UN Goal 11: Setting the global scene:
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
During Academic year 2017–2018, while studying towards an MA in Cultural Management at Panteion University and under the lead of Professor Betty Tsakarestou, our tutor in Cultural Marketing & Communication and project initiator of the Athens Co-Creation City Branding Project, we were challenged to discuss issues regarding paths towards a sustainable and resilient city. I set off to the explorative journey by looking at official data provided by the UN as an attempt to investigate the global trends.
UN 2030 HLPF Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals[1]
In 2018, the HLPF[1] will be convened under the theme of “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies.”[2] Many Member States including Greece are expected to undertake Voluntary National Reviews to assess progress towards achieving five Sustainable Development Goals: number 6,7,11,12,15, namely,
- Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
- Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
- Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
- Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
- Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
GOAL 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable: What exactly this implies
Find out more in this link.
Goal 11: What has been achieved up to 2017 regarding making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
In recent decades, the world has experienced unprecedented urban growth. In 2015, close to 4 billion people — 54 per cent of the world’s population — lived in cities and that number is projected to increase to about 5 billion people by 2030. Rapid urbanization has brought enormous challenges, including growing numbers of slum dwellers, increased air pollution, inadequate basic services and infrastructure, and unplanned urban sprawl, which also make cities more vulnerable to disasters. Better urban planning and management are needed to make the world’s urban spaces more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Since 2017, 149 countries have been developing national-level urban policies.
. • The proportion of the urban population that lives in developing country slums fell from 39 per cent in 2000 to 30 per cent in 2014. Despite some gains, the absolute number of urban residents who live in slums continued to grow, owing in part to accelerating urbanization, population growth and lack of appropriate land and housing policies. In 2014, an estimated 880 million urban residents lived in slum conditions, compared to 792 million urban residents in 2000.
• As more and more people move to urban areas cities typically expand their geographic boundaries to accommodate new inhabitants. From 2000 to 2015, in all regions of the world, the expansion of urban land outpaced the growth of urban populations. As a result, cities are becoming less dense as they grow, with unplanned urban sprawl challenging more sustainable patterns of urban development.
• The safe removal and management of solid waste represents one of the most vital urban environmental services. Uncollected solid waste blocks drains, causes flooding and may lead to the spread of water-borne diseases. On the basis of data from cities in 101 countries from 2009 to 2013, 65 per cent of the urban population was served by municipal waste collection.
- Air pollution is a major environmental health risk. In 2014, 9 of 10 people who live in cities were breathing air that did not comply with the safety standard set by WHO.
Footnotes for this section:
[1] The United Nations High-level Political Forum (HLPF)is the central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals as it was originally formed during the General Assembly on 25 September 2015.
[2] Εarlier on, the meeting in Bangkok in February 2018 served as a preparatory meeting for the 2018 HLPF, which will be the first critical milestone in taking stock of progress to-date including energy’s linkages with other SDGs and reflect on the way forward to accelerate implementation of all SDGs. The event called “The Role of Cities in the 2018 High-Level Political Forum: Transformation Towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies” focused on ways that cities contribute to the theme of the 2018 HLPF, and how urban actors can contribute to and engage in the 2018 HLPF and beyond. The HLPF will take place from 9 to 18 July 2018 at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Find out more in this link.
Stakeholder engagement is addressed key towards achieving any of the goals.
That involves cooperation and exchange of good practices amongst major groups of actors, including the people related to education and academia, business and industry, children and youth, the scientific and technological community, local authorities, workers and trade unions, NGO’s, volunteers, groups who are underrepresented in the public sphere (such as the people with disabilities, the women, the ageing, the indigenous populations, the farmers).
“We must stop the narrowing of, and threats against space for civic participation and civil society. We need to be very clear that the 2030 Agenda is not possible unless gender justice, social, economic and environmental human rights defenders are safe from violence, harassment, and intimidation, including by ensuring justice and accountability for crimes and abuses committed against them”. [1]
Coming up next:
Greece: National Implementation of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.Focus on goal 11
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