Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11 or Global Goal 11), titled “sustainable cities and communities”, is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015. The official mission of SDG 11 is to “Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. The 17 SDGs take into account that action in one area will affect outcomes in other areas as well, and that development must balance social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Sustainable Development Goal 11 is divided into 10 targets and 14 indicators at the global level. The seven “outcome targets” are:

• 1– “Adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums”
• 2– “Safe, affordable, accessible, and sustainable transport systems”
• 3– “Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries”
• 4– “Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage”
• 5– “Reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected by disasters and decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters”
• 6– “Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management”
• 7– “Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces”

The three “means of achieving” targets are:

• a– “Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning”
• b– “Increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, holistic disaster risk managements at all levels”
• c– “Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials”

Cities across the world occupy just 3 percent of the Earth’s land, yet account for 60–80 percent of energy consumption and 75 percent of carbon emissions. Increased urbanization requires increased and improved access to basic resources such as food, energy and water. In addition, basic services such as sanitation, health, education, mobility and information are needed. However, these requirements are unmet globally, which causes serious challenges for the viability and safety of cities to meet increased future demands.

SDG 11 represents a shift in international development cooperation from a focus on poverty as a rural phenomenon to recognizing that cities, especially in the global south, are facing major challenges with extreme poverty, environmental degradation and risks due to climate change and natural disasters. Despite its ambiguous targets and goals, is still an important tool for addressing urban challenges and calls for actors to develop realistic, locally defined indicators and outputs to fit the urban context of specific cities to promote more sustainable, inclusive and equal cities.