What is Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)?
Historical Background
Key Points
12 points- 1.
Ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services, and upgrade slums. This means providing affordable housing options and improving living conditions in informal settlements.
- 2.
Provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons. This includes investing in public transportation and making roads safer for everyone.
- 3.
Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries. This emphasizes the importance of involving communities in urban planning decisions.
- 4.
Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage. This involves preserving historical sites and natural areas within cities.
- 5.
Significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations. This focuses on building resilience to natural disasters.
- 6.
Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management. This involves reducing pollution and improving waste management systems.
- 7.
Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities. This emphasizes the importance of parks and public spaces for all residents.
- 8.
Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning. This involves connecting cities with surrounding areas to promote balanced development.
- 9.
By 2030, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels. This sets a target for cities to adopt sustainable policies.
- 10.
Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials. This focuses on helping poorer countries build sustainable cities.
- 11.
The New Urban Agenda, adopted at Habitat III in 2016, provides a roadmap for implementing SDG 11. It emphasizes the importance of integrated urban planning and sustainable urban development.
- 12.
Monitoring progress towards SDG 11 involves tracking indicators such as the proportion of urban population living in slums, access to public transport, and air quality.
Visual Insights
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Key targets and aspects of SDG 11.
SDG 11
- ●Key Targets
- ●Implementation
- ●Challenges
- ●Monitoring
Recent Developments
10 developmentsThe UN-Habitat Assembly in 2023 focused on accelerating the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and SDG 11.
Many cities are experimenting with innovative solutions such as smart city technologies and green infrastructure to achieve SDG 11.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of resilient cities and the need for better urban planning to address public health crises.
There is growing recognition of the need to address inequalities within cities and ensure that all residents benefit from urban development.
Increased focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation in urban areas, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to extreme weather events.
The rise of informal settlements continues to be a major challenge for achieving SDG 11, requiring innovative solutions for upgrading and integrating these settlements into the formal urban fabric.
Public-private partnerships are playing an increasingly important role in financing and implementing urban development projects that contribute to SDG 11.
Data and technology are being used to improve urban planning and management, including through the use of geographic information systems (GIS) and real-time data collection.
Community participation is increasingly recognized as essential for ensuring that urban development projects are responsive to the needs and priorities of local residents.
The concept of '15-minute cities,' where residents can access essential services within a 15-minute walk or bike ride, is gaining traction as a way to promote sustainable urban living.