SDG Goal 11: Make Cities and Human Settlements Inclusive, Safe, Resilient, and Sustainable

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 is focused on creating cities and human settlements that are inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. As the global urban population grows rapidly, it is essential to ensure that cities are well-managed, offer equitable opportunities, and provide a high quality of life for all residents, including vulnerable groups. This goal addresses urbanization challenges and aims to make cities places that contribute positively to social, economic, and environmental development. Making cities and human settlements inclusive, secure, resilient, and sustainable is the focus of Goal 11.The future of global living is embodied by cities. In 2022, there were 8 billion people on the planet, with more than half of them residing in cities. By 2050, 70% of people are predicted to reside in cities, therefore this number will only increase. There are currently about 1.1 billion people living in urban slums or conditions similar to slums, and another 2 billion are predicted to do so in the next 30 years.

Slums and slum-like conditions have increased as a result of many of these cities’ inability to handle the fast urbanization that is outpacing the construction of housing, infrastructure, and services. Cities continue to face issues with air pollution, urban sprawl, and a lack of accessible public places. Since the SDGs were put into effect in 2015, there has been good progress, and today there are twice as many nations with national and local disaster risk reduction plans. However, problems persist, and as of 2022, only 50% of urban dwellers had easy access to public transportation. It is impossible to accomplish sustainable growth without drastically altering the planning and administration of urban areas.

How come cities aren’t yet future-proof?

Small cities and intermediate towns are experiencing the majority of urban expansion, which exacerbates inequality and urban poverty.
An estimated 1.1 billion urban dwellers lived in slums or conditions similar to slums in 2020; over the next 30 years, an additional 2 billion people—mostly in developing nations—are anticipated to live in such settlements.

What are some of the most urgent issues that cities are now dealing with?

Among the issues are inequality, urban pollution, and energy consumption levels. Despite making up only 3% of the planet’s land area, cities are responsible for 75 percent of carbon emissions and 60–80% of energy use. Building urban resilience is essential to preventing human, social, and financial losses because many cities are more susceptible to climate change and natural catastrophes because of their high population density and geographic position.

What impact does it have on me?

Every citizen will eventually be impacted by all of these challenges. Natural disasters have the power to upend everyone’s lifestyles, pollution damages everyone’s health and impacts worker productivity and, consequently, the economy, and inequality can cause instability and insecurity. In addition to urban regions, towns and rural areas are also affected by air pollution, which has a negative impact on the health of millions of people.

What would happen if cities were simply allowed to develop naturally?

The world’s growing suburbs, congested traffic, massive slums, and greenhouse gas emissions are all consequences of poorly planned urbanization. By acting sustainably, we develop cities where everyone has a good quality of life and contributes to the productive energy of the city, fostering social stability and shared wealth without endangering the environment.

Is implementing sustainable practices costly?

When weighed against the advantages, the cost is negligible. Establishing an efficient public transportation system, for instance, has costs, but the advantages are enormous in terms of economic activity, quality of life, the environment, and the general prosperity of a networked city.

How can I contribute to this objective?

Engage in active participation in your city’s management and government. Promote the type of city you think the world needs.
Create a vision for your neighborhood, street, and building, then take action to realize it. Do enough jobs exist? Is it safe for your kids to walk to school? Can you go for a nighttime walk with your family? What is the closest public transportation distance? How is the quality of the air? How would you describe the public areas you share? The impact on quality of life increases with the quality of conditions you establish in your community.
Since the SDGs were put into effect in 2015, there has been good progress, and today there are twice as many nations with national and local disaster risk reduction plans. However, problems persist, and as of 2022, only 50% of urban dwellers had easy access to public transportation. It is impossible to accomplish sustainable growth without drastically altering the planning and administration of urban areas.

Goal 11 targets

• Currently, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities, and by 2050, that number is expected to rise to 70%. There are currently about 1.1 billion people living in urban slums or conditions similar to slums, and another 2 billion are predicted to do so in the next 30 years. Just 50% of urban dwellers worldwide have easy access to public transit in 2022. Cities continue to face issues with air pollution, urban sprawl, and a lack of accessible public places. The number of nations with local and national catastrophe risk reduction plans has doubled since 2015. Implementing inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development policies and practices that provide everyone’s access to basic services, reasonably priced housing, effective transit, and green spaces top priority is essential to achieving Goal 11.
• Three regions currently account for 85% of slum dwellers: sub-Saharan Africa (230 million), Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (306 million), and Central and Southern Asia (359 million). Based on data from 681 cities between 1990 and 2020, cities around the world grew physically faster than their population growth rates. From 2000 to 2010, average annual land consumption rates were 2.0% compared to population growth rates of 1.6%, and from 2010 to 2020, they were 1.5% compared to 1.2%.