An online platform for city planners, local governmental officers and citizens to share information toward achieving SDGs

Abstract

A major change in society has been the growth and prevalence of cities, in particular extremely large cities of more than 10 million inhabitants. Cities are fantastic for pooling resources and creating hubs for industry, learning and creativity. However, they also consume huge amounts of resources and create massive waste and pollution problems. These problems are particularly difficult to deal with in the context of high density, high activity living. Tackling these issues is clearly a global issue, especially given that the number of people living in cities is only going to increase in the coming years. These issues are front-and-centre of the UN goals for sustainable development and a key feature of the Paris Climate Agreement. Associate Professor Shun Kawakubo of the Department of Architecture Hosei University, Japan, is helping transform these global aims into local initiatives. He and his team gather and process extensive data, both quantitative and qualitative, concerning these initiatives. They then collate these in accessible areas for all communities to use. Most importantly, they take their findings and bring them directly to different communities to help them develop their own plans and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).