SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 is all about creating sustainable cities and communities, which means reducing environmental impacts, promoting safe work environments, and ensuring urbanization is done in a sustainable manner. But it’s not just governments that have to do the hard work of achieving these goals; businesses must also play their part. We’ll discuss how businesses can contribute to the achievement of SDG 11 through their practices and policies.

City Councils in Australia

The vast majority of Australians live, work plane and raise families in urban environment. In fact, over half the world’s population live in cities.  Cities therefore are the place where social, economic and environmental sustainability need to converge.  We all need to take action to ensure our ever growing cities are safe healthy and liveable while reducing their impact on the planet.

SDG 11 guides us to ensure all people have access to:

• affordable housing
• safe and accessible public transport
• safe inclusive and accessible public green space

This can only be delivered through integrated planning and a committed built environment value chain.

Cities must be resilient to the impacts of climate change, particularly the physical events such as storms, floods and fires, but also socially resilient to events such as the covid pandemic. This is still fresh in most of our minds and it is timely to consider what would have improved our experience that could be designed into our urban environments.

Cities are the largest contributor to climate change, consuming 78% of the world’s energy and producing 60% of the greenhouse gas emissions

What can businesses do?

For businesses operating directly in the built environment value chain there are direct impacts.

• The design of sustainable buildings and infrastructure.
• Selecting sustainable alternatives to building materials.
• Constructing high performing buildings.
• Maintaining built assets to ensure performance and efficiency. 
• The addition of green infrastructure can have a positive impact on health, air quality, amenity and also help cool cities and reduce stormwater runoff.

How businesses can reduce environmental Impact

One way in which businesses can support SDG 11 is by reducing their environmental impact. This could mean implementing energy efficiency initiatives such as installing energy-saving lighting or switching to renewable energy sources. It could also involve taking steps to reduce water consumption or investing in green technologies such as electric vehicles or solar panels. All of these initiatives will help reduce a business’s carbon footprint and create a more sustainable future for everyone.The first step for businesses is to put Sustainable Development on their business horizon. This will help innovation and to create sustained and sustainable growth.

How Can Businesses Ensure the Safety and Wellbeing of Their Employees?

The safety and wellbeing of employees should be paramount for any business looking to achieve SDG 11. This could mean introducing workplace policies that focus on health and safety, such as ensuring there are adequate rest breaks throughout the day or providing training on how best to avoid workplace accidents and injuries. It could also involve setting up mental health support services or offering flexible working hours so that staff can balance their personal commitments with their professional ones. All of these measures will help ensure that employees feel valued by their employers and are able to perform at their best in the workplace.

Another way businesses can contribute to achieving SDG 11 is by taking steps to ensure that urbanization occurs in a sustainable manner. Think about offering incentives for employees who choose to walk or cycle instead of driving. It could also involve encouraging employees to use public transport instead of private cars whenever possible or providing subsidies for staff members who take public transport regularly. These actions will help create healthier, more liveable cities that are better for everyone – both locals and visitors alike!

What does sustainable development mean to you?

Related SDGs

As cities are the home for so much human activity the interactions with other SDGs are complex. Key related SDGs include;