A New Urban Narrative for Sustainable Development
Michael Keith, Eugenie Birch, Nicolas J. A. Buchoud, Maruxa Cardama, William Cobbett, Michael Cohen, Thomas Elmqvist, Jessica Espey, Maarten Hajer, Gunnar Hartmann, Tadashi Matsumoto, Susan Parnell, Aromar Revi, Debra C. Roberts, Emilia Saiz, Tim Schwanen, Karen C. Seto, Raf Tuts & Martin van der Pütten | 2022
Abstract
Almost all growth of the human population this century will be accounted for by a growing number of city dwellers1. This demographic reality has elevated political attention to urban issues. Between 2012 and 2015, a dialogue on urban issues within the United Nations (UN) General Assembly resulted in the inclusion of a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on cities and human settlements within the 2030 Agenda. SDG 11 committed national governments to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”2. This goal is of major significance. By including a commitment focused on cities within a nationally determined agenda, countries recognized both the importance of a place-based approach to development and the unique nature of the challenges facing urban communities of all shapes and sizes