The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development covers 17 goals, the eleventh of which is "Sustainable Cities and Communities", namely: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. 

Under this major goal, there are ten targets, the third of which is "By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries".

● Current Situation

About the World

Rapid Urbanization Brought Many Challenges

Photo source: unhabitat.org

By 2050 approximately two thirds of the world’s population will be living in urban areas, bringing a distinct set of challenges and opportunities to the area of urban development.The challenges of rapid urbanization include growing vulnerability to climate change, spatial inequalities, pressures of migration and conflict, and difficulties to promote inclusive prosperity and economic development.The sustainability of cities and communities has been increasingly jeopardized by natural and human-made disasters ranging from heatwaves, earthquakes and flooding to pandemics, rapid immigration, cyber-attacks, and geopolitical conflicts – making urban resilience building a pressing central issue for the sustainability of people and the planet.

Text source: un.org

About China

Urbanization Is Accelerating

Photo source: sohu.com

With the rapid economic development, China's urbanization process is also accelerating. In 2020, the urbanization rate of China's permanent population has reached 63.89%. China's urban construction has achieved remarkable results in building inclusive, safe, disaster resistant and sustainable cities and human settlements. However, there are many problems, such as the contradiction between residents' housing and the structural supply shortage, heritage protection and the city's ability to withstand natural disasters still need to be improved, infrastructure and public service capabilities still have shortcomings, and regional development is uneven.

Text source: Economic Information Daily

●  Cases

About the World

Atlas for Shared Prosperity and Investment in Mexico

UN-Habitat and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launch the Atlas Prospestivo Territorial in Mexico, is an innovative strategy for economic recovery in Latin America that considers economic, social, environmental and urban dimensions of each industrial sector and aims to attract foreign investment in the region.

In 2021, a geographic Atlas on industrial and territorial perspectives was developed providing a strategic analysis that identifies manufacturing sectors with high potential for future industrial growth. The Atlas also promotes regional corridors that could specialize in economic activity derived from strategic sectors.

By stressing the environmental and social issues observed within those regions, the Atlas proposed a new type of investment which entails the prioritization of sustainable and prosperous development for everyone.

The sectors identified are: wind turbine motors; pharmaceutical products; the aerospace industry; agribusinesses (the production of vanilla and chocolate); and petrochemicals. Each sector is analysed at different territorial scales as well as by a unique territorial- industrial approach that accounts for social inclusion, environmental sustainability and thorough planning.

Text and photo source: UN-Habitat Annual Report 2021

About China 

Shenzhen International Low Carbon City

Photo source: sina.com

Shenzhen adheres to the leading strategy of innovation driven urban development and strives to become a pilot city of sustainable development with harmonious coexistence between human and nature.

Shenzhen International Low Carbon City, located in Longgang District, Shenzhen, has a total planned area of 53.14 square kilometers, a construction land scale of 19 square kilometers, and 63% of the basic ecological line control area. , The concept of sponge city was through the whole process of planning, construction and operation. It has built a self-organizing and self circulating habitat network organization system, rainwater and flood regulation and storage, water purification and other systems and become a demonstration area of green and low-carbon technology. The buildings and the surrounding environment are transformed by the three-star standard of green building, and ten major technical systems were adopted including green building, clean transportation, sewage recycling, waste recycling and low-carbon energy, and 97 advanced technologies.

Text source: sznews.com

●  Background

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Initiated by the United Nations

On 1 January, 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including 169 targets, of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit — officially came into force. Countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.