral to integrated and ecosystem-based planning. It also requires
a shift from competitive to collaborative governance among neighbouring municipalities and across
departments, including financing mechanisms”. The Call for Action was presented at the Habitat III Asia-
Pacific Regional Meeting, which was held in the same city on 21 and 22 October 2015; the importance of
integrated approaches, to which Nexus contributes, was recognized in the New Urban Agenda.
a
For details, see www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/ESCAP%202015%20APUF6%20Call%20for%20Action.pdf.
2.4 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 was adopted to reduce disaster risk and
losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physical, social, cultural and environmental
assets of persons, businesses, communities and countries. With its inherent integrated nature, the Urban
Nexus approach provides integrated solutions, thereby reducing risks and potential losses. To achieve
the aims of the Sendai Framework, local governments, urban stakeholders and civil society organizations
need to work together to integrate policies and plans towards disaster risk management into urban
planning, especially regarding natural resource management and the provision of basic infrastructure
services, such as water, sanitation and energy.
Box II.6
“Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient”
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) is tasked with supporting the implementation,
follow-up and review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. UNISDR developed
an operational framework to accelerate implementation of the Sendai Framework at the local level.
That framework is known as the Ten Essentials for Making Cities Resilient;a they match directly the Sendai
priorities of action and indicators for monitoring actions on disaster risk reduction. This toolkit provides the
rationale for each of the 10 essentials, pointing out strategic areas of intervention and identifying key actions
that should be part of the overall disaster risk reduction planning process and influence urban development
planning and design.
a
For more information, see www.unisdr.org/campaign/resilientcities/home/toolkitblkitem/?id=1.
17
2.5 Addis Ababa Action Agenda: funding the 2030 Agenda

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) of the Third International Conference on Financing for
Development18 lays out measures to address the financing gap by restructuring global finance
practices and generating investments to support achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The 2018 report of the Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development indicates that public and
private investment remain inadequately aligned with funding needed to reach the 2030 Agenda Goals
and targets (United Nations, 2018a). AAAA includes concrete deliverables, such as a global infrastructure
forum to enhance public and private sector cooperation around infrastructure and improve coordination
to deliver the trillions of dollars in investment in sustainable infrastructure needed by developing countries.
Investments in sustainable development will need to be made at the subnational level. Local governments
often rely on transfers from national Governments to fund basic infrastructure services, such as
wastewater management and solid waste management (UN-Habitat, 2015). AAAA calls for increased
international and national cooperation to strengthen local government capacity to finance resilient and
sustainable infrastructure, promoting opportunities for cross-sectoral approaches, such as the Urban
Nexus approach. Integrated solutions can guide local governments to capitalize on synergies between
different sectors, reducing costs and contributing to better financial management of urban development.
Table II.1 summarizes key aspects of landmark agendas.
Box II.7
Regional Roadmap for Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia
and the Pacific
The Regional Roadmap for Implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Asia and the
Pacific, adopted by member States in 2017, strongly emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach
to support implementation and partnerships regarding data and statistics, technology, finance and policy
coherence. Efficient management of natural resources and regional cooperation can unlock opportunities
for promoting policies and strategies with respect to resource efficiency and environmentally sound
technologies.a
a
For details, see www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/publications/SDGs-Regional-Roadmap.pdf.
2.6 From global frameworks to local actions

To maximize cross-sectoral benefits, leaders and practitioners need to work across the interlinked
Sustainable Development Goals and other global frameworks. The Urban Nexus approach requires cross-
sectoral collaboration, serving as an entry to achieving integrated policies and programmes.
This chapter outlined how cities and the Urban Nexus are linked to global development agendas and are
essential to their achievement, delivering greater social equity, reducing urban poverty, contributing to
environmental protection and supporting climate action. The following “In Focus” insert describes the
Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus project and highlights project city
activities, lessons learned and results that are described in chapter III, which presents a framework to
support implementation of the Urban Nexus concept.
18
Table II.1
Key aspects of five global agendas
Sendai Framework AAAA SDGs Paris (COP21) New Urban Agenda
Aim: to increase Aim: to increase Aim: to promote Aim: to keep global Aim: to develop
resilience to financing for a globally temperature rise sustainable cities
disasters sustainable comprehensive below 2°C above
development development pre-industrial levels
agenda
- Adopted 18 March - Adopted 16 July - Adopted 25 - Adopted 12 - Adopted 20

2015 2015 September 2015 December 2015 October 2016
- Voluntary, non- - Voluntary, non- - Voluntary, non- - Countries submit - Voluntary, non-
binding binding binding nationally binding
determined
- 38 indicators, some - More than 100 - 244 indicators contributions - Outlines guiding
aligned with SDG measures on linked to 169 (NDCs) outlining principles and key
disaster indicators development targets that short and long-term components to
for coherent financing and measure progress actions to reduce develop sustainable
reporting cooperation on towards meeting greenhouse gas urban areas
issues, including 17 Sustainable emissions
- UNISDR tasked technology, science, Development Goals - Quadrennial
to support trade and capacity- - NDCs are renewed reports by UN-
implementation, building - Countries submit every 5 years Habitat evaluate
follow-up and review voluntary national progress and include
- Supports reviews (VNRs) and - All Parties to the inputs from Member
- Countries achievement of many in the Asia- Agreement have States and different
report against the Sustainable Pacific region have submitted NDCs and levels of government
the indicators for Development Goals done so will submit updated
measuring the NDCs by 2020
global targets using - United Nations Multilevel process:
the online Sendai Inter-agency Task national, regional
Framework Monitor Force reports global and thematic-
annually to monitor level meetings with
progress on AAAA annual High-level
financing measures Political Forum
on Sustainable
Development to
review progress
19
In Focus
Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities:
The Urban Nexus Project
20
In Focus
The Urban Nexus Project
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) commissioned the
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH to implement the “Integrated
Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus” project in two phases between 2013 and 2019
in partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.
Project cities and countries

During those years, the project targeted countries with emerging and developing economies in South
and South-East Asia and East and North-East Asia that were exhibiting a relatively large and growing
resource footprint and rapid urbanization, and thus needed to adopt integrated approaches to sustainably
manage natural resources, particularly energy, water and food/land. The Government of Germany, with
support from GIZ, selected target cities that generally displayed strong local leadership, an interest and
willingness to adopt innovative infrastructure approaches, including structural governance changes to
solve environmental and health challenges, and an inclination to work across sectors with a broad range
of stakeholders (box A).
Figure A presents a map of project cities and countries.
Figure A
Map of project cities and countries
The boundaries and names shown and the

designations used on this map do not imply official
endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Source: https://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/english/htmain.htm.
21
Goal and project objective
The overall goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of local and national governments in developing
countries in the Asia-Pacific region to formulate and implement integrated policies, plans and initiatives to
sustainably manage natural resources in urban areas.
The project objective, according to the BMZ Commission, is to ensure that Nexus concepts are increasingly
taken into account in selected Asian cities and by relevant stakeholders.
Partnership arrangements
The collaboration is unique, involving ESCAP, as a partner guiding implementation of the global agendas,
particularly the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; GIZ as an organization with grounded projects
and advisory services; and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, with its broad network of cities
to take solutions to the local level. The tripartite partnership enables the project to deliver solutions at the
local level as well as align local action with the global agendas. All three partners contribute in a positive
manner, with the project serving as both an initiative and platform.
During the project period, each project country has been supported by a national coordinator from GIZ Urban
Nexus or ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, who work closely with mayors and managerial and
technical staff from different local and national government sectors; their aim is to promote intersectoral
cooperation that is essential to developing Nexus projects. Some cities formalized – by mayoral decree
–Urban Nexus task forces, which have served as consultation and support groups. Other cities nominated
focal persons to serve as liaison officers for the project.
Towards the end of the project, colleges, training institutes and universities were identified as strategic
partners to sustain uptake of the Nexus approach, as students, trainers and professors are “natural”
multipliers. Some universities and training institutes with which the project partnered, in particular in India
and the Philippines, included or enhanced existing integrated approaches in their teaching and curricula,
often in collaboration with cities.
Project approach and activities

The three partners have supported creation of economically, socially and ecologically resilient cities. Local
governments have served as entry points to receive advisory services from GIZ Urban Nexus to improve
their resource management in the areas of energy, water, food security/land use. Several cities identified
wastewater and solid waste as urgent concerns, thus measures often have been focused on these areas,
promoting waste as a resource within the vision of a circular economy approach.
GIZ Urban Nexus collaborates with international experts and relevant stakeholders to conduct pre-feasibility
and feasibility studies to design cross-sectoral infrastructure solutions and build capacity. These studies
calculate capital expenditures and operating expenses and identify the importance of appropriate tariffs
and fees to create an enabling environment for infrastructure investment and to highlight, in discussion
with development banks, the mobilization of finance. Resource and financial benefits from an integrated
approach are often considered.
Physical infrastructure, hardware and measures that project cities explored include the following:
• Wastewater, water reuse, energy generation and application of nutrients for agriculture
• Wastewater and drinking water supply system improvements, including leakage detection and
replacement of old, inefficient pumps
• Mechanical biological treatment system and incineration technologies (waste to energy)
• Promotion of energy efficiency of buildings, including renewable energy
22
The social infrastructure, or software (governance), measures involve people-centred development and
promote decentralization along the lines of subsidiarity principles and the empowerment of cities within
the framework of a circular economy (concepts that are explained in chapters I and III).
Trainings, study tours and technical workshops have been organized to introduce cities, particularly
technical staff, to new technologies and infrastructure; advance coordination across sectors (horizontal
integration); and improve communication between local authorities on governance processes. Peer-to-
peer exchanges and South-South dialogues help to facilitate experience exchange and the learning of best
practices of neighbouring cities and countries (highlights of some of these events are shown in box B).
With the aim of developing independent policy recommendations on integrated resource management and
respective enabling factors, ESCAP organized expert group meetings to engage external expertise from
various fields to explore state-of-the-art research and analysis to solve problems. ESCAP collaborates
with regional and international organizations, including United Nations agencies and programmes, and
harnesses and capitalizes on its convening power to bring member States together to discuss issues
of regional concern and share best practices in line with its mandates. ESCAP supports introduction
of the required policy shifts needed to advance integrated resource management in cities, including to
mainstream the Nexus approach into national initiatives for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement (as explained in chapter II).
National dialogues have been held to improve coordination across government levels – vertical integration,
which is critical to advancing policy reforms. These dialogues address local and national issues, such as
financing local infrastructure projects. Municipal, provincial, regional and national actors as well as private
sector entities, including banks and NGOs, have joined these forums which are aimed at supporting
alignment of local, provincial and national strategies, creating acceptance for the Nexus approach and
mobilizing finance for improved urban services.
In demonstrating their commitment to integrated resource management, partner cities have taken turns
hosting regional workshops that brought together project stakeholders to exchange experiences and enable
cross-sectoral, multi-stakeholder dialogues between cities, provincial/regional and national governments,
meso-level organizations, academia and research institutions, the private sector and international financial
institutions. (See annex III for links to the workshop webpages which contain background information,
presentations and reports.)
On 19 June 2015, at the fifth regional workshop in Chiang Mai, Thailand, project cities signed the Nexus
Partnership Declaration, entitled “Developing Integrated, Resource-efficient and Inclusive Cities for a
Better Future”, through which they agreed to raise the level of ambition at the local level in order to design
and implement programmes and projects applying Nexus principles.
Box A
Innovative infrastructure introduced by GIZ Urban Nexus to project cities
GIZ Urban Nexus introduced solutions that were new to cities, some of which are highlighted below.
Innovative wastewater management using vacuum sewer systems is one such solution. A vacuum sewer
system is a mechanized wastewater system that transports sewage from individual households to wastewater
treatment plants. Unlike conventional systems that use gravity (inclines) to transport wastewater, a vacuum
sewer system uses negative air pressure to draw sewage to collection points. These systems collect storm
water and wastewater separately, helping to maintain high organic loads in the wastewater and prevent
sewage overflows during storms. Vacuum collection systems require smaller and shallower trenches and
less land. Initial construction is quicker than with gravity systems, making them suitable for low-rise, densely
populated, flat areas and/or areas with high groundwater tables.
23
Example of a vacuum sewer system
Source: Adapted from AIRVAC. Available at https://www.aqseptence.com/app/en/products/airvac-vacuum-sewer-system/.
A vacuum sewer system by itself is not a sustainable wastewater management system. It can be a vital
component, however, as the system facilitates separation of black from grey water, supporting optimization
of the anaerobic digestion process and production of biogas and fertilizers.
While wastewater has long been considered a health and environmental hazard, a change in mindset is under
way that considers wastewater as a potential resource stream. Wastewater provides many opportunities
to recover resources and close loops. Treated wastewater can be reused, reducing the demand on potable
water and augmenting water supplies. Through anaerobic digestion, sewage sludge can be converted into
biogas and fertilizers. Thus, combined with a vacuum sewer system, wastewater and sludge can produce
renewable energy and other valuable co-benefits.a
Wastewater treatment and utilization
Source: BISCAST.
24
Another solution is the climate change-resilient pilot house (CCRPH) developed by Bicol State College for
Applied Sciences and Technology in Naga City, Philippines, with GIZ Urban Nexus support. It serves as an
alternative to conventional housing to help protect the poor from the adverse impacts of climate change and
to strengthen the city’s resilience. CCRPH applies a household-level wastewater treatment and utilization
system, including rainwater harvesting, septic tank with strainer and a leach field, enabling reuse of clarified
wastewater for irrigation and fertilizer, reducing waste material on site by up to 30 per cent. Construction
costs per square metre are reduced by up to 40 per cent.
CCRPH employs additional climate-adaptive and energy-efficient devices and uses environmentally friendly
construction technologies (prefabricated beams and hollow blocks) without wooden formwork to facilitate
quick construction and lower costs. The technology’s specific advantages include the following:
Modular architectural system that reduces the number of different building parts, leading to a
reduction in different types of formwork
Reduction of waste material and wastewater on site by up to 30 per cent
Approximately 50 per cent reduction in the amount of mortar used due to the use of hollow concrete
blocks
Reduction by 40 per cent in the use of concrete and 30 per cent of steel works for slab construction
due to the use of the hollow concrete block-slab system
30 per cent increase in the use of cement for hollow concrete blocks to achieve the required strength
for load-bearing walls
Natural ventilation (cross-ventilation throughout the building)
Natural illumination, window/wall ratio of 40 per cent and roof lights
Energy-efficient devices (LED lights and occupation sensors)
Reduction of electricity consumption by more than 25 per cent through the use of a photovoltaic
system
Water conservation via rainwater harvesting
The BISCAST Nexus Model: The CCRPH Example
Source: BISCAST.
Yet another solution is a mechanical biological treatment system, which is a type of waste-processing system
that combines sorting processes with a form of biological treatment, such as composting or anaerobic
digestion. Mechanical biological treatment plants are designed primarily to process mixed household
(municipal) wastes, but can be applied to process commercial and industrial waste as well. Depending on
25
features and the efficiency of different system designs, the yield from an efficient mechanical biological
treatment process includes recyclable material (such as plastic, paper, metal and minerals), fuel sources
(biogas and refuse-derived fuel) and fertilizer. Maximum Yield Technology® (MYT®) is based on mechanical
biological treatment.b
a
For more information, see www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/Vietnam_Danang_1410_Report%20on%20
vacuum%20sewer%20collection%20system.pdf.
b
For details, see www.kahlenberg-ringsheim.de/media/myt_eng.pdf.
Box B
Highlights from select peer-to-peer exchanges and study tours
In September 2014 and November 2018, representatives of Weifang/Binhai, China; Tanjung Pinang;
Indonesia; Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand; and Da Nang, Viet Nam, along with national-
level representatives from Indonesia, participated in a study tour to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to visit
Palm Jumeirah, site of the world’s largest vacuum sewer wastewater collection system installation.
In 2015, the Philippine city of Santa Rosa hosted two peer-to-peer learning activities on gender and
development as well as the clustering approach to address water-food-energy nexus issues. These activities
were attended by other Nexus cities, namely Tanjung Pinang; Naga City, Philippines; Chiang Mai; and Da
Nang.
In 2015, representatives from Pekanbaru, Indonesia; Tanjung Pinang; Naga City; and Santa Rosa learned
more about the sustainable sanitary landfill-to-energy system applied in Chiang Mai.
In November 2016, representatives of Rajkot and Nagpur, India; Tanjung Pinang; Naga City; Santa Rosa; and
Da Nang, and national-level officials from India and the Philippines joined a visit to Hangzhou and Zhejiang,
China, to learn more about Maximum Yield Technology®, or MYT ®.a
In September 2018, representatives from India, Thailand and Viet Nam attended a training programme
at Ringsheim, Germany, that was organized to introduce the MYT® technology and build the capacity of
officials. MYT® has proven successful in Germany and is applicable in the Asian context. The training provided
information on mechanical and biological waste treatment of mixed municipal solid waste, the recovery of
valuable and recyclable material and the production of high-quality, refuse-derived fuel (alternative fuel) and
its applications.b
GIZ Urban Nexus supported more than 85 studies examining the feasibility of these innovative solutions
in the project cities.
a
For details, see http://seas.iclei.org/logos/logos-10/nexus-cities-learn-about-chinas-solid-waste-
management-practices.html.
b
For further information, see www.water-energy-food.org/news/urban-nexus-innovative-municipal-solid-
waste-management-training-on-maximum-yield-technology-myt/.
26
Figure B
Project cities and Urban Nexus measures
Source: GIZ Urban Nexus.
Project impacts
The project taps global and regional outreach events to further disseminate the Urban Nexus approach,
lessons learned, policy recommendations and project results reaching thousands of local and national
policymakers and other relevant stakeholders from around the world.
Successes range from the project cities improving efficiency and reducing costs of drinking water
supply systems to certifying a green, affordable housing design, with construction costs reduced by
more than a third compared with conventional construction. The project has elaborated more than 55
projects with capital expenditures amounting to €600 million, also considering operating expenses, in
each case to be borne by the municipalities concerned. Proposed solutions include innovative solid
waste management (e.g. mechanical and biological solid waste treatment and waste-to-energy projects);
vacuum sewer technology and wastewater reuse; building energy efficiency and renewable energy; and
efficiency improvements in energy, water and wastewater systems leading to monetary savings – the
most important aspect for local governments.
27
At the seventy-first session of the Commission, ESCAP member States highlighted the importance of the
Urban Nexus approach and put forward specific policy recommendations in a note by the secretariat entitled
“Towards a sustainable, inclusive and resilient urban future for Asia and the Pacific” (E/ESCAP/71/13).19
Moreover, the Commission emphasized sustainable management of natural resources, in particular of
water, energy and food, as a key sustainable development priority, reflecting increased agreement among
ESCAP member States on the importance of an integrated approach to resource management.
Box C
The Urban Nexus Project and ESCAP resolution 70/12
The Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus project contributed to fulfilling
ESCAP resolution 70/12, which called on ESCAP to, among other things, (a) continue to analyse conditions
and trends regarding human settlements and sustainable urban development in Asia and the Pacific across
all three dimensions of sustainable development, as well as identify strategies to address persistent and
emerging challenges; and (b) continue facilitating regional understanding and action on issues critical to
housing and sustainable urban development through, among other modalities, the sharing of good practices
and lessons learned and the convening of expert group meetings and regional multi-stakeholder dialogues.
The project also supported national and local governments with implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development, in particular Goals 2 (end hunger), 6 (clean water and sanitation), 7 (affordable and
clean energy), 11 (sustainable cities and communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 13
(climate action).
To further enhance understanding of the Nexus approach, the three project partners along with the project
cities developed fact sheets, case studies and other outreach materials to share broadly with interested
parties.20
Lessons learned
Although the project cities face common challenges, such as failing infrastructure and resistance to
innovation, they differ in other aspects, including commitment of local champions, political will, ability to
coordinate across government levels and existing regulations. Nexus projects have been tailored to each
city’s unique circumstances: cultural setting, available resources, technical knowledge, political leadership
and financial support. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and each project city has taken a tailored
approach with varying degrees of progress. Lessons learned from the project cities, as well as the three
project partners, are presented below, and recommendations for moving forward are shared in chapter III.
• Water, energy and food/land are interconnected in a non-linear manner. Focusing on only one
resource may result in unexpected, negative consequences. These resources need to be examined
with a systems approach that addresses these interrelationships
• Many cities are overwhelmed with the many road maps and regulations from the national level and
other mandates that are on top of their core responsibility of providing urban services. Efforts that
help cities provide urban services more efficiently and effectively, such as the Urban Nexus project,
provide opportunities and solutions to achieve sustainable development
• Horizontal and vertical administrative fragmentation emerged as a major risk to implement

Urban Nexus approaches. Many governance structures require changes to improve management
of resources, such as water, energy and land. Intensity of cooperation within and among local
governments in urbanizing agglomerations needs to be enhanced and sustained
• Customized institutional arrangements, based on unique local and subnational governance contexts,
available capacities and the needs identified through projects (e.g. special-purpose vehicles formed
under the “Smart City” initiative in India) helped to advance the Nexus approach
28
• Further capacity-building among government agencies, especially at the national level, should
continue to be carried out in order to increase understanding of Urban Nexus as a concept and
approach, not only technology. Training and capacity-building are needed to discontinue business-
as-usual approaches to urban development and adopt an integrated approach to improve resource
efficiency and overall quality
• Since “seeing is believing”, the implementation of pilot projects, exposure visits and technical tours
to showcase good practices make an impact on decision-making, especially in respect of large
infrastructure projects
• Public-private partnerships are another form of financing investment that is becoming more popular;
however, the different partnership models should be studied thoroughly before being applied
• Housing schemes are the “best” Nexus as they require a multisectoral approach (finance, space,
infrastructure, water, wastewater, energy, solid waste management, roads, community development
etc.)
City-specific experiences are described in the profiles that follow.
Weifang/Binhai, Chinaa
Established in August 1995, Weifang/Binhai, with approximately
96,600 residents, was approved as a national economic and
technological development area by the State Council of the People’s
Republic of China.
Covering an area of 677 km2, much of its coastland is flat and

undeveloped. Innovative wastewater management and building
energy efficiency are the two focus areas of the Urban Nexus project
interventions. Vacuum sewer wastewater collection is apt for the
terrain. After a technical workshop on vacuum sewer wastewater
collection in June 2017, the Weifang/Binhai authorities decided
to support a respective pilot project. Preparations for project
implementation are under way, and construction is scheduled to
start in 2019.
The Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Weifang/

Binhai coordinated the involvement of other bureaus and
departments of the Weifang/Binhai government and State-owned companies in Nexus activities. At the
national level, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Ministry of Commerce supported
the dissemination of the Nexus approach in China.
Weifang/Binhai representatives joined study tours and also hosted trainings on building energy efficiency
and innovative wastewater management to build their capacity to advance these measures.
Source: GIZ.
29
Rizhao, China
Rizhao is a dynamic coastal city in Shandong Province with
approximately 800,000 residents in the city centre. Water
management is the focus area of Urban Nexus project interventions
for Rizhao. The Government of China set ambitious targets for
energy conservation and emissions reduction, and Rizhao, as an
industrial city, was also delegated energy and climate targets.
Rizhao officials work with GIZ Urban Nexus to identify ways to

improve the energy efficiency of its public and private buildings and
advance integration of renewable forms of energy. GIZ Urban Nexus
in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics
elaborated the concept of the “Nexus Energy Plus House”. Officials
from the Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development Rizhao
and local real estate developers are advised on how to elaborate
climatically adjusted designs and integrate photovoltaics into walls
and roofs to produce green energy that can be fed into the local
electricity grid. Technical and financial solutions have been sought
throughout the project.
In addition to Nexus energy-plus houses, the Bureau seeks innovative solutions to its wastewater system, which
was showing deficiencies regarding the lowering of sewer manholes. The vacuum sewer wastewater collection
system is therefore of particular interest. Through consultations, study tours and trainings, representatives
from Rizhao have enhanced their understanding of innovative wastewater management systems.
Source: (Left and center) GIZ. (Right) Kyungkoo (Philip) Kang.
Nagpur, India
The city of Nagpur has a population of about 2.5 million and
generates approximately 900-1,000 metric tons of waste per day
(TPD), of which only 150-200 TPD is processed. Irregular collection
services along with limited processing and disposal facilities has
led to open dumping, posing a significant threat to public health and
the environment. The project is focused on supporting Nagpur to
improve its existing solid waste management situation.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation led the formation of a Nexus

task force to ensure active interdepartmental communication
and a coordinated planning approach. The mayor chairs the task
force, and department heads representing the water supply, waste
management, sewerage and other sectors actively participate.
The Nexus task force was well constituted comprising political,
administrative and technical representatives. National and
subnational organizations, including the Ministry of Housing and
30
Urban Affairs, the National Institute of Urban Affairs, the National Environmental Engineering Research
Institute, the National Institute for Transforming India Aayog, the State Government of Karnataka and the
Department of Urban Development, Maharashtra, were engaged to enhance discussions on integrating
the Nexus approach into planning frameworks and improve coordination across different government
levels.
Arcadis NV and Zweckverband Abfallbehandlung Kahlenberg (Kahlenberg Waste Treatment Association)

work with Nagpur’s Nexus task force to assess the suitability of several prevalent waste management
technologies on the basis of waste composition, reliability of the technology, state of the art, value chain,
regulatory compliance, marketability of by-products, social acceptability and environmental sustainability.
The analysis indicated that MYT® based on the principles of mechanical-biological treatment was
relatively more suitable, adaptable and flexible for the type of waste which the city generates. The study
indicated that a total input of 800 TPD of municipal solid waste into the MYT® system would generate
8.36 MWh of energy and 213 TPD of refuse-derived fuel with a calorific value of 10,000 to 12,000 kJ/kg,
which could be used for on-site energy generation or supplied to cement, steel and power plants. The
feasibility study indicated a capital cost of €66.36 million for setting up an 800 TPD MYT® processing
plant in Nagpur. The annual operating costs, including manpower cost, was estimated at approximately
€0.19 million. The study was aimed at helping develop a Nexus-compliant project supporting Nagpur
in making well-informed decisions, while selecting an appropriate technology that promotes maximum
resource utilization and improved efficiency.
Nagpur City also organized and promoted regional exchange and dissemination of successful, practical
approaches to integrated resource management. A delegation from Ulaanbaatar visited Nagpur to learn
about reusing and recycling treated wastewater for power plants. The Mongolian delegation visited
the wards where 24/7 water was supplied under another initiative launched by the Nagpur Municipal
Corporation. The delegation also visited the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute and
observed the use of the “Smart Strip” being developed under the Smart City initiative.
“Urban Nexus project has helped us to identify synergies and to take advantage of the co-benefits arising
from integrated resources management and planning. SDGs have targets that are functions of local
governments. We understand how an integrated approach impacts the sustainability of the city and could
actually help us in moving towards a circular economy thereby achieving our targets as well as SDGs”.
Nanda Jichkar, Mayor, Nagpur Municipal Corporation
Source: (Left) Kibae Park. (Right) GIZ.
31
Rajkot, India
With approximately 1.28 million residents, Rajkot is the fourth
largest city in the state of Gujarat. The city’s high growth rate,
climate and spatial location in an arid zone with erratic rainfall
makes water supply a major challenge. The city was able to provide
only 106 litres of water per capita per day, with intermittent supply
for an average of 20 minutes per day. Local water resources met
approximately one third of the city’s demand, and groundwater was
an unsustainable source due to the low water table, and fluoride
and nitrate risks. To meet demand, Rajkot drew from distant water
sources, a process which required large amounts of energy.
The Rajkot Municipal Corporation led the formation of a Nexus

task force to ensure active interdepartmental communication
and a coordinated planning approach. The mayor chairs the task
force, and department heads representing the water, wastewater,
solid waste and other sectors constitute the group. Political,
administrative and technical representatives are involved, and
national-level organizations, including the Department Housing and Urban Development, Gujarat, and the
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, are engaged. Frequent discussions ensure the support of provincial
and national governments.
In focusing on the potential to optimize water and energy resources, a tool was developed to help track
water usage, leaks and non-revenue water. GIZ Urban Nexus and ICLEI South Asia worked with Rajkot to
study and develop recommendations regarding reuse of treated wastewater for gardening or agricultural
purposes and proposed district metering in areas to improve water demand management and use of a
supervisory control and data acquisition system as a performance indicator. Officials joined trainings to
enhance their capacity to apply the tool and use it to balance Rajkot’s water system at the zonal level,
focusing on areas with high levels of non-revenue water. More efficient water systems save energy. Rajkot
scaled up the metering initiative to five more wards, and the Corporation’s tax department started preparing
and maintaining geo-referenced information at the household level to be linked with Corporation-provided
services.
Rajkot also explored the feasibility of using vacuum sewer technology in the forthcoming greenfield
area under the city’s Smart City plan. Experts from Aqseptence conducted a two-day technical training
programme, providing insight into the technical, managerial and financial aspects of the technology.
More than 60 participants from Indian cities beyond Rajkot (e.g. Jamnagar Municipal Corporation and
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation) attended this event, which provided a platform for knowledge-sharing
and exchanging technical know-how.
Lesson learned from India: To ensure successful implementation of the project, it is necessary
to engage with political as well as administrative wings of the urban local body throughout the
project period. This will ensure their continuous support of the activities as well as provide critical
practical local knowledge.
Source: GIZ.
32
Pekanbaru, Indonesia
Pekanbaru has approximately 1 million residents who produce 700
tons of solid waste per day. The landfill in Rumbai district has been
operating for 20 years and is quickly running out of land for waste
disposal. Moreover, in the next 20 years, the average amount of solid
waste for Pekanbaru is estimated to exceed 1,200 tons per day.
The increasing amount of waste, land limitations and adverse

impact of open dump sites on the environment, health and safety
make the concept of the sustainable sanitary landfill-to-energy
system as well as the Maximum Yield Technology® highly relevant
to Pekanbaru’s needs.
The government of Pekanbaru City created an Urban Nexus task

force to lead the Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities:
The Urban Nexus project. The project supported an assessment and
recommendations to address the city’s solid waste management
situation. Officers from Pekanbaru participated in various capacity-
building workshops and trainings and visited a waste-to-energy model site in Bantan Sanitary landfill in
Chiang Mai, Thailand. The privately run sanitary landfill produces 2 MWh of electricity per day from 600
tons of solid waste. The company profits from selling electricity to the Provincial Electricity Authority.
Pekanbaru expressed interest in applying a similar model and is in the process of purchasing land for
a future sustainable solid waste management site that will include installation of efficient methane gas
collection and an energy production system.
Staff changes early in the project contributed to periods of inactivity, but the Vice-Mayor, Head of BAPPEDA,
the development planning agency at the subnational level in Pekanbaru, joined the seventh regional
workshop held in Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia, in July 2017, and expressed the city’s interest to continue
applying the Nexus approach in the city.
Source: (Left) Shutterstock. (Right) ESCAP.
33
Tanjung Pinang, Indonesia
Tanjung Pinang is the capital of Riau Islands Province, with roughly 280,000
inhabitants. Under the project, the city has addressed wastewater and
solid waste management, as both sectors face infrastructure challenges.
BAPPEDA, the development planning agency at the subnational level,

plays an active role in maintaining the Nexus task force throughout
the project and beyond. To ensure a coordinated approach to planning
in cities, department heads representing the water, wastewater, solid
waste and other sectors, as well as political, administrative and technical
representatives meet frequently.
Studies of Tanjung Pinang’s wastewater challenges have been focused

on Senggarang subdistrict. Homes in this coastal area are located on
stilts. Results indicated that a vacuum sewer system would be the
most suitable to collect domestic wastewater. Such a system is new
to the country, and Indonesia requires that laboratory-scale research
be conducted by the Research Centre for Knowledge and Learning
Network for Community Empowerment in Housing and Urban Development under the Ministry of Public Works
and Housing before new technologies may be applied. On 12 September 2017, the Director of the Residential
Environment Sanitation Development, Directorate of General Human Settlements of that Ministry, recognized
the vacuum sewer system as a proven technology to address sanitation problems in coastal areas. The Director
of Urban, Housing and Settlements of BAPPENAS recommended that the vacuum sewer system be adopted
following a step-by-step process, with the first step involving a pilot project in Senggarang; the Research Centre
would act as the lead agency in cooperation with GIZ Urban Nexus.
In addition to wastewater management, GIZ Urban Nexus with Wehrle Umwelt GmbH collaborated with local
and provincial officials from Tanjung Pinang and Riau Islands, respectively, to identify solutions to solid waste
challenges. A study, which included cost estimates, was conducted; subsequently it was recommended that
Tanjung Pinang City and the province should adopt MYT® and apply a clustering approach. This aligns with the
provincial government’s programme to create regional solid waste management facilities that will cover Tanjung
Pinang City and the Bintan Regency.
Capacity-building activities included many trainings and workshops, with the most recent being in late 2018,
involving GIZ Urban Nexus collaborating with the Center for Planner’s Development, Education and Training of
BAPPENAS to provide training on the Urban Nexus approach and training of trainers. Representatives from all
government levels and academia participated. In part due to these recent trainings, the Government of Indonesia
recognized the Urban Nexus concept as a relevant approach for urban development in Indonesia via the Center.
Lesson learned from Indonesia: To introduce and apply new technologies in Indonesia, laboratory
tests must first be conducted by the Research Centre for Knowledge and Learning Network for
Community Empowerment in Housing and Urban Development of the Ministry of Public Works
and Housing. Bureaucracy can be extensive from the national to local levels, and frequent staff
turnover in government agencies can contribute to delayed implementation of projects and
programmes. Institutionalizing mechanisms to sustain momentum through change is important.
Source: City of Tanjung Pinang.
34
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
More than 60 per cent of the 1.4 million residents of Ulaanbaatar
live in poorly organized settlements of ger (a portable, round tent
covered with skins or felt) on the city’s periphery; these settlements
are expanding in an uncontrolled manner mainly due to urban
migration. This situation is contributing to major environmental and
social problems, including air pollution and soil and groundwater
contamination. Through the project, Ulaanbaatar examined a
community-driven, land readjustment effort, studied the city’s
energy master plan and identified possible solutions to improve
Ulaanbaatar’s management of solid waste.
The residents of ger districts generally have legal title to their plots
but desire to live in detached homes with basic infrastructure
connections. Due to capacity and budgetary shortages, decentralized
solutions, especially for heating and wastewater management, are
needed. These settlements often lack basic services, except for
electricity supply. The community-driven land readjustment involved
Tsaiz village in Khoroo 19 (a khoroo is the smallest administrative unit in Ulaanbaatar) and was conducted
within the framework of the Ulaanbaatar city housing and infrastructure development subprogramme
adopted in 2018, incorporating energy-efficient and ecological principles. The objective is to improve land
use, increase land value and develop neighbourhoods that will be livable, competitive and attractive to
investors. Designs for respective, environmentally friendly neighbourhoods and energy-efficient housing
will help the owners to raise funds required to finance their own housing improvements. The use of land
title deeds as collateral for loans from financial institutions is seen as the main way for land owners to
raise funds to finance construction.
In Tsaiz village, about 180 households on 12 hectares of land are participating in the land readjustment
process. A citizens’ interim council and a cooperative of landlords have been created to join the efforts
and communicate with Ulaanbaatar City and other stakeholders. A memorandum of understanding for
the “Tsaiz Ecovillage” project was signed on 30 March 2018 by the Housing Corporation of the Capital
City, Erel LLC (a construction company and developer), Arig Bank (a private commercial bank), Eco-village
cooperative (cooperative of landlords) and GIZ Urban Nexus. Community surveys and interviews have
been conducted, and a preliminary study “Ecovillage Project in Khoroo 19”, analysing the current situation
and challenges, was conducted; it was presented to the stakeholders in July 2018. Arig Bank developed
two-tier financing options for the developers and home buyers, and a model two-storey, energy-efficient
building was presented to the Housing Corporation of the Capital City. After negotiations with landowners,
six households expressed their readiness to provide their land for the pilot house construction.
The Housing Corporation of the Capital City intends to mobilize funds from the city budget for basic
infrastructure construction, and the first pilot townhouse project consisting of 20 units is scheduled for
construction in 2019.
Regarding energy supply, Ulaanbaatar is dependent on fossil fuel; power plants and heat-only boilers
operate at levels below international standards producing carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution.
Transformation from a coal-based to a mainly renewable energy-based system is needed to address
existing challenges. The project supported a pre-feasibility study on Ulaanbaatar’s energy master plan,
which is aimed at providing a comprehensive, impartial inventory of the initial situation regarding demand,
provision and distribution of heat and electricity and a determination of the renewable energy resources
available. After that assessment, the German Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems provided
recommendations regarding technologically possible options that would promote emissions reduction
and the establishment of a sustainable energy supply that includes renewable energy sources.
35
Local and national government stakeholders, energy sector experts, engineers, utilities, international
organizations, banks and the private sector were involved in the study, providing energy consumption
data, among other inputs. An optimized design of the target energy system for the year 2050, based
on modelling the most cost-effective and robust system to achieve the system’s goals, was provided.
Findings indicate that solar and wind will become the main energy sources for Ulaanbaatar; however, wind
potential within the city is limited. Thus, the wind potential of the areas adjacent to Ulaanbaatar should be
tapped as well.
Some recommended that the next steps should include: (a) increasing energy efficiency through a building
insulation programme and reducing energy losses in the entire energy system; (b) electrification of the
heating sector and strengthening of the electrical grid where necessary; (c) installing renewable energy
systems; and (d) building capacity in elaboration of energy-efficient building designs and elaboration of
energy balances before and after the buildings are erected.
Source: GIZ.
Key policies needed to kick-start the energy system transformation include: (a) further development of the
Energy Conservation Law, revision of the Mongolian National Standard on Energy Efficiency of Buildings
and revision of the Renewable Energy Law to stimulate private investment in photovoltaic and wind
power systems; (b) development of energy balances before issuing building permits; (c) consumption-
oriented and cost-covering heat energy tariffs; (d) enforcement of existing laws and standards, rules and
regulations; (e) introduction of electric heaters for gers and detached houses; (f) development of a grid
expansion policy to enable the use of electric heaters; (g) advancement of a photovoltaic installation
programme on public buildings; and (h) evaluation of geothermal potential.
Huge amounts of waste are collected, transported and disposed on Ulaanbaatar’s three large and many
small-sized dumps, without separation and classification. This situation has led to many environmental
problems. The Government of Mongolia and that of Ulaanbaatar City are considering the construction of
additional landfills showing interest in waste-to-energy technologies.
The National Development Agency of Mongolia in May 2018 requested GIZ Urban Nexus to provide advisory
services with regard to solid waste management. Arcadis Germany GmbH was selected to study options
to improve solid waste management in Ulaanbaatar, focusing on the potential of waste incineration and
public private partnerships. A diverse group of stakeholders was engaged in this process, including the
National Development Agency, Ulaanbaatar officials, private companies from the waste management
sector and international donors and banks. By building an eco-friendly incineration plant (combining
heat and power), with the fuel being derived from municipal waste, the “Waste-to-Energy Project” could
simultaneously solve environmental problems and the shortage of power and heating capacities, thus
contributing to Ulaanbaatar’s green development policy.
The city intends to address challenges, including social acceptability, high ash content in household
waste from ger areas and financing. Before a suitable private sector partner can be selected, however, it
is necessary to set up a technical, institutional, legal and environmentally protective framework. Owing
36
to the lack of a public-private partnership and waste-to-energy experience on the national and municipal
levels, it was strongly recommended that this process be facilitated with the support of an external firm.
Lesson learned from Mongolia: There is a need for improving community problem-solving capacity
through participatory processes. Appropriate decentralized infrastructure solutions should
consider not only the capital expenditures but also operating expenses.
Naga City, Philippines

Located near the centre of the Bicol region, Naga City is an area
frequently affected by typhoons. A bustling centre of socioeconomic
activities, with a population of about 196,000, Naga City’s rapid urban
development calls for more integrated and innovative solutions.
To this end, the city is formulating a 30-year sustainable urban
development plan as a basis for its long-term growth. Naga City is
integrating the Nexus approach into its work to identify solutions to
address challenges, as discussed below.
Naga City’s Planning and Development Coordinator led a large

and diverse Nexus task force comprising sectoral experts, school
board and People’s Council representatives, and other bureau and
department representatives. The task force reports directly to the
mayor and wants to ensure a coordinated planning approach.
“Pursuing a waste-to-energy project is one of the flagship

undertakings that we want to push. We are thankful for the technical
assistance provided by GIZ Urban Nexus as we embark on this challenging but exciting initiative as a means
to realize long-term sustainable urban development. Coupled with our vision of good governance, we will
continue to live up to our vision of being a ‘maogmang lugar’ [happy place] for the future generation of
Nagueños” [citizens of Naga City].
Mayor John Bongat, Naga City
Prior to its selection as one of the Nexus project sites, Naga City administrators agreed with Habitat for
Humanity and the Home Development Mutual Fund to develop a low-cost housing project in Barangay Del
Rosario.21 A 5,200 m2 site was procured by Naga City. Recognizing the immense potential of a housing
project to exemplify the Nexus approach, GIZ Urban Nexus introduced possible structural and design
amendments to make the proposed housing more disaster resilient. Further, a study was conducted on
the possibility of employing a vacuum sewer system in the housing project as a means of centralized
wastewater collection and as a way of avoiding the conventional gravity system which tends to be more
costly.
Beyond the housing project, a household survey on sanitation and wastewater services was conducted
by GIZ Urban Nexus and the Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology covering three
barangays. Results helped establish a baseline for further development of the city’s innovative wastewater
management. Keen to “lead by example”, Naga City is exploring demonstration initiatives, such as piloting
an innovative wastewater management project in its public market. Further, the city is partnering with the
Metro Naga Water District on ways to generate energy from sludge.
Naga City is also working with the Water District to tap the National Sewerage and Septage Management
Program of the Department of Public Works and Highways to improve water quality and protect public
health in urban areas of the country by 2020. That programme provides a 50 per cent subsidy (as of
October 2017) for sewerage and septage projects.22
37
Consciousness has been created among decision makers that an innovative wastewater management
system is required to improve the sanitation system, as current practice has been leading to increased
contamination of groundwater, rivers and soil.
In addition to wastewater management, addressing solid waste management, particularly through waste-
to-energy, has been one of Naga City’s priorities. GIZ Urban Nexus supported work to help identify suitable
technologies and models that could be applied on the existing and new landfill site. Recommendations
on how to close the existing Balatas landfill, design the new San Isidro sanitary landfill and capacitate
management and labourers of the landfill were shared with relevant stakeholders. Armed with enhanced
understanding of the different options for using the waste-to-energy model, Naga City is now more
prepared to implement a Nexus approach that adheres to national laws and standards concerning solid
waste management. The city government officially approved implementation of a sanitary landfill with a
waste-to-energy facility valued at 260 million pesos (approximately €3.9 million) that will occupy 4.85 ha
of land and is projected to accommodate a maximum of 508,064 m3 of municipal solid waste for a period
of 10 years after it starts operation. The waste-to-energy component will use gasification technology.
Naga City will invite prospective bidders for the waste-to-energy project on the condition that it should be
constructed under a national joint venture framework.
As gleaned from local stakeholders and studies conducted under the project, Naga City’s growing concerns
regarding its wastewater management and solid waste challenges are very much linked to the ecological
integrity of its river system and the health of its populace. The Nexus approach helped the city examine its
sanitation problems from multiple perspectives, thereby enabling it to design sustainable solutions that
will steer the city towards its vision of becoming a “maogmang lugar” (happy place).
The 30-year sustainable development plan is part of Naga City’s efforts to localize the “AmBisyon Natin
2040” vision of the National Economic and Development Authority; it covers a broad range of issues,
including sanitation and urban planning. AmBisyon Natin 2040 represents the Filipino people’s collective
long-term vision and aspirations for the next 25 years. GIZ Urban Nexus supported Naga City in formulating
its development plan by introducing “design thinking” to solicit inputs from various segments of the
population in a creative manner, with the end goal of formulating a long-term plan that is both people-
driven and responsive to the city’s urban development trajectory.23
Lesson learned from the Philippines: In terms of solid waste management, visits and discussions
with local authorities in the Philippines showed how difficult it is, especially for smaller cities
and municipalities, to implement sustainable waste management technologies. Thus, the co-
development of waste treatment concepts for neighbouring communities working together is
crucial to implement a modern, technically efficient, sustainable and environmentally friendly
treatment technology. This supports the national policy on clustering as promulgated by the
National Solid Waste Management Commission.
Source: (Left) Naga City. (Right) Kyungkoo (Philip) Kang.
38
Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology,
Naga City, Philippines
Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (BISCAST) is a meso-level educational institution
selected to disseminate the Nexus concept within and outside of academia. As a state college, BISCAST
is mandated to provide advanced and higher education services as well as to undertake research and
extension services within its service areas in the Bicol region. BISCAST primarily focuses on capacity-
building in energy and water conservation, waste management and sustainable as well as climate
change-resilient architecture. To achieve the Nexus goals, BISCAST created a Nexus task force which
has a cross-sectoral structure to overcome existing institutional silos and to monitor integrated resource
management and support its partners’ projects, such as Naga City.
BISCAST integrated the Nexus approach into its systems and processes, encouraging collaboration and
synergies among departments, increased stakeholder engagement and improved information-sharing.
The college focuses on six project components that are interconnected and implemented by the academic
and administrative divisions in a cross-sectoral manner.
To integrate the Nexus approach into the development of resilient housing, BISCAST initiated the design
and construction of a climate change-resilient pilot house (CCRPH) based on the principles of climate
change resiliency, affordability and green buildings (see box A). CCRPH has the capacity to resist, absorb
and respond to the adverse effects of climate hazards without significant changes to its basic functions
and structures and is intended to serve as an alternative model for low-cost socialized housing projects in
the Philippines. CCRPH was inaugurated in June 2016 in the presence of key project partners. It received
the highest rating from the Philippine Green Building Initiative for green building standards as well as for
“climate change resiliency”. BISCAST also developed a “low-cost housing building design system”, which
in December 2017 received accreditation for innovative housing technologies from the National Housing
Authority.
BISCAST engaged with Naga City by supporting the following:
• Redesign of an affordable housing system for Barangay Del Rosario housing project
• Survey on water and wastewater services and facilities in three barangays
• Preparation of Naga City’s 30-year sustainable urban development plan
• Workshops on applied Nexus technologies, which included the local government and the private
sector
Naga City and other municipalities, such as the Canaman local government, have expressed interest in
adapting the design of CCRPH of BISCAST.
Source: Kyungkoo (Philip) Kang.
39
With the aim of disseminating information on the Nexus approach, BISCAST has facilitated events, such
as the Urban Nexus Regional Forum: “Sharing the BISCAST Experience in the Framework of the Urban
Nexus Approach”, which engaged other academic institutions in the Bicol region (Sorsogon State College,
Catanduanes State University and Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology). BISCAST
collaborated with other organizations and private institutions, such as Supermalls Naga City, Department
of Trade and Industry, Partido Development Administration, Commission of Higher Education and the
Metro Naga Water District, to advance integrated resource management through regional forums, trade
fairs, site visits and local workshops.
Through its “Build Environment Course”, BISCAST has integrated the Urban Nexus approach into its
curriculum.
“The Urban Nexus approach is an innovative platform for BISCAST to overcome ‘silo thinking’ in our
institution and to combine the expertise of our staff. With our Integrated Resource Management Plan, we
were able to implement projects with the consideration of energy and water efficiency, available resources
and their efficient use. As an educational institution, our mission is to disseminate our experience with the
Nexus approach to other institutions, local government units and the community. To reach this goal we are
establishing now the BISCAST Nexus Center which will be the converging point for our institutional Nexus
activities, the regional network of educational institutions as well as non-academic institutions. Furthermore,
it will be also the gateway to connect with international partners and in particular with the academe”.
Richard H. Cordial, BISCAST President
Santa Rosa City, Philippines

With a population more than 350,000, Santa Rosa is one of the
fastest-urbanizing cities in the Philippines. It is politically subdivided
into 18 barangays, with three situated along Laguna de Bay. Rapid
development coupled with urban migration has increased pressure
on the city’s services and natural resources.
The Santa Rosa Nexus task force was created by an executive

order signed by the mayor in 2013 and is composed of local
government representatives from the Environment and Natural
Resource, Urban Development and Housing, Planning Development,
Engineering, Health, Agriculture, General Services, Social Welfare
and Development Offices, as well as the Laguna AAA Water
Corporation.24
Santa Rosa is relocating residents of Barangay Labas, an area

prone to flooding, to an adjacent government-purchased property
(13,842 m2) in the centre of the city. The City Urban Development
and Housing Office is surveying potential beneficiaries’ capacity and willingness to pay, working with the
Home Development Mutual Fund, a Philippine government-owned and controlled corporation responsible
for providing access to shelter financing.
GIZ Urban Nexus provided technical support by developing designs and affordable housing models that
promote space optimization and water, energy and cost-efficiency. This housing project is envisioned
to showcase green building principles, innovative wastewater management, public-private partnerships
and an all-inclusive city. Additionally, aspects of operation, maintenance and repair of the infrastructure
systems to be installed have been considered, even during the pre-construction phase. The possibility of
forming a public-private partnership has also been contemplated.
40
Santa Rosa City lacks centralized wastewater treatment. Most residential areas have pit latrines and
septic tanks, with more modern developments employing decentralized wastewater treatment. Laguna
AAA Water Corporation, the authority responsible for the city’s water supply and wastewater discharge,
is proposing the development of a modern system. The proposed housing project incorporates vacuum
sewer wastewater collection, enabling reuse of treated water for urban agriculture and energy generation
from black water. The city hopes to partner with the Corporation to treat the consolidated domestic
wastewater. Santa Rosa completed a technical questionnaire aimed at obtaining accurate data on
influents and effluents at peak flows to correctly size the envisioned vacuum station and sewer network.
The results serve as a basis for the initial feasibility study, including budget proposal, for the system. The
cost calculation needs to be revisited, however, when the housing design is finalized.
Through this project, the living conditions of selected low-income families in Barangay Labas, as well as
local government families, will be improved, empowering them to defend their interests by integrating
them into livable urban structures.
In addition to wastewater, solid waste management is a priority issue for the city. Based on 2015 data,
Santa Rosa City’s estimated solid waste is 246 metric tons per day. This is equivalent to 0.6 kg/person/
day of waste generated. Currently, the city disposes its solid waste in Pilotage, a landfill located in the
adjacent city of San Pedro, Laguna. In considering the volume of waste that the facility receives vis-à-vis
its carrying capacity, Pilotage will potentially be closed between 2021 and 2023. Santa Rosa City is keen
to explore innovative technical solutions to address this plan in the framework of the clustering approach
of the National Solid Waste Management Commission. The city also cooperated with the Commission to
ensure that the solutions identified are aligned with national policies and regulations.
GIZ Urban Nexus supported a technical study that examined the status of solid waste management
for Laguna Province. The study was focused on Santa Rosa’s case and further assessed Pilotage’s
current situation to provide sound recommendations on technical solutions that may be applied. One
general treatment concept that contains several process stages that can be combined so that each local
government unit adopts the best-suited solution. Thus, one concept can be used to cater to the different
needs of individual local units. These solutions considered the technical and financial possibilities of
waste management authorities. All options assumed that recyclable substances would be segregated at
the household level. Recyclables and reusable substances that were not segregated at the point of origin
should be separated and converted into usable products (e.g. compost for agricultural use, recyclable
materials or substances with an optimum condition for energy recovery in industrial processes) at the
waste treatment plant.
“The creation of the Santa Rosa Nexus task force has been a significant milestone for the city because it
became a platform for us to collaborate more strongly, particularly in terms of identifying and implementing
integrated solutions to help manage the city’s limited resources while also ensuring that we protect the
environment”.
Erlinda Creencia, City Environment and Natural Resource Office, Santa Rosa
Source: GIZ.
41
Chiang Mai, Thailand
The city of Chiang Mai, with just over 131,000 residents, has a
thriving tourism industry: the province and city welcomed more than
9 million visitors in 2017. This has increased pressure on the city’s
natural resources and contributed to rising pollution levels. Through
the Nexus project, the city explored a variety of activities to support
the community, save energy and reduce water pollution.
Chiang Mai’s Office of the Mayor and Department of Public Works

were actively engaged throughout the project, bringing together
representatives from multiple agencies and organizations, including
from the health and tourism sectors, the wastewater management
authority, and water and wastewater companies. The city
collaborated well between municipalities and across government
levels, particularly with Chiang Mai Province and the Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment’s Office of Natural Resources
and Environmental Policy and Planning.
Chiang Mai’s many hotels, guest houses, residences, restaurants and markets discharge wastewater
and septic tank effluent into the Mae Kha Canal, which leads to environmental and health problems. In
2017, the Chiang Mai governor deemed the Mae Kha Canal wastewater problem a top priority to address.
The province and city established a task force to find integrated solutions to this critical problem. GIZ
Urban Nexus, a member of that task force, proposed solutions, such as channellizing the Mae Kha Canal
with fresh water flow on top and creating meadows to absorb flooding, as well as connection of more
neighbourhoods via innovative wastewater collection (vacuum sewer) and improved management. The
city has taken up the proposals to the provincial level for further discussion and possible implementation.
The city’s main wholesale market, Muang Mai, is discharging wastewater and organics into the drainage
system, which causes heavy blockage within the market’s drainage/sewage system. Muang Mai market
has become one of the main contributors to the contamination of Mae Kha Canal. To find a sustainable
solution, GIZ Nexus studied the situation and recommended a wastewater vacuum sewerage collection
system to manage wastewater in this flat terrain, with little open space. The treated water could be used
to flush the Mae Kha Canal and the moat of the old city, and/or it could be used to dilute the polluted water
in the canal and the city moat.
Tourism and economic growth of Chiang Mai bring with them pollution, and wastewater management is
becoming a critical problem of the communities. Problems in Chiang Mai Old City – the heart of Chiang
Mai – range from clogging of the combined drainage system and lack of effective sewerage infrastructure
to inadequate septic tanks, resulting in contaminated groundwater and water wells contaminating the
Mae Kha and its tributaries. GIZ Urban Nexus conducted a household survey in two communities (Chiang
Mun and Lam Chang) to gather baseline data and elaborate a feasibility study on innovative wastewater
treatment for the Old City and to promote communication between the local, provincial and national levels.
The moat surrounding Chiang Mai’s Old City contained 66 inefficient pumps that were continually
overheating and breaking down, resulting in high electricity bills and costly operation and maintenance
costs. With support from the Nexus project, consultants collaborated with the city to identify the most
cost-effective option, which was to replace inefficient pumps with submersible, energy-saving models.
The project piloted installation of one energy-efficient, submersible fountain pump to gather data. Chiang
Mai Municipality agreed to replace the remaining pumps in the Old City moat if the pilot proved successful.
Anticipated benefits would include saving the equivalent of $90,000 annually in electricity costs. The city
has now allocated 10 million baht (about $312,500) to replace all remaining pumps with models similar
to the pilot pump.
42
As Thailand’s population is rapidly ageing, Chiang Mai Municipality designed a three-storey health centre
building to provide physical therapy services, day care and Thai traditional medicine for the elderly. GIZ
Urban Nexus worked with the city to include passive and active energy-efficient features, proposing the
use of natural daylight and shading, insulation, concrete cooling, LED lighting and a heating, ventilation
and air-conditioning evaporator with inverter, which would improve on the initial building designs. With
an additional $35,000 investment in building improvements, the health-care centre could achieve energy
savings of more than 40 per cent with a payment period of less than five years.
Source: GIZ.
Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand

The city of Nakhon Ratchasima, popularly known as Korat, is the
gateway to the northeastern region of Thailand; the city has a
registered population of about 128,400. However, Korat Municipality
services about 450,000 people, as other municipalities also
subscribe to its water supply service. With rapid population growth,
the land-use pattern has been changing from agriculture to an
urbanized residential pattern. The local government is aware of the
increasing stress on natural resources and foresees the sustainable
provision of water, energy and food to the people as a priority. GIZ
Urban Nexus introduced an integrated approach, working with the
city on sustainable water management and innovative solid waste
management solutions.
Since the project’s inception, the mayor of Korat has been actively
engaged, and several municipal departments, including water
supply, public works, public health and social welfare, among others,
worked in an integrated manner to collaborate with the GIZ Urban
Nexus team and the relevant consultants to collect baseline data and come to a consensus on how to
implement solutions to their urban development problems. Korat is fairly autonomous compared with
the other project cities and GIZ Urban Nexus partner cities, especially in terms of financing activities that
involve less than $1 million per project. The city was able to source funds to implement almost all of the
proposed solutions, totalling an investment of $1.5 million.
The main source of water supply for Korat City is from Lamtaklong Dam. The municipality pays 3 million
baht (about $93,750) per month for Makham Tao Station to pump/distribute tap water to consumers.
Pumping the water requires large amounts of electricity. However, half the pipe network leaks, which
forces the plant to produce and pump more water into the network than is actually required. Through the
technical assistance of the project, system efficiency was analysed, and operational fine-tuning solutions
were implemented with the municipality’s own budget. As a result of system analysis, a rearrangement
43
and fine tuning of Makham Tao pumping station’s operations was implemented. The adjustments enabled
the municipality to save maintenance costs that were incurred by the station and reduce the formerly high
levels of electricity consumption. The electricity bill has been reduced on average by 29 per cent, or more
than 1 million baht per month.
Building on the success of the system efficiency analysis and implementation at Makham Tao in terms
of water production and distribution, the intervention was scaled up to include broader water supply
distribution management. In total, 48 million m³ of water were produced and treated in fiscal year 2015.
However, the financial department indicated that only 21 million m³ of the produced water was consumed
and paid for, indicating significant water loss of 27 million m³. By addressing the water loss problem,
Korat has the potential to save 50 per cent of its water resources, 50 per cent of the energy used for
transporting and distributing raw and fresh water and 50 per cent of the chemicals used for water
treatment. Short- and long-term measures were proposed, starting with replacement of outdated water
meters to record accurate volumes and fees for water consumption. The municipality institutionalized the
GIZ Urban Nexus recommendation of replacing the old water meters by amending a by-law of the city to
allow the municipality water supply department to purchase new meters to replace the old ones. Prior to
this change, the city did not have the legal right to change the water meters because they belong to the
respective subscribers. The water supply department has so far replaced 4,000 water meters. As a result,
the municipality now receives accurate data on residents’ water consumption, which can contribute to an
appropriate production volume and ensure that the municipality will receive correct and higher revenue –
already an increase of more than 10 per cent.
In addition to addressing water supply issues, the project sought improvements in Korat’s wastewater
management system. Korat’s Central Waste Water Treatment Plant has a capacity of 75,000 m3 per
day. The average daily inflow, however, amounts to only about 21,000 m3 per day and is therefore much
lower than expected and only 28 per cent of the design flow. That plant is not functioning at its optimum
efficiency because it receives and treats diluted water. Only septic tank overflow enters the sewer system.
The activated sludge system’s sludge scrapper machine constantly breaks down and therefore does
not enable proper treatment processes. Baseline data were collected and procedures for the plant’s
rehabilitation were proposed. One of the proposed measures for increasing the organic load was to collect
the wastewater directly from neighbourhoods near the plant by using a vacuum sewer collection and
transport system. A comprehensive survey on vacuum sewer implementation was conducted in those
neighbourhoods jointly by the GIZ Urban Nexus team, Department of Public Works and Department of
Social Welfare. The rehabilitation of the plant showcases practical and sustainable solutions that prompted
the city to commit a budget to fix the problems, as recommended. The activated sludge system is now
functioning, increasing the amount of sludge and enabling proper wastewater treatment.
Lesson learned from Thailand: Combined sewers impede opportunities to produce energy from
wastewater treatment, as the organic load of wastewater reaching the treatment plant is often
too low with these systems due to dilution of wastewater with storm water.
Source: GIZ.
44
Korat’s Solid Waste Management Facility (biogas plant and landfill) receives about 400 tons of municipal
solid waste per day. Due to system failures and maintenance work, the amount of treated waste is 41 per
cent of that amount, whereas 59 per cent is dumped directly into the landfill without separation. Some of
the landfill cells are not up to sanitary standards, that is, they lack methane or leachate collection. Within the
biogas plant, several improvements are also required for the plant to operate efficiently. Recommendations
were made by GIZ Urban Nexus to have an efficient biogas process with low disturbance potential, such
as would be possible with the installation of shredder and agitator machines. Korat invested in a shredder
(18.3 million baht or about $572,000) and agitators (about 8.9 million baht, or about $278,000) to improve
the process of organic waste separation, biogas production and electricity generation.
Lesson learned from Thailand: Local administrations often need technical support, at least
with conducting feasibility studies, to prove the viability of solutions. Especially for smaller
infrastructure projects (costing up to $1 million), once a viable solution has been identified,
sourcing from budget is not a problem. If decision makers are convinced that sustainability
measures can improve people’s livelihood, environmentally, socially and especially economically
– where investments have clear monetary and non-monetary returns – sourcing for finance is a
secondary issue.
Da Nang, Viet Nam

Most households in Da Nang rely on individual, leaking septic tanks,
with less than 20 per cent of households connected to the municipal
combined sewerage system, which is prone to frequent overflows,
thus also contributing to unhygienic living conditions. Further, the
city predicts that its landfill will reach installed capacity before
2020, leading to a crisis. Under the Nexus project, the city initiated
two efforts, an innovative wastewater management solution and a
solid waste-to-energy project.
The Da Nang People’s Committee signed a memorandum of

understanding to formalize and structure the cooperation between
GIZ Urban Nexus and Da Nang’s Department of Planning and
Investment, creating a Nexus task force to implement the projects.
Da Nang officials also frequently coordinated and collaborated with
national-level agencies, particularly from the Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Construction, to
promote integrated solutions.
Source: (Left) Shutterstock. (Right) GIZ.
45
Da Nang and the GIZ Urban Nexus team worked closely with the community, gathering input from all
households that would be impacted by the innovative wastewater management project. Wastewater
management surveys and studies were conducted, and recommendations from the reports were that a
vacuum sewer system that separates wastewater and storm water collection should be adopted for the
eastern coastal area of the city. The Department of Planning and Investment and the Sustainable City
Development Project Management Unit of the World Bank will implement a vacuum sewer wastewater
collection pilot project with 71 households in the An Hai Bac ward to test the system before scaling it
up. Through a strengthened partnership, the pilot project on vacuum sewer wastewater collection as a
first step to integrated resource management will be completed by July 2019, and thus become the first
project involving vacuum sewer wastewater collection in South-East Asia.
For more information on project city activities, including access

to over 85 studies led by GIZ Urban Nexus, see:
www.unescap.org/urban-nexus
46
Chapter III
Urban Nexus Guidance Framework
“[…] the complexities of today’s challenges call for a holistic systems-approach
rather than siloed approaches. Too often policies to manage water, food and energy
resources are developed and implemented in isolation when we know that they
are interlinked. Decision-makers have to foster policy coherence, and enhance
coordination and collaboration among diverse actors to ensure that co-benefits
and trade-offs are considered and that appropriate safeguards are put in place”.
Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General25
3.1 Enabling the Urban Nexus

Achieving urban- and resource-related objectives and strategies requires a holistic, system-wide approach.
The Urban Nexus wheel, shown in figure III.1, was developed to illustrate a conceptual framework based
on five enabling dimensions important to implementing the Urban Nexus approach.26 In the middle of
the wheel is the resource Nexus centred on optimizing water-energy-food/land. The five dimensions:
governance; inclusive decision-making; science, technology and innovation; finance and business; and
urban planning are described below.
Figure III.1
Urban Nexus wheel
Source: ESCAP.
47
3.1.1 Governance dimension

The Urban Nexus approach goes beyond resource efficiency: it is about connecting policies, practices,
organizations and institutions to work together horizontally and vertically in order to optimize resource
use (Hezri, 2016). Minimizing trade-offs and optimizing synergies requires managing conflicts that may
involve one or any combination of sector-based, actor-based and scale-based tensions. Capacity- and
institution-building on multiple levels – micro (municipal administrations), meso (city associations,
training institutions, non-governmental organizations and the like) and macro (national and international
level) – are needed to build a reform constituency, accountability and improved communications (Willems
and Baumert, 2003).
Good urban governance involves efficiency, transparency, accountability, popular participation, equality,
security and subsidiarity. Political leadership and commitment are also important.
Horizontal integration, working across sectors at the same level and vertical integration, coordination and
collaboration between different administrative or other units that represent the same or different sectors
at different levels (United Nations, 2018b) are often emphasized when discussing integrated resource
planning and management. Thailand has made progress with horizontal policy coherence, integration and
partnerships as its institutional framework incorporates and coordinates the country’s many strategies
and plans. At the national level the Prime Minister chairs a committee comprising several government
ministers who meet annually to improve understanding concerning the Sustainable Development Goals,
set priorities and targets, and integrate the country’s work on the global agendas. Thailand has a long
history of integrated planning and management, as demonstrated by the “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy”
introduced in 1974 by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Its 20-year strategy (2017–2036),
12th National Economic and Social Development Plan (2017–2021) and other coordination mechanisms
are well aligned to support the country’s achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and related
global initiatives.
While the local level can advance a Nexus approach to some degree without broader involvement, meso-
and macro-level involvement are often needed to succeed. The provincial, state or regional levels of
government can play a key role in bridging local and national activities, whether that involves aligning
local and provincial projects with global agendas or translating national policies and guidelines into a
subnational context. Coordination between levels of government helps to overcome common challenges,
including unclear responsibilities, conflicting regulations, weak local capacity, lack of awareness of national
intentions and lack of consultation. Through the Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The
Urban Nexus project, ESCAP, GIZ Urban Nexus and ICLEI organized a series of national dialogues to provide
a platform for exchange between government levels.
The Urban Nexus concept recognizes the importance of decentralization – the process through which
authority and responsibility for some functions is transferred from the central Government to lower levels
of government, communities and the private sector (World Bank, 2001) – and the principle of subsidiarity,
which is aimed at ensuring that decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen and is crucial to
empowering cities. In the New Urban Agenda, it is stated: “We will take measures … to enhance the ability of
Governments … and to empower them as policymakers and decision makers, ensuring appropriate fiscal,
political and administrative decentralization based on the principle of subsidiarity”.27 Decentralization is
context- and country-specific and can range from fiscal decentralization – providing adequate revenues to
local government or private organizations that have been given power to carry out decentralized functions
– to administrative decentralization, which redistributes authority. Having supportive constitutional and
legislative frameworks which provide for local government autonomy and decentralization are key to
enable cities to develop and implement innovative and sustainable solutions.
48
3.1.2 Inclusive decision-making dimension

In its application, the Urban Nexus approach is inclusive and brings together a broad range of stakeholders,
which may include women, marginalized groups, the urban poor and youth, among others. Women in
particular play a critical role in the management of resources at the household level and are often most
severely affected by limited water, sanitation, energy and food supplies.
Participatory planning, where all affected stakeholders of an urban plan take part in its development, can
increase citizens’ understanding of the social and environmental impacts of government decisions that
affect them, thus helping to inform the process, influence decision-making and improve the plan and its
execution (Ondrik, 1999). Many national Governments are promoting inclusive urban development in their
plans and policies. For example, in 2000, the Government of Indonesia initiated a programme to make
cities slum-free and inclusive (Nasution, 2016). Some key considerations with inclusive and participatory
planning are as follows:
• Social inclusion and Urban Nexus governance go hand in hand

• Applying participatory approaches helps to ensure that Urban Nexus projects are in line with the
needs of local communities affected by the Urban Nexus project
• Involving citizens in planning processes and gender-responsive participatory budgeting can lead to
better infrastructure solutions and empower communities
• Integrated and resource-efficient urban development can create equitable access to basic urban
services and improve the standard of living for all
• Inclusive urban governance and planning can create co-benefits for sustainable development
Box III.1
Gender mainstreaming essential to creating inclusive and sustainable cities
Gender mainstreaming seeks to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in population and
development activities by integrating gender concerns into analysis, formulation and monitoring of policies
and projects. It is critical to sustainable development and the recognition of human rights for all. Access
to opportunities and life changes should not depend on, nor be constrained by, a person’s sex. Gender
mainstreaming requires addressing the condition and position of women and men in society and rectifying
inequalities and gaps in all areas, including the division of labour, access to and control over resources,
services, information, opportunities, distribution of power and decision-making. More equitable relationships
need to be based on a redefinition of the rights and responsibilities of women and men in all spheres of life,
including the family, the workplace and society at large (UNFPA, 2005).
The Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus project has reviewed the gender
dimensions of the Urban Nexus approach, in particular during the project’s fourth regional workshop in
Ulaanbaatar. Participants agreed that gender equality is critical to development and relevant to the promotion
of the Nexus approach. Women play an important role in managing resources – especially water, energy,
food, waste and sanitation – at the household level. GIZ Urban Nexus supported various gender studies and
analyses, available on the project website.a
a
For further information, see www.unescap.org/urban-nexus.
3.1.3 Science, technology and innovation dimension

Cities can be drivers and platforms for innovation, which is essential to sustainable urban development.
As the world’s cities and metropolitan areas grow, so does the need for new and scalable innovations to
manage water, wastewater and solid waste. Many cities are yet to be built, a situation offering tremendous
opportunities for innovation in urban infrastructure in the future. New technologies, including clean and
renewable energy and energy efficiency, advanced materials and the digital revolution, are set to deliver
transformative solutions at every scale.28
49
The term “Smart City” generally refers to a city that has integrated and coordinated traditional infrastructure
with information and communications technology and other digital technologies to automate routine
functions, as well as monitor, understand, analyse and plan that city in order to optimize the efficiency and
delivery of its operations and services while reducing adverse environmental impacts and emissions (Batty
and others, 2012). Smart City technology enables city officials to interact more directly with residents and
urban infrastructure to assess how the city is evolving. Applying the Urban Nexus approach should be part
of planning a Smart City, which involves continuous calibration of appropriate governance mechanisms.
Nagpur and Rajkot are part of India’s Smart City initiative. Nagpur has extensively engaged its citizens in
visioning exercises to plan interventions, and Rajkot has applied many Nexus principles regarding reuse
of wastewater in its Smart City planning.
Another innovative application is nature-based solutions, which the International Union for Conservation of
Nature describes as “actions to protect, sustainably manage, and restore natural or modified ecosystems,
that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being
and biodiversity benefits”. The project’s eighth regional workshop explored this approach, including the
East Kolkata wetlands in India, which contain more than 250 aquaculture ponds and present a traditional
circular economy approach with excellent resource recovery, employment and tourism opportunities.
Chulalongkorn University’s Centenary Park in Bangkok, with its green infrastructure and “sponge city”
features designed to passively absorb, clean and use rainfall in an ecologically friendly way in order to
reduce polluted run-off, is another example of a nature-based solution.
Box III.2
Water, Energy & Food Security Resource Platform
The Water, Energy & Food Security Resource Platforma is an initiative of BMZ in collaboration with GIZ. It
serves as an independent information and facilitation platform on Nexus work, funded by BMZ and the
European Union. The Resource Platform is a global information hub operated by the Global Nexus Secretariat
as part of the Nexus Dialogues Programme. The Secretariat supports the Regional Nexus Dialogues with
knowledge exchange and global analysis on the topic of resource nexus across the participating regions
and beyond.
a
The platform may be accessed at www.water-energy-food.org.
Box III.3
Innovation and the Urban Nexus
Innovation plays an important role in advancing uptake of an Urban Nexus approach. At the Urban Nexus
project’s eighth regional workshop, project partners led sessions focused on the theme “Leveraging innovation
and broadening stakeholder engagement to build the business model for Urban Nexus efforts”. Participants
noted that cities and regions have started to transform from being manufacturing hubs to centres of global
leadership in education, science, technology and innovation. In particular, universities, training institutes
and other organizations that comprise the academe have been evolving from being educators to becoming
agents of change, innovation and entrepreneurship. Universities can serve as living laboratories and support
startups and develop business models.
3.1.4 Finance and business dimension

Challenges to financing local governments have gained recognition with the adoption of global agendas,
particularly the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development (AAAA), which highlights the
importance of enabling and strengthening institutional capacities of cities to access financing – essential
50
to achieve more equitable and sustainable development outcomes. In addition to funding, fiscal and
government reforms are needed, including the assignment of revenues, expenditures and local government
financial autonomy in setting taxes, tariffs and fees – own-source revenue generation – as well as national
and subnational allocations and transfers and access to subsovereign lending mechanisms.
The Nexus approach can generate efficiencies resulting in resource and financial savings. The
interrelationships and coordination across and within institutions, which the Nexus approach inherently
supports, can result in substantial benefits. With their productive economies, potential returns on
investment and high economies of scale, local authorities have the potential to attract significant private
investment. The role of credit markets and public-private partnerships is also increasingly relevant to
financing capital-intensive urban infrastructure projects. Further, the high value of urban land can be
mobilized through land-based financing mechanisms.
The Asia-Pacific region faces enormous financing gaps in the water and sanitation, transportation and
energy sectors. The Asian Development Bank has estimated that the region will need $22.6 trillion in
infrastructure investment over the next 15 years (ADB, 2017). Focus should be on local governments
improving their own-source revenues, rationalizing intergovernmental transfers and advancing regulations
for a borrowing framework that attracts long-term capital.
3.1.5 Urban planning dimension

Managing resources requires good spatial mapping and integrative and well-organized spatial planning
as well as institutional coordination and political will. Planners at the local and subnational levels are
starting to integrate Nexus thinking into their comprehensive land-use plans. This dimension addresses
strengthening urban-rural relationships, important to developing integrated solutions and promoting
resilience with such measures as peri-urban agriculture and sustainable land-use planning. Effectively and
efficiently addressing water, energy and food/land security involves understanding urban-rural linkages,
as resources cross scales and boundaries, and cities’ increasing consumption demands require drawing
from supplies in the rural hinterlands.
Cross-sectoral and planning ministries play a key role in promoting the Nexus approach as well as
the agencies and ministries mandated to coordinate the Sustainable Development Goals and the
implementation in each country of nationally determined contributions (NDC) under UNFCCC. Apart from
planning and finance ministries, the ministries of natural resources and environment also have significant
cross-sectoral functions, although they often lack power.
Figure III.2 depicts the Philippines Naga City framework for integrated budgetary planning. Key investment
decisions on infrastructure projects are formed by infrastructure policies from the long-term spatial
comprehensive land-use plan and the non-spatial comprehensive development plan (CDP), which lists
programmes and project proposals. In the Philippines, it has been suggested to locate the “point of entry” for
addressing Urban Nexus concepts between CDP and the local development investment programme (LDIP),
as indicated by the arrow in the figure. Ideally, staff would work across sectors and form interdisciplinary
teams to review infrastructure proposals, fostering systemic thinking that addresses Nexus dimensions
and interrelationships in a holistic way, before they move further towards implementation by becoming
part of LDIP.
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Figure III.2
Naga City’s planning framework
Source: Adaptation of presentation by Mr. Wilfredo Prilles, City Planning and Development Coordinator, Naga City, Philippines, at the Urban Nexus
Training, 16 June 2015, in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Box III.4
Evolution of urban planning
As the complexities of cities become more fully understood, urban planning has evolved from a discipline
of architecture and civil engineering to include public health specialists, economists, sociologists, lawyers
and geographers. Contemporary urban and regional planning techniques for survey, analysis, design and
implementation have developed to form an interdisciplinary synthesis of these fields. Today, urban planning
can be described as a technical and political process concerned with people’s welfare, control of land use,
design of the urban environment, including transportation and communication networks, and protection and
enhancement of the natural environment (Brebbia and Sendra, 2017).
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3.2 Urban Nexus project cycle

Local administrators and specialists are the target audience for applying the Urban Nexus approach, as
they are the key actors involved with applying cross-sectoral infrastructure planning and management
projects. The Urban Nexus project cycle29 (figure III.3) is aimed at assisting local governments with
implementing Nexus projects. The actions in the project cycle are not discrete; they overlap and may be
iterative. Further, the following text is not meant to be prescriptive but instead to provide suggestions for
consideration when applying the Nexus approach.
Figure III.3
Urban Nexus project cycle
Source: ESCAP.
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3.2.1 Action: Identify

A common first step in project development is to identify the following:
• Core problems that can be addressed with a cross-sectoral infrastructure solution

• Stakeholders who can help brainstorm, identify and prioritize the problems to which a city could
apply the Nexus approach
• Areas of integration needed to tackle the problems, particularly the sectors and levels of government
A focal person or team, most often local government staff working on water supply, wastewater and/or
solid waste management, environment, planning and/or cross-cutting issues, such as green buildings,
can bring together stakeholders to identify urgent problems for the city to address with a cross-sectoral
solution. The problems can be prioritized based on urgency – for example landfill will reach capacity
soon – political support, ease of implementation or other factors. It is critical to recognize who should be
involved throughout the project, particularly in the identification phase. Some cities may form formal Urban
Nexus task forces. Others may have less formal arrangements with the main focal person/team engaging
relevant stakeholders when needed. The solution should minimize trade-offs and benefit multiple sectors.
Box III.5
Stakeholder coordination within project cities
With the Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus project, the GIZ Urban Nexus
team and national project coordinator held initial meetings with project cities to identify priority problems
that could be addressed with cross-sectoral infrastructure solutions within the framework of the Nexus
sectors. Relevant stakeholders, who generally were or would become members of the Urban Nexus task
force, were engaged.
Often the project cities identified solid waste and wastewater as primary problems. Some cities also stressed
the need to increase water and energy system efficiency. The cities worked with stakeholders to rank and
prioritize proposals until they agreed on one or two main problems that could be resolved with an integrated
solution addressing two or more sectors. The areas of integration included working with different sectors
and sometimes levels of government and involving other stakeholders from academia and the private sector.
(See the “In Focus” insert for more information.)
Some questions to guide the Nexus approach are as follows:
• Who can help brainstorm and identify the most pressing problems that involve water/wastewater,
energy, food/land and/or waste?
• How do the stakeholders relate to each other?
• What are their interests and values, and do their interests and values resonate or conflict?
• What potential environmental impacts will there be, and how can they be addressed?
• Who are the vulnerable, marginalized and disenfranchised in our community (e.g., women, racial/
ethnic groups, poor) that need to be included?
• What are preliminary ideas for cross-sectoral infrastructure solutions to address the prioritized
problem?
• How will anticipated short- and long-term changes (e.g., political changes, institutional reforms)
influence project outcomes?
Table III.1 summarizes stakeholder roles, potential areas of involvement, assets, gaps and incentives.
54
55
Table III.1
Stakeholder analysis and capacity assessment
Type and level of project
Stakeholders Capacity assets Capacity gaps Desired future outcomes Incentives
involvement
National-level Main beneficiaries Sector expertise (e.g. Limited capacity to develop Enhanced capacity to develop Policies and initiatives better
policymakers energy, water) integrated and cross- integrated and cross-sectoral geared to implement the
sectoral policies policies Sustainable Development
Goals and achieve sustainable
development, increased
personal knowledge and career
advancement opportunities
Local government Main beneficiaries Knowledge of local Limited capacity to develop Enhanced capacity to develop Plans and initiatives better geared
decision makers issues urban plans and initiatives urban plans and initiatives in an to respond to current and future
and officials in an integrated, cross- integrated, cross-sectoral and needs of citizens, improved
sectoral and collaborative collaborative manner governance, potential cost savings
manner and re-election
Municipal Involved in outreach and Links with local Limited awareness of Enhanced awareness and Enhanced ability to serve
associations, dissemination activities governments within integrated plans and knowledge of integrated plans and beneficiaries with new knowledge
city networks country/region approaches approaches and opportunities
Academia Involved in national and Technical knowledge Limited knowledge of Nexus Enhanced knowledge of Nexus Increased knowledge, potential
regional policy dialogues and analytical approaches approaches to expand curriculum material,
and in technical assistance capacities, Limited opportunities to Enhanced opportunities to consulting opportunities and
to local governments, research mandate develop integrated solutions develop and disseminate become “game changers”
drivers of change and integrated solutions
innovation, “natural”
multipliers
Private sector Involved in national and Technology, know-how Limited opportunities Enhanced opportunities for Business opportunities, increased
regional policy dialogues and financing, service for investment due to investment thanks to a more efficiency
and in infrastructure delivery unconducive regulatory and conducive regulatory and fiscal
investment technical fiscal environment, environment, more transparency
assistance to local lack of transparency and and legal security
governments legal security
Civil society Involved in national and Knowledge of local Limited knowledge of Nexus Enhanced knowledge of Nexus Enhanced ability to serve and
organizations regional policy dialogues issues and links to approaches approaches represent beneficiaries, more
communities Limited opportunities to Enhanced opportunities to commissions and more support
contribute to planning and contribute to planning and policy from donors
policy formulation formulation
Note: Adapted from ESCAP phase II project document..

3.2.2 Action: Assess

After a city identifies a primary problem to address with an integrated approach, the team will need to
assess the following:
• The feasibility of the project, which may require an environmental impact assessment
• The capacity to support the project, which includes financial, technical, institutional and political
abilities to implement the project
• Impacts of the project, considering environmental, social and economic dimensions
Cities can review pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, reports and case studies from the Urban Nexus
project to collect ideas and information about approaches that the project cities took. They also can
gather information from cities that are implementing projects similar to those they would like to explore.
Related initiatives may have produced studies that provide information that the city could use to assess
the feasibility, capacity and impact of the Nexus project under consideration. Working with an academic or
research institution in the region, such as Naga City partnering with BISCAST, can support an assessment.
This type of institution would have knowledge of local conditions and could be involved for the duration of
the effort, including being part of the Urban Nexus task force.
Some questions to guide the Urban Nexus approach are as follows:
• Is the project in compliance with designations in municipal plans, such as comprehensive spatial
master plans, development plans and other municipal plans?
• What other cities, with similar conditions, such as climate and governance structures, have explored
implementation of this project?
• What are the estimated costs to construct, operate and maintain the project?
• Who can realistically support project implementation?
• What are the potential impacts on the Nexus integration areas, such as water, energy, land, air
quality, climate and waste?
• What are the potential political, environmental, social and economic impacts that can affect delivery?
• How does the project affect the livelihoods of women and girls, the urban poor and other vulnerable
groups?
Annex II lists some Urban Nexus tools and methods that cities may consider to support their assessments.
3.2.3 Action: Plan and design

Some considerations important to planning and designing the project are:
• Establish clear and realistic milestones to provide structure to the process

• Be flexible and adapt as needed. Each project should define strategies best suited to the local
context
• Include capacity-building throughout the project development cycle to address gaps identified in
the assessment phase
• Develop prototypes and pilots
• Incorporate operation and maintenance into the plan and budget from the beginning of the project
• Align the project with provincial, national and global agendas, where possible
It is important to develop clear milestones within a realistic schedule at project inception. Many of the
project cities’ activities met delays due to changing political circumstances, funding streams, national
policies, staff turnover and other factors. It is therefore vital to develop a long-term strategy to predict
and anticipate future changes and to be prepared to adapt. Capacity development can help overcome
challenges and should be designed into the project (see section 3.4).
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Prototypes and pilots can help cities gather information about the Nexus solution, determining real-world
requirements and responses with minimal disturbance to established infrastructure. In Da Nang, Viet
Nam, for example, the Department of Planning and Investment and the Sustainable City Development
Project Management Unit of the World Bank plan to implement a vacuum sewer wastewater collection
pilot project for 71 households in the An Hai Bac ward to test the system before scaling it up. The pilot will
provide information on operation and maintenance procedures and costs that can be factored into project
design and delivery to help ensure its success.
Some questions to guide the Nexus approach are as follows:
• What is the joint goal to orient the work?

• What are realistic objectives and milestones?
• What capacities, skills and behaviours are required to adopt a Nexus solution?
• What innovations, measures and reforms are required to enable integrated resource management?
• Where are there capacity gaps, and how can those gaps be addressed?
• Are there already locally piloted technical and operational solutions on which the project can build
and improve?
• What is the most cost-effective prototype or pilot that can be designed and delivered?
• What are the prospects for productivity-enhancing synergies and benefits that can be gained by
integrating two or more operations or systems?
• Is the project in line with provincial, national and global agendas?
3.2.4 Action: Monitor and evaluate

Monitoring and evaluation are required of almost every project and can involve the following:
• Define measurable indicators in accordance with project goals, objectives and results
• Monitor and review the project with the help of these indicators, and modify indicators, if needed
• Evaluate and adjust relevant aspects of the project, if needed
• Learn – Progress can be achieved only if those involved are willing to learn from stakeholders and
previous mistakes
The Philippines formulated its long-term vision, AmBisyon 2040, and mainstreamed the Sustainable
Development Goals into the midterm Philippine Development Plan. Goal targets have been incorporated
into a monitoring framework with priority given to Goals that are relevant and achievable.
Some qualities of good indicators are listed below:
• Relevant: The indicator should measure an important aspect of an objective or output

• Objective: The indicator should be measurable, based on facts as opposed to feelings or impressions:
measuring the same indicator using the same tool should produce the same results
• Available: Indicators should be based on data that are readily available, or on data that can be
collected with realistic additional effort as part of the project implementation
• Realistic: It should not be difficult or costly to collect the information
• Specific: The measured changes should be attributable to the project, and they should be expressed
in precise terms (quantitatively and qualitatively)
• Timebound: There should be a clearly defined time frame within which changes are expected and
measured (Doran, 1981)
Providing detailed guidance on developing indicators is beyond the scope of this publication. There
are many indicator frameworks and initiatives that exist or are being developed to support cities with
monitoring their progress on sustainability efforts (see box III.6).
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Monitoring provides data to evaluate the current situation and the progress made. It is important to have
an efficient system to collect, store and convert data into useful information that provides evidence and
can convince decision makers of the next steps that they need to take.
Evaluation criteria must be defined in line with the goals of the project and the local context. These criteria
should be integrated. Where possible, multidimensional indicators should be developed to integrate
environmental, social and economic aspects into the assessment. Projects should be adjusted based on
results of monitoring and evaluation.
Some guiding questions to consider when monitoring and evaluating the project are as follows:
• Have Nexus dimensions been considered when developing monitoring indicators?

• Are the indicators easily measurable? Who will measure them? At what frequency? In what format?
• How will the data feed into follow-up measures?
• How often will the project be reviewed?
• What are the different reporting requirements, and who will evaluate?
• What system performance measures will be used to evaluate system-wide outcomes?
Box III.6
Initiatives for measuring progress on global agendas
Cities need good-quality data and metrics to make informed decisions about the best policies needed to
measure progress on global agendas and to advance sustainable urban development. However, existing
data on sustainability are often not adequately detailed, documented, harmonized or available to cities to
use for assessments (UN-Habitat, 2013).
Over the years, many indicator frameworks and initiatives have been, or are being, developed to support local
and national governments. These resources include initiatives, guidance reports, networks and websites that
provide tools, methodologies and approaches to gather relevant data and to apply quantitative methods to
make informed decisions on sustainable urban policies. For example, the City Prosperity Initiative developed
by UN-Habitat provides a metric and policy tool for local governments to develop a monitoring mechanism
for urban development. Many organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme and the
United Nations Development Group, have developed guidance reports and frameworks, such as Guidance
Note: Data for Implementation and Monitoring of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and
Mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – Reference Guide for UN Country Teams,
which are aimed at assisting Member States with gathering data and statistics to adapt the Goals to national
contexts. Networks, such as the Inter-agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators,
have developed Goal indicator frameworks to assist Member States with assessment and monitoring.
3.2.5 Action: Mainstream, disseminate and scale up

Lastly, when a city determines that its pilot project is successful, it can mainstream, disseminate and
scale up to continue the momentum and broaden the impact. Mainstreaming, for the purposes of this
publication, refers to moving the Urban Nexus approach from the margins to conventional, more common,
practices. To disseminate, or similarly replicate, is to increase understanding of the Nexus concept
among a broader base of stakeholders. Scaling up may refer to revising standards and other regulatory
frameworks, expanding capacity-building and technologies in a given geographical space, or replicating
from one geographic area to another with required adjustments, if needed, as “one size does not fit all”.
Some issues to consider when mainstreaming and disseminating a project include the following:
• Standardize key elements of the project, such as translating technical standards into local languages
• Understand how the approach fits system-wide, not just as a stand-alone project
• Build capacity and provide training support (see section 3.4)
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Box III.7
Translating standards to promote innovative technologies
Da Nang, Viet Nam, was introduced to vacuum sewer systems as a potential solution to its wastewater
problems through the Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus project. There
were no design standards, however, for this technology available in the Vietnamese language. Therefore, GIZ
Urban Nexus supported translation of DIN EN 1091 Vacuum Sewerage Systems Outside Buildings (February
1997) and DWA-A 116-1E Special Sewerage Systems from English into Vietnamese, thus making it possible
for the city to assess the information and consider installation of this innovative technology.
Some guiding questions to consider when mainstreaming and disseminating a project are as follows:
• Have water or energy savings been reached, or has there been a reduction in land requirements?
• How did the target group deal with the new technology?
• Can the staff handle the new technology?
• Has acceptance been reached?
• Is there a need to increase project capacity to meet future demand?
• What aspects of the project could be replicated?
• How can project benefits be shared with other cities?
• Are there sufficient resources available to scale up the project?
3.3 Urban Nexus vortex

As noted in chapter II, the global agendas are universal and interlinked, and the Urban Nexus approach,
which examines trade-offs and optimizes synergies, is an ideal entry point to address the many challenges
local governments face while contributing to delivery on the global development agendas. The Urban
Nexus wheel, introduced in section 3.1, presented five dimensions to consider when applying the Nexus
approach, and section 3.2 introduced an Urban Nexus project cycle, with action steps and points for
consideration. Figure III.4 introduces the Urban Nexus vortex, which visually illustrates these main
elements of the Urban Nexus Guidance Framework.
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Figure III.4
Urban Nexus vortex
Source: ESCAP.
60
3.4 Capacity development

Capacity development is “the process through which individuals, organizations and societies obtain,
strengthen and maintain the capabilities to set and achieve their own development objectives over time”
(UNDP, 2009). Developing capacity can focus on strengthening different types of skills and abilities,
including the following:
• Functional and operational skills – such as management of projects, procurement and municipal
finance
• Technical skills – such as expertise in such sectors as water and sanitation engineering, urban
planning, integrated waste management, and civil and transport engineering
• Behavioural norms – cultural shifts and changes in attitude among stakeholders, be they to reduce
waste generation or to promote better multisectoral programme planning among government
organizations (IFC, 2010)
Interventions will depend on which skills or abilities the city intends to strengthen. Assessment tools can
help local governments prioritize and optimize investments in capacity development where they are most
needed.
Box III.8
Capacity WORKS
Achieving sustainable development is an ongoing process that needs to balance economic development,
social justice, environmental integrity and political participation. Finding solutions in social, cultural and
political contexts that are continuously changing can be challenging and requires negotiation in order to
achieve competing goals. Public, private and civil society engagement at all levels – locally, nationally,
regionally and internationally – is needed. Through decades of experience in German international
cooperation, GIZ has developed Capacity WORKS,a a model for cooperation management. Capacity WORKS
is an integral part of GIZ procedures ranging from programme design to implementation and evaluation.
Capacity WORKS provides a methodology for successful cooperation management using relevant key
questions, the structure of the five success factors (strategy, cooperation, steering structure, processes
and learning & innovation) and a toolbox for addressing specific questions.
a
For further information, see www.giz.de/expertise/html/4620.html.
Capacity development is a continuous, long-term process that may involve the following:
• Legislation: Legal stipulations requiring capacity development plans and/or budget allocations for
implementation programmes
• Training programmes: Regular staff-training programmes or requirements for continued learning
among public sector employees
• Partnerships: Project partnerships with higher levels of government, public or private organizations,
academic institutions and civil society groups
• External experts: Consultants from private organizations or academic institutions with sectoral
and/or technical expertise
• Accountability measures: These may include regular auditing by external organizations, or social
accountability through decoupling watchdog groups
• Information technology: Incorporating digital technologies that ease administrative burdens,
promote greater cooperation between stakeholders and allow for greater oversight and transparency
in operations
• Best practices: Learning from the experiences and outcomes of initiatives by other cities (SDSN,
2016)
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Benefits from capacity development may include more coherent planning and management of Urban
Nexus projects, more thorough examination of the interrelationships between Nexus dimensions, better
informed policymakers, improved communication with concerned stakeholders and the public, and
strengthened ability to conduct needs assessments and identify gaps. These benefits contribute to
improved environment and living conditions and more efficient use of natural and financial resources.
Box III.9
Urban Nexus training
The GIZ Urban Nexus project has elaborated a complementary, face-to-face, interactive training programme
on the Urban Nexus approach, including training-the-trainer. This type of training is aimed at communicating
and anchoring the Urban Nexus planning and management approach in Asian cities and countries. Urban
Nexus is thereby understood as an action-oriented guiding principle for integrated resource management
considering the interrelations of the Nexus sectors of water, wastewater, energy, food security and solid
waste at the local, provincial and national levels. Urban Nexus training takes into account relevant global
agendas, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the New Urban Agenda and the Paris
Agreement, and offers dynamic and new interactive formats for participants to learn about and reflect on the
relevant issues of the Urban Nexus approach by analysing infrastructure problems of their city or country.
As with this publication, the training is based on knowledge gained and resources produced over the course
of the project on Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus. The main target
groups of the Urban Nexus training are government staff (local, provincial and national), training institutes
and universities (academia) involved with developing urban infrastructure projects, implementing national
and global sustainability strategies and training, in addition to the public sector and academia, and private
and civil society entities relevant to implementing the project.
3.5 Conclusion
The scope of dialogue on the water, energy and food/land nexus continues to expand and evolve as Nexus
brings together stakeholders to increase the knowledge base, support decision-making and encourage
discussion to identify integrated issues and solutions. Recent reports have acknowledged the need for
more work to be done, as there are challenges when transforming Nexus theory and ideas into practice.
Some recommendations in moving forward are as follows:
Governance
• Recognize the importance of supportive framework conditions and “windows of opportunity” at

all levels of governance. Urban Nexus projects regardless of their size and scope are embedded
in regulatory and administrative frameworks. For example, national “silos” in regulation, public
procurement etc., can hinder innovative integrated approaches and cross-departmental cooperation
at the local level
• Use existing governance structures where possible and improve these structures by creating more
coordinating mechanisms but not agencies that again encapsulate themselves. Capacitate existing
institutions to think “outside the box”. Improve and systemize inter- and intra-institutional cooperation.
For example, creating interministerial task forces and committees, round table discussions or the
joint rules of procedure of federal ministries are adequate mechanisms to address Nexus-related
issues. Many studies recommend that communication between sectors and government levels
could be improved by the creation of dialogue platforms or other inter-agency communication
mechanisms
62
Inclusive decision-making
• Empower cities and enhance citizen engagement. Giving cities a voice and more direct authority
through decentralization and taking a participatory approach to promote more inclusive decision-
making makes cities more resilient
• Bring the social dimension into the fold. Mechanisms to ensure democratic participation of different
sectors of society should be established. Across all stages of a project’s life, broad stakeholder
participation, including that of women, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, should be
ensured so that their needs and concerns are addressed. This will help foster project ownership and
resilience
Science, technology and innovation
• Align the identification and selection of innovative technological solutions to urban development
concerns, such as solid waste and wastewater management, with relevant national government
regulations and policies and global development agendas
• Build Urban Nexus thinking and behaviours through working with educational institutions,
universities, research and training providers. Training and capacity-building, often in partnership
with training institutes and/or academe, at all levels of institutions, can help change “business as
usual” approaches to urban development and adopt an integrated approach to improve resource
efficiency and overall quality
Finance and business
• “Getting fees and tariffs right” is a precondition for private investment, that is, cost-covering and
consumption-oriented tariffs are necessary
• Calculate and consider capital expenditures and operating expenses when developing Urban Nexus,
decentralized cross-sectoral, infrastructure solutions
• Link cities to financial institutions and support introduction of innovative financial instruments to
support Nexus projects. For example, link national development funds or infrastructure financing to
reward projects that show an integrated, cross-sectoral approach
• Analyse procurement rules and regulations to make sure they do not impede technological
innovations
Urban planning
• Consider introducing Nexus screening of investment projects to ensure that they have been planned
in a cross-sectoral manner, which will support more sustainable infrastructure projects. Although
urban planning is per se cross-sectoral, cross-sectoral coordination should be enhanced
With much of the projected infrastructure in Asian cities still to be built, the Urban Nexus approach
provides an opportunity to create livable, healthy, prosperous and resource-efficient cities, while also
contributing to global development agendas. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development requires
integrated approaches that cannot be reached by the national level of Government alone. Subnational and
local involvement is key, and the Nexus approach at its core involves horizontal and vertical integration.
Improved coordination and collaboration that is based on the untapped interdependencies between the
water, energy and food/land sectors can result in substantial resource and financial benefits, making the
business case for Nexus projects.
63
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Endnotes
1
For more information, see www.unescap.org/about. 21
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the
Philippines and is the native Filipino term for village, district
2
For further details, see www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/ or ward.
asia.shtml.
22
In 2014, Naga City enacted Ordinance No. 2014-076,
3
General Assembly resolution 66/288, annex. establishing a wastewater management system pursuant
to the provisions of the Philippine Clean Water Act (Republic
4
General Assembly resolution 70/1. Act No. 9275).
5
Adopted under the United Nations Framework Convention 23
For additional information, see
on Climate Change in FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/ http://icleiseas.org/index.php/2017/06/01/naga-city-gears-
CP.21. up-to-develop-its-30-year-sustainable-urban-development-
plan/.
6
General Assembly resolution 71/256, annex.
24
Executive Order No. 004 Series of 2013 was signed by
7
For more information, see www.government.se/ Mayor Arlene Arcillas on 22 August 2013.
speeches/2015/08/speech-by-minister-for-international-
development-cooperation-at-world-water-week/. 25
For his full remarks, see www.water-energy-food.org/news/
kofi-annan-delivering-water-food-and-energy-security-for-all/.
8
For details, see www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2018/
october/population-without-access-to-electricity-falls-below- 26
The construction of the wheel was an outcome of an
1-billion.html. expert group meeting that ESCAP organized in November
2016 to connect the Nexus approach with the concepts of
9
See Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment resource efficiency and a circular economy and present how
and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992, vol. I, these elements have impacts on the sustainability of cities.
Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations
publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum), resolution 27
General Assembly resolution 71/256, annex, para. 89.
1, annex I, and also Earth Summit, www.un.org/geninfo/bp/
enviro.html (accessed on 7 February 2019). 28
For more information, see www.thegfcc.org/wordpress/
wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2016-Best-Practices-
10
Calculated using 2017 statistics from ESCAP database. Sustainable-Cities.pdf.
11
For more information, see www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/ 29
The cycle is adapted from Operationalizing the Urban
asia.shtml. NEXUS: Towards Resource-efficient and Integrated Cities
and Metropolitan Regions (BMZ, 2014), adelphi’s Urban
12
For more information, see www.ellenmacarthurfoundation. Nexus Workout (www.adelphi.de/en/project/urban-nexus-
org/circular-economy/overview/concept. workout-%E2%80%93-training-concept-integrated-resource-
management-asian-cities) and informal interviews with
13
Products that are sold quickly and at a relatively low cost. project partners and stakeholders.
Examples include non-durable goods, such as packaged
foods, beverages, toiletries, over-the-counter drugs and other
consumables.
14
For full remarks, see www.un.org/development/desa/
statements/asg/mr-gass/2017/06/keynote-symposium-on-
sdgs.html.
For more information, see www.studiocollantin.eu/pdf/

15
UNEP%20Info%20sheet%20-%20EE%20Buildings.pdf.
For the full press release, see www.unfccc.int/news/

16
humans-settlements-cities-and-communities-speed-
coordinated-climate-action.
17
For more information, see www.c40.org/why_cities.
18
General Assembly resolution 69/313, annex.
Available at www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/E71_13E.
19
pdf.
For further information, see www.unescap.org/urban-

20
nexus.
69
Annex I
Key resource on Nexus frameworks
Resources
Organization Nexus-related events, frameworks, platforms and networks Year Source
Water Food Land Energy Others
Food-Energy Nexus Programme (1983) was launched by UNU to fill
United Nations University Sachs and
the research gap that existed on the synergistic solutions to food and 1983 ü ü
(UNU) Silk (1990)
energy problems
World
WEF launched a landmark report entitled Water Security: The Water– Economic
World Economic Forum
Food–Energy Climate Nexus. (Available at www3.weforum.org/docs/ 2011 ü ü ü ü Climate Forum Water
(WEF)
WEF_WI_WaterSecurity_WaterFoodEnergyClimateNexus_2011.pdf.) Initiative
(2011)
Bonn 2011 Nexus Conference, “The Water, Energy and Food Security
German Federal Ministry
Nexus – Solutions for the Green Economy” provided a platform to Martin-Nagle
for the Environment,
consider the close interlinkages between water, energy and food 2011 ü ü ü ü and others
Nature Conservation and
security, and the benefits of a Nexus perspective in a multi-stakeholder (2012)
Nuclear Safety and BMZ
process
The climate, land, energy and water approach identified land as the
basic resource and underlying constraint for examining food. The
International Atomic ESCWA
framework is focused on energy, and conceptualizes energy-water-food 2011 ü ü ü ü Climate
Energy Agency (IAEA) (2015)
nexus interrelations through a quantitative framework which integrates
water planning, energy planning and agro-ecological zoning models
The European Development Report, Confronting Scarcity: Managing
Water, Energy and Land for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth, proposed
a framework that broadens the Nexus perspective by explicitly European
considering competing land uses for agriculture, forest cover, human Report on
European Union 2012 ü ü ü
settlements and infrastructure, and biodiversity; and competing Development
demands in the water sector. (The report is available at https://ecdpm. (2012)
org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/ERD-2011-2012-Confronting-
Scarcity-Managing-water-energy-land.pdf.)
A conceptual framework developed by ICIMOD is centred on
International Centre for
ecosystem goods and services which, according to the authors, must
Integrated Mountain 2012 ü ü ü Ecosystems Rasul (2014)
be protected and enhanced to ensure their resilience and support of
Development (ICIMOD)
the water, energy and food sectors
70
71
A collaborative report, entitled The Global Resource Nexus: The
Struggles for Land, Energy, Food, Water, and Minerals, identified several
opportunities, including gains in resource efficiency, the conversion Andrews-
Transatlantic Academy of resource endowments into more sustainable development, greener 2012 ü ü ü ü Minerals Speed and
growth, institution building and engaged cooperation to address others (2012)
security conflicts. (The report is available at www.gmfus.org/file/2614/
download.)
WBCSD developed a conceptual framework that provides co-optimized Bio-
World Business
solutions for water, energy and food and incorporates the inputs material, WBCSD
Council for Sustainable 2013 ü ü ü
needed for those sectors along the value chain, namely feed and fibre and (2014)
Development (WBCSD)
fertilizers feed
United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe ECE adopted a conceptual framework that is closely related to ICIMOD 2013 ü ü ü Ecosystems ECE (2013)
(ECE)
Integrated Resource
BMZ, GIZ, ESCAP and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
Management in Asian 2013 ü ü ü Climate
work with 12 cities in 7 countries to advance uptake of Nexus concepts
Cities: The Urban Nexus
The UNEP conceptual framework considers opportunities for basin
United Nations
organizations to implement an approach to water governance to Boelee and
Environment Programme 2014 ü ü ü Ecosystems
support energy and food security, particularly in terms of hydropower others (2014)
(UNEP)
and balancing biofuel production with food crop production
The “Nexus 2014: Water, Food, Climate and Energy Conference”, held at
Water
UNC from 5 to 8 March 2014, brought together stakeholders to focus
2014 ü ü ü Climate Institute at
on the questions of how and why the Nexus approach is, and can be,
UNC Website
used on international and local levels
Participants in the Conference launched a global academic and
practitioners network for the water, energy, food and climate nexus of
disciplinary and interdisciplinary experts, practitioners and research
thought-leaders tasked with identifying and filling research gaps
2014 ü ü ü Climate
University of North and needs, compiling and disseminating current water, energy, food
Carolina (UNC) at Chapel and climate (WEFC) knowledge and best practices, and establishing
Hill a global clearinghouse of WEFC indicators for the WEFC Nexus
Framework.
The Conference adopted the Nexus Declaration, which was delivered
to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 26 March 2014
as an input to the sustainable development goals drafting process;
the Declaration outlined the principles of and recommendations 2014 ü ü ü Climate
for building integrative approaches to what would later become the
Sustainable Development Goals and the post-2015 development
agenda
Global Water System
Project (GWSP); German The International Conference on Sustainability in the Water–Energy–
Development Institute Food Nexus, held in Bonn on 19 and 20 May 2014, brought together
(GDI); UNEP; University available information, identified knowledge and action gaps, shared
Bhaduri and
of Bonn, Center for lessons on viable instruments and approaches, facilitated networks 2014 ü ü ü others (2015)
Development Research; and contributed to consensus on priorities for appropriate investment
CGIAR Research Program and action by different actors and stakeholders for advancing action
on Water, Land and on the WEF Nexus
Ecosystems
German Federal Ministry The Water, Energy & Food Security Resource Platform serves as an
of Economic Cooperation independent information and facilitating platform on Nexus work. It is
2012 ü ü ü ü
Development (BMZ) and funded by BMZ and the European Union. (It may be accessed at www.
the European Union water-energy-food.org/nexus-platform-the-water-energy-food-nexus/.)
Earth observations and the water-energy-food nexus workshop
Food and Agricultural
adopted a holistic vision of sustainability and explicitly addressed
Organization of the United 2014 ü ü ü ü Climate (FAO, 2014)
complex interactions and feedback between human and natural
Nations (FAO)
systems
The conference, “Nexus 2018: Water, Food, Energy, and Climate”, held
University of North Water
at the Water Institute at UNC, further developed three new cross-cutting
Carolina (UNC) at Chapel 2018 ü ü ü Climate Institute at
areas, including urban challenges, health-related Nexus issues, and
Hill UNC Website
migration and mobility
The ResNexus conference was held at Wageningen University &
Research, in Wageningen, Netherlands, on 7 and 8 November 2018. It
ResNexus brought together academics and practitioners working in government 2018 ü ü ü ü Climate
and civil society who deal with the urban water, energy, food and
environment nexus worldwide
72
73
Annex II
Summary of select examples of Nexus tools and methods
Tool/method
Citation Scale Method Methods used Co-benefits Stated limitations Data requirements
availability
Villarroel City Quantitative • Multisectoral systems Analysis framework • Integrated systems • None stated Data obtained from
Walker and analysis (combines developed in approach publicly available
others (2014) substance flow analysis, MATLAB®. Not • Estimates economic databases from
metabolic performance publicly available. benefits national Governments
metrics and regionalized • Facilitates decision and international
sensitivity analysis) support organizations.
• Scenario analysis
Wolfe and Local, Quantitative • Systems informatics Cyberphysical • Facilitates sharing • Limited data Generally, need better
others (2016) regional and • Information analysis framework for and integration of available at different data coverage at
qualitative • Systems analytics systems informatics, interdisciplinary data scales and across a various scales and
• Decision support systems information analysis sets variety of systems improved data-sharing
• Scenario analysis methods and tools, • Support for problem- among researchers and
• Transdisciplinary design systems analytics solving and decision- organizations.
and decision support making
(proposed). • Framework
for engaging
stakeholders
and developing
communities-of-
practice
Villamayor- Local, Qualitative • Institutional Analysis Approach described • Value chain analysis • Focus on Combination of primary
Tomas and national and Development (IAD) and referenced within identifies input- provisioning services (i.e. semi-structured
others (2015) framework Villamayor-Tomas and output and causal • Limited evaluation interviews, focus
• Value chain analysis others (2015). relationships of institutional groups and surveys)
(as “Networks of Action • NAS accounts for levels in various and secondary data (i.e.
Situations” (NAS)) actors’ decisions collective choice academic literature).
• IAD assesses role of and operational
institutions situations
• Lacks attention
to political and
negotiating power
among actors
Tool/method
availability
Foran (2015) Regional Qualitative • Delphi process References for • Offers social • Limited analysis of Not specified.
• Historical analysis methods used are structure and political system dynamics
• Critical discourse analysis provided within Foran context to the WEF
(2015). Nexus
Hurford and Regional Quantitative • Multi-criteria search Interactive • Investigates how • Does not include Resource demand data.
Harou (2014) (optimization) algorithm River-Aquifer new investments capital and Flow and abstraction.
• Trade-off simulator Simulation-2010 have impact on trade- operational costs or Revenue and deficit
• Visual analytics (open-source), NSGAIIa offs non-water-related data. Flow alteration.
• Water management algorithm. • Visualization assists benefits Stakeholders to define
modelling communication and • Does not consider metrics and objectives.
decision-making uncertainty of future
• Can analyse large flows
solution sets • Requires
information on
ecosystem services
and resource use for
objective functions
Endo and Regional Quantitative • Questionnaire surveys Varies, discussed • Synthesizes across • Integrating various Questionnaires, ontology
others (2015) and • Physical models within Endo and others spatial and temporal spatial and temporal engineering and
qualitative • Benefit-cost analysis (2015). scales scales integrated maps require
• Integrated indices • Qualitative methods • Different methods data obtained through
• Optimization facilitate inter- and appropriate for participatory processes.
management tools transdisciplinary different cases, Benefit-costs analysis,
• Ontology engineering collaboration and contexts and stages indices and physical
• Integrated maps feasibility of cross- of assessment models require primary
sector policies data and measurements.
• Quantitative Interdisciplinary teams
methods estimate needed.
impacts of
endogenous and
exogenous factors,
compare costs and
benefits, provide
thresholds to inform
decisions and
optimize allocations
74
75
Tool/method
availability
Karlberg and Regional Quantitative • Interdisciplinary WEAP, LEAP, • Robust water • Limited in scope WEAP, LEAP and
others (2015) and modelling participatory approach resources/ biomass • Does not include participants.
qualitative • Stakeholder mapping with stakeholders and and energy/climate qualitative aspects
• Interviews scientists. modelling modules of water, spatio-
• Participatory scenario • “Story and temporal aspects of
planning and analysis simulation” hydrologic regime
• Strengths, weaknesses, approach translates and ecological
opportunities, threats qualitative scenarios processes
(SWOT) analysis into quantitative
assessment
• SWOT analysis
facilitates decision-
making
• Iterative process
helps gain
stakeholders’
support for resultant
solutions/policy
Stucki and Regional, Quantitative • Quantitative indicators Approach for this study • Quantitative • Linkages Indicator data were
Sojamo national and • Critical discourse analysis was described within indicators reduce between indicators collected from publicly
(2012) qualitative Stucki and Sojamo complexity and allow complex without available sources, mostly
(2012). for comparison computerized grey literature. Discourse
• Critical discourse approaches analysis was conducted
analysis examines • Data combinations on academic and grey
global political and degrees of literature.
economy context certainty vary
to identify external • Need to address
drivers uncertainty
Daher and National Quantitative • Input/output WEF Nexus Tool 2.0.b • Offers platform to • Designed for Qatar National-level
Mohtar • Systems modelling Free, available online evaluate scenarios • Limited to national percentages of water
(2015) • Focus groups with easy registration. and identify resource scale and energy use, sources,
• Scenario planning allocation strategies agricultural production
• Quantitative and food importation.
and input/output
approaches facilitate
scenario comparison
Tool/method
availability
Halbe and National Qualitative • Stakeholder analysis Methodology • Causal loop • Limited to Stakeholder participation.
others (2015) • Participatory model described and diagrams (CLDs) are qualitative analysis
building referenced within used to collect and • Requires
• Causal loop diagrams Halbe and others compare stakeholder substantial
• Learning assessment (2015). perspectives simplifications
• Learning • Difficult to
assessment fosters resolve conflicting
knowledge and or redundant
skill development information
that facilitates • Challenging to
implementation utilize CLD data due
• Participatory model to a high number of
building engages variables and causal
stakeholders to linkages
identify strategies
and barriers
Howarth and National Qualitative • Participatory workshops Participatory • Identifies • Limited sample Stakeholder participation.
Monasterolo workshops described stakeholders’ size and geographic
(2016) within Howarth and concerns to inform representation of
Monasterolo (2016). Nexus decision- participants
making, collaboration
and communication
• Engages a diverse
group of stakeholders
in knowledge
production
Howells and National Quantitative • Climate, land-use, energy Further development • Robust quantitative • Time-intensive and Detailed biophysical data
others (2013) and water integrated model by the International modelling integrates data-intensive sets and climate scenario
(modules include WEAP, Atomic Energy Agency, multiple sectors and • High model data.
LEAP and AEZ sector- modules developed their interactions uncertainty
based quantitative models) by Stockholm using an iterative,
• Scenario analysis Environment Institute, module-based
the International approach
Institute for Applied • Integrates climate
Systems Analysis and scenarios
FAO. • Investigates
interdependencies of
and trade-offs among
resource systems
to inform coherent
policymaking
• Builds on
existing modelling
76
methodologies
77
Tool/method
availability
de Strasser Transboundary Quantitative • Questionnaires Transboundary River • Proposes policy • Ambiguous National and international
and others and • Workshops/meeting Basin Nexus Approach. and technical actions definitions statistics, river
(2016) qualitative • Demographic data Six-step methodology across scales • Inconsistent basin management
analysis available from ECE. • Involves key indicators plans, interviews
• Nexus dialogues economic sectors • Does not address and questionnaires
• Resource flows in decision-making financial, social and with experts, existing
• Document analysis in transboundary power issues databases and reports,
• Governance analysis contexts • Water-centric stakeholder participants.
• Indicators • Encourages cross-
sectoral dialogue
and transboundary
cooperation
• Identifies
stakeholder priorities
to develop operational
solutions
Guillaume Transboundary Quantitative • WaterGAP global water WaterGap Model • Offers five • Utilizes modelled Publicly available,
and others and model developed by transferable data versus monthly water availability
(2015) qualitative • Spatiotemporal Universities of Kassel principles to relate measurements and consumption
assessment and Frankfurt. Not case study to global • Many assumptions data. Publicly available
• Historical analysis publicly available. trends in model socioeconomic data.
• Considers role of • Water-centric Regional data sets
subsystems outside integrated when available.
of WEF Nexus, e.g.
water resources
• Engages global-
scale data
(to increase
comparability) along
with local data
• Engages with global
drivers (development,
globalization)
• Considers the effect
of system boundaries
and externalities
Tool/method
availability
Smajgl and Transboundary Quantitative • Delphi technique Mixed-method • Identifies • Bias and Experiences of local
others (2016) and • Participatory processes participatory approach, advantages of preconceptions experts.
qualitative • Agent-based modelling monitoring and sectorally balanced, about causal
• Scenario analysis evaluation and agent- dynamic Nexus relationships
• Qualitative relationship based modelling approach possible
and stochastic approaches described in Smajgl • Minimizes sector-
• Static comparative and others (2016). related biases
analysis • Robust
• Cause-effect chains characterization of
• System diagrams Nexus interactions
• Engages experts
and stakeholders to
address policy needs
Soliev and Transboundary Quantitative • Historical analysis Historical analysis • Facilitates • None stated The data were gathered
others (2015) and • Institutional analysis described within understanding in through archival
qualitative Utilizes Williamson’s complex institutional research (e.g. laws,
framework of and resource decrees, agreements,
institutional analysis. environments declarations).
• Benefit-sharing
approach facilitates
transboundary
cooperation
• Historical and
institutional approach
informs policy by
reconciling global
objectives with local
economic goals
• Highlights indirect
costs associated with
benefits
Yang and Transboundary Quantitative • Hydrologic modelling BRAHEMO • Assess different • Not comprehensive Agricultural, hydropower,
others • Hydroeconomic (BRAhmaptura drivers of the WEF • Simplistic domestic water use,
(2016b) modelling HydroEconomic Nexus thresholds groundwater pumping
• Ex post scenario analysis Model). Climate • Evaluates • Social drivers and stream flow data
• Decision-scaling and land-use development and difficult to estimate are needed. Climate
framework change scenarios. climate change • Population growth scenarios and potential
Methodology scenarios not modelled water diversions.
applicable worldwide, • Identifies impact • Simplifying
if sufficient data are of climate and assumptions and
available. competing water inherent uncertainty.
needs • Limited
• Coupled approach applicability due to
78
supports policy- data requirements
relevant solutions
79
Tool/method
availability
Ringler and Global Quantitative • Global computable Approach is described • Facilities a detailed • Relies on economic Details about input
others (2016) general equilibrium model within. Links GLOBE analysis of the effects models data and scenarios are
(GLOBE) model with IFPRI’s of WEF shocks • Mostly quantitative included in Appendices
• IMPACT3 (modular IMPACT v36. • Assesses impact data sources within. GTAP 8.1
integrated assessment of changes in global • Limited drivers of database utilized to
model) fossil fuel prices change considered calibrate the GLOBE
• Scenario analysis • Examines climate model. Model was run
scenarios with the HADGEM2-ES.c
• Examines role of
pricing and other
economic tools for
addressing Nexus
trade-offs
• Assess impacts of
direct and indirect
shocks to food sector
Source: Reprinted (with some style modifications) with the kind permission of IOP Publishing; the original is from Tamee R. Albrecht and others, “The water-energy-food nexus: a systematic review of methods for
nexus assessment”, Environmental Research Letters, vol. 13, No. 4. Available at https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaa9c6/pdf.
Note: Abbreviations used in the annex: WEAP = Water Evaluation and Planning; LEAP = Long-range Energy Alternatives; and AEZ = Agro-Ecological Zones.
a An epsilon-dominance, non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm II used as a sampling approach.
b Available to members at www.wefnexustool.org/login.php.
c Detailed information on this model is available at https://view.es-doc.org/?renderMethod=name&type=cim.1.software.ModelComponent&name=HadGEM2-ES&project=CMIP5.
Annex III
Urban Nexus events and activities from 2013 to 2019
Type Name Month Year City Country Website link

International Conference on Integrated Resource 24-26 www.unescap.org/events/international-conference-integrated-
2013 Bangkok Thailand
Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus June resource-management-asian-cities-urban-nexus
Regional workshop on Integrated Resource 2-4 www.unescap.org/events/regional-workshop-integrated-
Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus December resource-management-asian-cities-urban-nexus-1
Third regional workshop on Integrated Resource 25-27 www.unescap.org/events/third-regional-workshop-integrated-
2014 Da Nang Viet Nam
Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus December resource-management-asian-cities-urban-nexus
Fourth regional workshop on Integrated Resource 5-7 www.unescap.org/events/fourth-regional-workshop-integrated-
2014 Ulaanbaatar Mongolia
Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus November resource-management-asian-cities-urban-nexus
Fifth regional workshop on Integrated Resource 17-19 www.unescap.org/events/fifth-regional-workshop-integrated-
2015 Chiang Mai Thailand
Sixth regional workshop on Integrated Resource 22-23 www.unescap.org/events/sixth-regional-workshop-integrated-
2016 Santa Rosa Philippines
Regional workshops
Seventh regional workshop on Integrated
19-21 www.unescap.org/events/seventh-regional-workshop-
Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban 2017 Tanjung Pinang Indonesia
July integrated-resource-management-asian-cities-urban-nexus
Nexus
Eighth regional workshop on Integrated Resource 14-16 www.unescap.org/events/eighth-regional-workshop-integrated-
Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus November resource-management-asian-cities-urban-nexus
Ninth regional workshop on Integrated Resource 22-23 www.unescap.org/events/ninth-regional-workshop-integrated-
Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus May resource-management-asian-cities-urban-nexus
www.unescap.org/events/national-dialogue-urban-nexus-
National Dialogue on the Urban Nexus in Thailand 19 March 2015 Bangkok Thailand
thailand
National Dialogue on the Urban Nexus in www.unescap.org/events/national-dialogue-urban-nexus-
6 April 2015 Ulaanbaatar Mongolia
Mongolia mongolia
National Dialogue on the Urban Nexus in www.unescap.org/events/national-dialogue-urban-nexus-
28 May 2015 Pasig City Philippines
Philippines philippines
National Policy Dialogue on Urban Nexus in www.unescap.org/events/national-policy-dialogue-urban-nexus-
26 October 2015 Jakarta Indonesia
Indonesia indonesia
Second National Dialogue on the Urban Nexus in www.unescap.org/events/second-national-dialogue-urban-
National dialogues
2 March 2017 Bangkok Thailand
Thailand nexus-thailand
Third National Dialogue on the Urban Nexus in www.unescap.org/events/third-national-dialogue-urban-nexus-
3 May 2018 Bangkok Thailand
Thailand thailand
80
81
The Urban Nexus, luncheon side event at the www.unescap.org/events/integrated-resource-management-
29 October 2013 Bangkok Thailand
Committee on Environment and Development, asian-cities-urban-nexus-luncheon-side-event-committee
third session
Parallel session 1 CITYNET Congress- Integrated
5 Republic of www.unescap.org/events/parallel-session-1-citynet-congress-
Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban 2013 Seoul
November Korea integrated-resource-management-asian-cities-urban-nexus
Nexus
Integrated Resource Management in Asian Cities: www.unescap.org/events/integrated-resource-management-
The Urban Nexus, luncheon session, World Water 21 March 2014 Bangkok Thailand asian-cities-urban-nexus-luncheon-session-world-water-
Day 2014 day-2014
Parallel session on “Dissecting the Nexus- 12 www.unescap.org/events/parallel-session-dissecting-nexus-
Resilience Link: From Planning to Practice” February resilience-link-planning-practice
Luncheon side event: Asia-Pacific Forum on www.unescap.org/events/luncheon-side-event-asia-pacific-
21 May 2015 Bangkok Thailand
Sustainable Development 2015 forum-sustainable-development-2015
Training workshop on Urban Nexus 16 June 2015 Chiang Mai Thailand www.unescap.org/events/training-workshop-urban-nexus
Parallel Session on Urban Nexus at the Sixth Asia-
19 October 2015 Jakarta Indonesia www.unescap.org/events/parallel-session-urban-nexus-apuf-6
Pacific Urban Forum
Urban Speakers Corner at the third Preparatory
26 July 2016 Surabaya Indonesia www.unescap.org/events/urban-speakers-corner-prepcom-3
Committee for Habitat III
www.unescap.org/events/training-workshops-
Training workshops on “Energy Plus Buildings” 18 August 2016 Bangkok Thailand
%E2%80%9Cenergy-plus-buildings%E2%80%9D-august-2016
www.unescap.org/events/one-un-pavilion-event-urban-nexus-
Events on Urban Nexus at Habitat III 19 October 2016 Quito Ecuador
habitat-iii
Global and regional outreach events

Expert group meeting on Urban Nexus and
10-11 www.unescap.org/events/expert-group-meeting-urban-nexus-
implementation of urban- and resource-related 2016 Bangkok Thailand
November and-implementation-urban-and-resource-related-global-agendas
global agendas
Luncheon event on the theme “From Planning
30 www.unescap.org/events/luncheon-event-planning-practice-
to Practice: Urban Nexus as a Means of 2016 Bangkok Thailand
November urban-nexus-means-implementing-2030-agenda
Implementing the 2030 Agenda”
10-11 www.unescap.org/events/training-workshop-
Training workshop on “Design Thinking” 2017 Naga City Philippines
May %E2%80%9Cdesign-thinking%E2%80%9D
Panel session at CityNet Congress 2017,
6 www.unescap.org/events/panel-session-citynet-congress-2017-
“Sustainable Solutions for Asian Cities through 2017 Colombo Sri Lanka
November sustainable-solutions-asian-cities-through-innovative-and
Innovative and Integrated Resource Management”
Luncheon side event at the ESCAP Sustainable
Development Goals Week, “Urban Nexus
Experiences: Opportunities for Local 30 www.unescap.org/events/luncheon-side-event-escaps-sdg-
Governments to Promote Innovative, Integrated November week-urban-nexus-experiences-opportunities-local-governments
and Inclusive Resource Management to Achieve
Global Agendas
Side event at the ninth session of the World
Urban Forum: Catalysing the New Urban Agenda www.unescap.org/events/wuf9-side-event-catalyzing-new-
8 February 2018 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
by Integrating Resources and Collaborative urban-agenda-integrating-resources-and-collaborative
Governance
Luncheon side event at fifth session of the ESCAP
22 www.unescap.org/events/luncheon-side-event-escap-s-fifth-
Committee on Environment and Development:
November 2018 Bangkok Thailand session-committee-environment-and-development-how-can-
“How can the Water-Energy-Food Nexus in Cities
water
Contribute to Mitigating Climate Change?”
Policy development workshop on “Applying the
5-6 www.unescap.org/events/policy-development-workshop-
Urban Nexus Concept to Implementing Global 2019 Bangkok Thailand
March applying-urban-nexus-concept-implementing-global-agendas
Agendas”
82
Although researchers and practitioners have studied the water-energy-food/land nexus for some time,
the emergence of the Urban Nexus approach has been more recent. In 2013, GIZ was commissioned by
the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development to implement the Integrated
Resource Management in Asian Cities: The Urban Nexus project in partnership with ESCAP and ICLEI − Local
Governments for Sustainability in order to address pressing concerns in cities in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Urban Nexus approach examines the interdependencies between water, energy and food/land
and the synergies and competing uses of these resources, requiring a shift from a sectoral to a cross-
sectoral, integrated approach. It challenges existing structures, sector policies and procedures to promote
the protection and use of water, energy and food/land in a balanced manner, countering traditional silo
thinking and divided responsibilities that often result in poorly coordinated investments, increased costs
and underutilized infrastructure and facilities.
The Urban Nexus approach is an action-oriented guiding principle within the vision of a circular economy,
where waste is viewed as a resource. Multisectoral and multilevel approaches which integrate resources
contribute to improved resource efficiency. With many project cities identifying wastewater and solid waste
management as their most pressing problems, the Urban Nexus approach emphasizes how wastewater and
waste can be converted into sources of energy and useful by-products, such as fertilizer.
As an integrated and holistic concept, the Urban Nexus approach helps break barriers between sectors and
stakeholders to take advantage of synergies.
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The Urban Nexus

Integrating Resources for Sustainable Cities

This publication is also available online at:

Stefanos Fotiou Ruth Erlbeck Emani Kumar

Principal author: Eva Wong

Technical assistance and editing: John Loftus

Graphic design and layout: Jeff Williams

Acronyms and abbreviations vii

Chapter I. The water-energy-food/land nexus and cities 3

Chapter II. Global development agendas and the Urban Nexus 12

Chapter III. Urban Nexus Guidance Framework 47

II.1 The SDG Help Desk 13

III.1 Gender mainstreaming essential to creating inclusive and sustainable cities 49

II.1 Sustainable Development Goals 12

III.1 Urban Nexus wheel 47

Nexus helps address resource challenges

Purpose of the publication

Isabella Lövin, Minister for International Development Cooperation, Sweden7

1.1 Natural resource linkages and scarcity

Source: Water, Energy & Food Security Resource Platform.

1.2 A brief history of the Nexus concept

• Individual examination of resources

1.3 Urbanization in Asia and the Pacific

Source: United Nations, 2018c.

1.4 The Urban Nexus

1.5 Benefits of a circular economy

Source: GIZ Urban Nexus Project.

Thomas Gass, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination

2.2 Paris Agreement

2.3 New Urban Agenda

2.4 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction

2.5 Addis Ababa Action Agenda: funding the 2030 Agenda

Table II.1 summarizes key aspects of landmark agendas.

2.6 From global frameworks to local actions

Sendai Framework AAAA SDGs Paris (COP21) New Urban Agenda

- Adopted 18 March - Adopted 16 July - Adopted 25 - Adopted 12 - Adopted 20

Project cities and countries

Figure A presents a map of project cities and countries.

The boundaries and names shown and the

Project approach and activities

Source: Adapted from AIRVAC. Available at https://www.aqseptence.com/app/en/products/airvac-vacuum-sewer-system/.

Wastewater treatment and utilization

The BISCAST Nexus Model: The CCRPH Example

Source: GIZ Urban Nexus.

• Horizontal and vertical administrative fragmentation emerged as a major risk to implement

City-specific experiences are described in the profiles that follow.

Covering an area of 677 km2, much of its coastland is flat and

The Bureau of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Weifang/

Rizhao officials work with GIZ Urban Nexus to identify ways to

Source: (Left and center) GIZ. (Right) Kyungkoo (Philip) Kang.

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation led the formation of a Nexus

Arcadis NV and Zweckverband Abfallbehandlung Kahlenberg (Kahlenberg Waste Treatment Association)

Nanda Jichkar, Mayor, Nagpur Municipal Corporation

Source: (Left) Kibae Park. (Right) GIZ.

The Rajkot Municipal Corporation led the formation of a Nexus

The increasing amount of waste, land limitations and adverse

The government of Pekanbaru City created an Urban Nexus task

Source: (Left) Shutterstock. (Right) ESCAP.

BAPPEDA, the development planning agency at the subnational level,

Studies of Tanjung Pinang’s wastewater challenges have been focused