2.2.2 Smart Sustainable Cities

Course subject(s) Module 2. Addressing sustainability challenges

11th SDG: Sustainable Cities and Communities
11th Sustainable Development Goal by United Nations

The 11th Sustainable Development Goal defined by the UN is to develop Sustainable Cities and Communities, which means “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.” They are committed to enabling opportunities for all through a design focused on inclusivity and maintaining sustainable economic growth. The focus also includes minimizing required inputs of energy, water, and food and drastically reducing waste, the output of heat, and air pollution – CO2, methane, and water pollution.

To accomplish this goal, Smart Sustainable Cities take advantage of digital technology’s potential, representing the latest stages in cities’ progression. According to the Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG) in the UNDESA, Smart Sustainable Cities are a major engine for pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The transformation of a city, in this view, is a continual process based on the collaboration and participation of many players, as well as the development of various human, technological, and institutional skills. Therefore, In a smart sustainable model, city planning address three dimensions: social, economic, and environmental.

Smart Sustainable Cities take advantage of digital technology’s potential to accomplish the goal of Sustainable Cities and Communities, and its development has impacted:

  • the design of public policies,
  • action planning in non-governmental organizations,
  • the modes of production of the industries,
  • the marketing strategies of companies,
  • the behavior and participation of citizens.
Creative Commons License
Smart and Sustainable Cities: New Ways of Digitalization & Governance by TU Delft OpenCourseWare is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://online-learning.tudelft.nl/courses/smart-and-sustainable-cities-new-ways-of-digitalization-and-governance/ /
Back to top