I have comprehensive professional experience in the field of urban environment and climate change, supporting cities and national partners in integrating environmental and climate considerations into urban planning and infrastructure development. My work has focused on contributing to technical cooperation programmes that promote climate-friendly and environmentally sustainable approaches in urban contexts.
Within EU- and GIZ-funded initiatives, I have been involved in projects addressing climate-smart urban development, energy-efficient and low-emission cities, sustainable construction and resource efficiency, and environmentally sound urban services. This includes work on programmes linked to the Indian Smart Cities Mission, municipal climate demonstration projects under the Covenant of Mayors East, and urban partnership initiatives such as CIUDAD. The emphasis has been on practical implementation, policy alignment, and capacity development at municipal level.
My experience combines project design, coordination, and technical support, with a focus on helping cities translate climate and environmental objectives into feasible urban measures. I have worked at the interface of urban planning, environmental management, and climate policy, supporting context-appropriate and scalable solutions for more sustainable urban environments.
2024 - 2025 - GIZ / EUD Bangladesh
Design and appraisal of a new technical assistance project supporting Bangladesh’s transition to climate- and resource-efficient construction. The project promotes alternative, low-carbon building materials and a shift away from traditional mud bricks produced in informal kilns, contributing to a greener and more diversified construction sector.
Key activities include strengthening knowledge exchange and regulatory frameworks, implementing eco-friendly demonstration projects in public infrastructure, and developing standards and certification for non-fired bricks and other green materials.
2016 - 2017
2016- 2017 GIZ / EUD India
Conceptualisation and coordination of a new technical cooperation project promoting integrated river basin management for the rejuvenation of the Ganges River.
At national level, activities fostered Indo-German knowledge exchange, strengthened data and information systems within the National Mission for Clean Ganga and its Ganga Knowledge Centre, and implemented public outreach campaigns. At state level in Uttarakhand, the project supported capacity development of the State Project Management Group, improvements to industrial effluent treatment, and increased efficiency of municipal wastewater and sewage treatment systems.
2016 - 2017
2016- 2017 GIZ / EUD India
Conceptualisation and supervision of a resource efficiency project, creating enabling conditions for the efficient use of primary resources and secondary raw materials. It supported policy, institutional, and practical approaches to promote sustainable resource use.
Key activities included establishing an Indian Resource Panel, advisory services to states, cities, and industry, and pilot interventions in the construction and automotive sectors. The project also supported capacity development and knowledge sharing through targeted trainings, manuals, and dissemination of best practices.
2016 - 2017
2016 - 2017 GIZ / German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU)
In my role as cluster coordinator of GIZ’s urban portfolio in India, I led the conceptualisation and appraisal of a new technical cooperation project on Climate Smart Cities, complementary to the Indian Smart Cities Mission.
The project focused on integrating climate considerations into urban infrastructure and area-based development, with the aim of supporting climate-friendly planning approaches within the Smart Cities framework, including the monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions.It worked with the three Indian Smart Cities of Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, and Kochi, as well as their respective state governments.
2014
2014 - EU
For the project under the Covenant of Mayors (CoM) East Initiative, I led a team of three international experts providing technical assistance for low-emission and energy-efficient urban demonstration projects.
The support focused on the implementation of municipal Sustainable Energy Action Plans, within a programme with a total budget of EUR 12.25 million for participating cities in the EU Eastern Partnership countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
2009 - 2013
2009 - 2013 EU
I led the Supporting Mechanism of the CIUDAD programme, with a five-member international expert team that provided strategic coordination and technical inputs for programme implementation.
The programme financed 21 municipal grant projects implemented in partnership between European cities and municipalities in EU Neighbourhood countries. The projects addressed key urban challenges such as environmental sustainability, sustainable local economic development, and good urban governance. Collectively, they demonstrated practical approaches to improving urban environmental conditions, strengthening local government capacities, and fostering long-term city-to-city cooperation.
© Frank Samol 2023