Abstract
Given the potential of cities to contribute to a more sustainable world as framed by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN 2030 Development Agenda, this article focuses on Urban Sustainability Transformations. We take a closer look at the potentials, contradictions and challenges that SDG implementation in cities involves in light of the current Covid-19 pandemic. We argue that SDG implementation needs to consider these global challenges in order to pursue its transformative approach. As a starting point we take SDG 11 and its subtargets to achieve resilient cities and communities, with a focus on German cities. The article will thus contribute to the discussion on the constraints associated with implementing SDGs in cities, given the multiple challenges and actors involved, and the complexity this implies for Urban Sustainability Transformations.
Highlights
The Urban Dimension of Transformations to SustainabilityOngoing debates on sustainability highlight the need for far-reaching radical processes of change, since piecemeal changes of current modes of development seem to lack the wherewithal to achieve a more sustainable world (Brand, 2016)
We argue that support for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in cities calls for a stronger focus on specific urban characteristics, processes, and targets in the context of shifting towards sustainability
Having shown that global challenges like Covid-19 seem, at first sight, to question SDGs with reference to resilience as one of three key Urban Sustainability Transformations dimensions, we argue for fundamental changes that are robust and guarantee the resilience of cities in the long run
Summary
Ongoing debates on sustainability highlight the need for far-reaching radical processes of change, since piecemeal changes of current modes of development seem to lack the wherewithal to achieve a more sustainable world (Brand, 2016). Khavarian-Garmsir, 2020; Venter, Barton, Gundersen, Figari, & Nowell, 2020) and why cities are a catalyst for the rapid spread of diseases such as Covid-19 (Neiderud, 2015), the impact of Covid-19 on the urban implementation of SDGs remains fuzzy This is reflected, for example, in the UNESCO argumentation that the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cities raises fundamental questions about sustainable urban development, and indicates the need to rethink development strategies towards more resource efficiency, quality of life and resilience (UNESCO, 2020). We argue that from a sustainability perspective further issues need to be considered: Resilience is taken up in SDG 13 ‘Climate action,’ with resilience understood as the target of strengthening a system against turbulences and creating functions and structures that are less vulnerable in times of crisis (Revi et al, 2014) This relates to the conviction that sustainable development can only be achieved with effective climate action, such as mitigation and adaptation.
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