Sustainable cities and human settlements

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 aims to "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable." This goal acknowledges the growing importance of urban areas, as it's projected that by 2050, nearly 70% of the world's population will live in cities. Consequently, cities bear significant implications for sustainability, economic growth, and societal wellbeing.

Inclusivity is a key feature of sustainable cities. This refers to equitable access to opportunities, public services, and amenities, regardless of a person's background or circumstances. It implies the availability of affordable and adequate housing, thus addressing issues of homelessness and substandard living conditions.

Safety in cities means ensuring urban environments that protect their inhabitants from both physical harm and psychological distress. This involves addressing crime rates, traffic accidents, and potential hazards from poor infrastructure, while also considering the impacts of noise, pollution, and overcrowdedness on mental health.

Resilience is another important aspect, particularly in the face of climate change. Resilient cities can withstand and quickly recover from shocks such as natural disasters or economic crises. This involves aspects such as resilient infrastructure, disaster risk reduction strategies, and adaptive capacities at the community level.

Sustainability, finally, requires cities to function in a way that doesn't compromise future generations' ability to meet their own needs. This includes sustainable urban planning to reduce environmental impact, promote energy efficiency, and conserve resources. It also considers the importance of green spaces for biodiversity and the wellbeing of urban residents.

SDG 11 is interconnected with many other SDGs. For example, sustainable urban transport systems contribute to SDG 13 (Climate Action) by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, ensuring access to green and public spaces supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

Achieving sustainable cities and human settlements requires cooperation and participation from various stakeholders, including government authorities, urban planners, businesses, and citizens. Through their collective efforts, cities can be transformed into hubs of sustainability, resilience, and inclusivity, contributing significantly towards the realization of the SDGs.

This article advances SDG # 13 by devising a new way of accounting for responsibility, and shows that developing countries value-chain based responsibility for global CO2 emissions has surpassed that of developed countries since 2012 and is increasing quickly. Massive global value chains, through global trade, make accounting for "responsibility" of climate emissions increasingly complicated.
This article supports SDGs 9, 11, and 17 by illustrating the opportunity for the use of electric powered vehicles as an energy source during natural disaster events.
In this episode of the “World We Want” podcast series, Christopher Grant Kirwan, multidisciplinary professional and educator, as well as author of the book Smart Cities and Artificial Intelligence, talks to Márcia Balisciano about urban development and smart cities.
Elsevier,

City and Environment Interactions, Volume 18, April 2023, 100099

This article supports SDG 11 introducing innovative practice for urban development projects.
Elsevier,

Power System Protection in Future Smart Grids: Achieving Reliable Operation with Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles, and Distributed Generation, Volume , 1 January 2023

This chapter advances UN SDG goals 7 and 9 as it enables resilience and protection for renewable energy-integrated grids and infrastructure.
Elsevier,

Non-Destructive Testing and Condition Monitoring Techniques in Wind Energy, Volume , 1 January 2023

This chapter supports UN SDGs 7 and 13 by reviewing condition monitoring technologies and current research challenges and opportunities, enabling improved performance and durability of wind turbines, and supporting energy transition of which wind power is a key component.
This chapter advances UN SDG goal 7 as it enables improved energy forecasting, which is a critical technology for distributed generation and renewable energy integration.
Elsevier,

Advanced Applications of Biobased Materials: Food, Biomedical, and Environmental Applications, Volume , 1 January 2023

This chapter aligns with Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation by discussing existing knowledge on different categories of biobased materials as biosorbents for wastewater treatment and giving future perspectives for the development of advanced biobased materials capable of overcoming drawbacks from the existing ones.
Elsevier,

Advances in Smart Nanomaterials and their Applications, Volume , 1 January 2023

This chapter aligns with Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation by discussing different strateties for the treatment of wastewater using a wide range of nanomaterials.
Elsevier,

Adsorption through Advanced Nanoscale Materials: Applications in Environmental Remediation, Volume , 1 January 2023

This chapter aligns with Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation by reviewing the most effective uses of carbon nanotubes for water treatment.

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