Sustainable Development Goals
SDG11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities
More than half of us live in cities – and by 2050 two-thirds of all humanity (6.5 billion people) will be urban. We need to make sure that cities are safe, inclusive, and sustainable for everyone, especially for women, children, and disabled people. It’s not just the responsibility of local governments and city planners – we can also take care of our home neighbourhoods.
Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way we build and manage our urban spaces. The rapid growth of cities—a result of rising populations and increasing migration—has led to a boom in mega-cities, especially in the developing world, and slums are becoming a more significant feature of urban life. Making cities sustainable means creating career and business opportunities, safe and affordable housing, and building resilient societies and economies. It involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban planning and management in participatory and inclusive ways (UNDP).
We can be part of the solution – we have made commitments to improve the energy and water efficiency of Scouting properties, and are often looking at ways that we can make them inclusive for everyone. With governments often bringing community in to the design of new infrastructure, we can even have a role in ensuring sustainable development is considered in our wider community. Check out the resources below to learn more, take action, and then share to spread the word.
Learn more and take action
- WOSM’s Scouts For SDGs page: Sustainable Communities (WOSM)
- Scouting Ireland’s 17days17sdgs campaign: Sustainable Cities and Communities (SI)
What do we need to create sustainable communities and cities?
In Australia we are usually fortunate enough to have some great infrastructure, services and community groups – coming together to build our community. But what is included in this?
Scouts Australia’s youth program team have started developing ideas for how you might engage with each of the Sustainable Development Goals. This card challenges you to contribute to our global goal of Sustainable Communities and Cities by considering what goes into creating sustainable communities. Every small part counts as we work towards these goals!
Share your efforts
Now that you’ve taken action, share it to inspire others. If you post to social media, please tag Scouts Australia and include the hashtags #Scouts4SDGs #ScoutsAustralia #SDG11 #SustainableCommunities, and then head over to scout.org to register your project: https://www.scout.org/node/add/project
