SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities-Towards Inclusive, Safe and Resilient Settlements

Abstract

As current projections indicate that the majority of the world’s future population will live in urban areas, cities play a central role in the pursuit of sustainable development. This recognition materialized through the inclusion of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11): ‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’ in the post-2015 goals. To strengthen resilience, adaptive capacity, and adaption to climate impact, related hazards, and associated risks, cities need to have a greater role in the local development of natural resource planning and management, with broader access to resources and a more decentralized governance structure. This book will use empirical analysis to address challenges associated with SDG11 implementation such as localizing actions, cross-cutting, preparing data and indicators, establishing processes and structures to measure SDG progress, and communicating the SDG to a wider audience.The book consists of three chapters orienting readers new to the SDG agenda and illustrating how to approach SDG11 implementation at a local level. Chapter 1 provides insights into the importance of cities in SDG discourse. The chapter explains the role of cities and human settlements in achieving sustainable development and explores the interactions between different international discourses on cities, 2 SDG11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities such as the sustainable agenda 2015–2030, the Paris Agreement, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR) and Habitat-III and the New Urban Development Agenda (NUDA). Chapter 2 describes briey the importance of SDG localisation and related processes, the cross-cutting nature of SDG11, and the process of initi-ating SDG11 implementation; it explores step-by-step suggestions for local authorities and stakeholders as they dene, plan, and implement strategies for achieving SDG11. It further elaborates on implementation challenges, particularly communication, localizing actions, reporting, and its cross-cutting nature. Chapter 3 explores SDG stories, reaecting on policies and strategies from different cities, countries, and regions – the Middle East (Amman City), Europe (Serbia) – including actions that integrate SDGs into local, regional, and national plans to improve natural resources management, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and develop urban adaptation and resilience strategies to help decision-makers, planners, and practitioners achieve SDG11. It also promotes an enabling environment, methodology, tools, and mechanisms, which can be adapted to different contexts to help achieve sustainable development.