Did you know? In 2015 the UN set 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which member states aim to achieve by 2030. One of these goals is creating sustainable cities, and Dr Lilla Judit Bartuszek, founder of Sustainable Cities, talked about its questions and challenges on the Zöld Kör programme.
We live, work, have fun and travel in a city – whatever we do, we do it in a town or city. The Sustainable Cities initiative, run by the Sustainable Communities Foundation, aims to collect and share knowledge on urban sustainability and to promote the sharing of good practice.
The current pace of urban growth is unprecedented. Rapid urbanisation brings enormous challenges, including rising air pollution, inadequate basic services and infrastructure, and unplanned urban sprawl, which make cities even more vulnerable to potential disasters.
One of the first steps towards implementing the 2030 framework is to ensure that local governments have the right environment and resources to take real action.
Localising the Sustainable Development Goals involves both examining how local governments can support the 2030 Agenda through bottom-up action and how the SDGs can provide a framework for local development policy. On our website, anyone interested in urban sustainability can find both lighter, overview content and scientific content.
The pursuit of sustainability in individual cities falls within the remit of local governments, but in practice a lack of information, cumbersome grant applications and many other obstacles hold back the development of towns and cities.
When will we achieve the Sustainable Development Goals? What can city residents do for sustainability? How much responsibility does the individual have? What makes a city sustainable? Where will the money for development come from? What are city leaders doing for sustainability? What training opportunities do city leaders have?
In our conversation we also explored very important questions about air quality. Listen to the full episode and dive into the world of sustainable cities!
Source: Fenntartható Városok (Sustainable Cities)
