Human settlements

City has always been the focal point in many discussions on sustainability for a long time

  • The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development tackles this challenge through its Sustainable Development Goal 11, which aims to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.
  • Both the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (Chapter II - Poverty Eradication, paragraph 11) and MDG 7, in its target 11, call for efforts to achieve "a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers", by 2020.
  • Sustainable human settlements development was also discussed by CSD at its second and third sessions. "Promoting sustainable human settlements development" is the subject of Chapter 7 of Agenda 21, which calls for:

  1. providing adequate shelter for all; 
  2. improving human settlements management; 
  3. promoting sustainable land-use planning and management; 
  4. promoting the integrated provision of environmental infrastructure: water, sanitation, drainage and solid waste management;
  5. promoting sustainable energy and transport systems in human settlements; 
  6. promoting human settlements planning and management in disaster-prone areas; 
  7. promoting sustainable construction industry activities; and 
  8. promoting human resource development and capacity-building for human settlements development.


Click https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/sustainablecities link to open resource.