SDG 11 — Inclusive and Accessible, Green and Public Spaces
Written by Zaid, class 11 (India)
This article is part of our 2020 Sustainable September Campaign. This article is written by a student participant of the School of Active Citizenship Young Leaders Policy Lab (YLPL) programme. Read more about the campaign here!
Sustainable Development Goal 11 — Sustainable Cities & Communities
Target 7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
The greater part of the world’s occupants live in urban communities and this movement pattern will be a necessary progression. By 2050 more than 66% of the world will be urban occupants. India alone is required to twofold the quantity of city inhabitants by adding 404 million new individuals to urban communities within the next 35 years.
Hence, it will be under the sponsorship of urban communities where we will succeed or fail to accomplish our objectives of destitution destruction, correspondence, environmental change decrease, and guaranteeing safe, healthy and equal lives. It will be the urban areas that determine whether we accomplish comprehensive financial development or respect more prominent imbalance. It is in urban areas where individuals seek opportunities for advanced education and work. Furthermore, it will be these urban areas that decide whether we continuously proceed with the expanding utilisation of the world’s assets.
This is the reason the Sustainable Development Goal 11 is so significant. Accomplishment in accomplishing the targets under SDG 11 makes way for accomplishing targets in a significant number of the other SDG objectives.
Open and green spaces offer opportunities to advance wellbeing and a sense of personal satisfaction for all individuals living in urban areas. Improving our physical and mental wellbeing, fortifying our networks, and causing our urban areas and neighbourhoods to become progressively alluring spots to live in and work are some of the advantages. Target 11.7 will contribute to SDG 3 — Good Health and Wellbeing, by providing spaces for individuals to be genuinely dynamic.
Green spaces can also help, contribute to SDG 7 — Affordable and Clean Energy, by bringing down city temperatures, and contributing to a more energy efficient city. The current expansion of hard surface areas and the decrease of green spaces is bringing about higher temperatures in urban areas than in the encompassing open country. Green spaces help to adjust this impact by cooling the air, giving shade, and retaining air pollutants.
Regardless of the significant role that green and open spaces play, they are frequently compromised by the demand for land for housing or commercial property. As land turns out to be all the more valuable, green and open spaces are often sold to private lodging and organisations. This is the reason target 11.7 is so significant. Without solid responsibility from Governments to save and ensure sustainable living, these spaces be lost for eternity.
There are numerous difficulties ahead in accomplishing SDG 11. Urban areas will require strong execution plans and backing to meet the expected targets. Inventive arrangements are expected to help make individuals focused urban areas where residents are actively involved in how they live and interface with their locale.
Common society can assume a significant job in uniting neighbourhood individuals and Governments. For example, in Hoi An, Viet Nam the local government built up a network commitment procedure to structure and assemble parks and play areas, which brought about both network raising support and cooperation in building new play areas.
The exercises gained from this procedure are shaping a fundamental piece of the Parks Master Plan being created by the city. SDG 11 can go far towards adding to the SDGs. In the same way as other different objectives, the distinguished targets should be unmistakable, concrete and quantifiable.
We will have to unmistakably characterise what is implied by “access to green space” and decide how “access for all “ to sheltered, moderate, open and reasonable green, public spaces is to be estimated. The targets can possibly affect genuine change across many SDGs. So how about we ensure they have the space to have any kind of effect.
Zaid is a class 11 student at the International School Bangalore. He is intrigued by technology and hopes to be able to contribute to the development of future aerospace technologies.
NOTE:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely by the author(s) and do not represent that of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
Copyright © 2020.
