Future Urban Sustainability: Lessons Learnt from the SDGs and Perspectives for a Post-2030 Agenda

Kerstin Krellenberg and Julia Wesely edited a Special Issue in the Urban Planning Journal together with Florian Koch and Sarah Beyer from the University of Applied Sciences HTW Berlin. The Issue titled Future Urban Sustainability brings together diverse contributions to reflect on conceptual, methodological and practical barriers and advances in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and beyond. The articles of the Special Issue draw from research in cities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Germany and the Netherlands to make “three central contributions to highlighting the significance of cities and urban actors: First, by examining different global urban experiences, the articles explore how tensions, contradictions, and synergies of the SDGs unfold in urban contexts. Second, they shed light on the challenges and requirements urban actors encounter when translating the SDGs into local action. And third, they put forward ideas for overcoming existing barriers in shaping a post-2030 sustainable development agenda.” (Koch et al., 2025, p1) Across the Special Issue, authors share a common orientation towards adopting localized and justice-oriented approaches to urban development, calling for more coherent and relevant monitoring processes and emphasizing the need for genuine and long-term multi-stakeholder collaborations.

Many contributions of the Special Issue were developed based on discussions at the international workshop titled “The SDGs in Urban Areas”, which was organized by the editors and hosted by the Urban Sustainability Living Lab in July 2024. You can read more about the event here.

The collection of articles is available fully open access on the website of the Urban Planning Journal.

Koch, F., Beyer, S., Krellenberg, K., & Wesely, J. (Eds.) (2025). Future Urban Sustainability: Lessons Learnt from the SDGs and Perspectives for a Post-2030 Agenda. COGITATIO PRESS. Urban planning Vol. 10 https://doi.org/10.17645/up.i433

Articles:

Koch et al (2025): Future Urban Sustainability: Lessons Learnt From the SDGs and Perspectives for a Post‐2030 Agenda

Authors: Florian Koch, Sarah Beyer, Kerstin Krellenberg and Julia Wesely

Published: 12 November 2025

Abstract: Given the current challenges of global environmental change and other pressing issues, cities—along with other urban actors—must intensify and expand their efforts to operate within planetary boundaries and advance sustainability agendas. As we move toward the period beyond 2030, it will be crucial to establish and meet goals that reduce ecological impacts, advance social justice and inclusion, and avert further environmental degradation. The limitations of the existing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should serve as a basis for deepening structural and conceptual discussions on what a future framework might entail. Against this backdrop, we, as editors of the thematic issue, invited articles that make three central contributions to highlighting the significance of cities and urban actors: First, by examining different global urban experiences, the articles explore how tensions, contradictions, and synergies of the SDGs unfold in urban contexts. Second, they shed light on the challenges and requirements urban actors encounter when translating the SDGs into local action. And third, they put forward ideas for overcoming existing barriers in shaping a post‐2030 sustainable development agenda. This editorial categorizes some of the existing tensions in current SDG implementation and outlines ways to conceptualise a post‐2030 agenda from an urban perspective.

Link to full article

Hofmann et al (2025): “So Connected yet so Distant”: Integrated Sanitation Action in Campinas to Meet the SDGs

Authors: Pascale Hofmann, Lourenço Capriglione, Tathiana Chicarino and Elcires Pimenta

Published: 9 July 2025

Abstract: Research shows that improving sanitation brings wide‐ranging benefits across multiple sectors, contributing not only to the success of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6—focused on clean water and sanitation—but also to the broader objectives of the 2030 Agenda. However, many people living in Brazil’s urban areas still lack adequate sanitation and essential services, with these deficiencies being especially prevalent in informal settlements. This article is an output from a participatory research project that explored the links between sanitation and the SDGs, which focused on the municipality of Campinas in São Paulo state with an emphasis on informal settlements because they are disproportionately affected by service provision inadequacies. Findings highlight multiple synergies between sanitation action and the achievement of targets across SDGs, whereby residents are likely to experience wide‐ranging benefits from adequate sanitation. They further point to the need for multi‐sectoral, participatory, and context‐specific policies, plans, and interventions to overcome interconnected risks associated with inadequate sanitation. The authors advocate for a transdisciplinary approach to dealing with complex societal problems and conclude by presenting opportunities for integrated policies and action across key stakeholders. The article further offers valuable reflections and lessons learned for how we approach development and engage with complex challenges post‐2030.

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Partzsch (2025): Local Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Europe

Author: Lena Partzsch

Published: 28 August 2025

Abstract: While some scholars see the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an example of environmentally friendly development approaches that reconnect development with biospheric preconditions, others argue that they mask ongoing contestation. This article begins with a multi‐level governance perspective on the “green goals” of the 2030 Agenda and the importance of local action for their implementation. The focus is on Europe, where municipal sustainability governance was found to be concentrated and where the environment is most likely prioritized. Against this backdrop, I analyze which policy measures the European Union, nation states, regions, and municipalities in Europe name in the reviews submitted to the UN High‐Level Political Forum to achieve environmental targets. I show that although the environment is not a priority of SDG implementation at any policy level, municipalities are occasionally leading the way in environmental action both horizontally, with site‐specific measures, and vertically, with multi‐level measures.

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Busch et al (2025): Integrating the SDGs Into Urban Renewal Practices: Recommendations From Participatory SDG Monitoring in Stuttgart‐Münster

Authors: Sigrid Busch, Marlene Franck and Astrid Ley

Published: 26 August 2025

Abstract: Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) presents a unique opportunity for collective action across various spatial scales. At the local level, programs to revitalize vulnerable neighborhoods offer significant potential to contribute to the SDGs. In Germany, the “Soziale Stadt/Sozialer Zusammenhalt” (Social City/Social Cohesion) funding program supports municipalities in promoting sustainable development in these areas. However, there is currently no direct linkage between this funding program and the SDGs. This raises questions as to how the instruments of the Social City/Social Cohesion program could support the SDGs and their monitoring processes and vice versa and what adjustments could be recommended to enhance this relationship. The research presented in this article is based on a case study conducted in the urban renewal district of Stuttgart‐Münster, Germany. Students and scholars from the University of Stuttgart collaborated with municipal staff and civil society members to explore the funding program’s instruments and assess their potential for monitoring the SDGs. Based on the municipal indicator set developed with the assistance of SDG coordinators at the City of Stuttgart—Germany’s first city to pilot this indicator set in 2019—the transdisciplinary team adapted specific indicators to the neighborhood level. They also investigated the inclusion of qualitative indicators for assessing SDGs and tested a collaborative approach to gathering data for these localized indicators with input from residents. Based on the findings of this case study, this contribution reflects on recommendations for integrating the SDGs into the initial stages of urban renewal practices and related instruments.

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Beretta & Bracchi (2025): Is Climate‐Neutral the New Smart and Sustainable City? A Review Towards Urban Climate Neutrality

Authors: Ilaria Beretta and Caterina Bracchi

Published: 17 September 2025

Abstract: The role of cities in sustainable development has gained increasing importance since the adoption of the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21, culminating in SDG 11 of the 2015 UN 2030 Agenda. Among the challenges of urban sustainable development, climate change has been recognized as a central one, positioning cities as fundamental actors in mitigation and adaptation efforts. In parallel with discourse on sustainable cities, the concept of smart cities has been presented as a tool aimed at improving urban resilience through technology and data‐driven decision‐making. The article investigates whether climate neutrality is becoming the new imaginary of sustainable cities, by analysing the emergence, development, and future perspectives of the dominant sustainable and smart city imaginary in the governance of sustainable development, both at the international and European levels. We review the main scholarly literature and policy documents by tracing the evolution of ideas, practices, and policies that have shaped the modern concept of the sustainable city. We then examine how this concept has expanded to include concerns about climate change adaptation and mitigation through smartness, often overlooking the issue of social inclusion for the most vulnerable.

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Vergara-Perucich & Arias‐Loyola (2025): Contesting the Right to Sustainable Cities Under Neoliberalism: The Case of Macrocampamento Los Arenales, Chile

Authors: Francisco Vergara-Perucich and Martín Arias‐Loyola

Published: 28 August 2025

Abstract: This article examines the grassroots urbanism of Los Arenales, a large informal settlement in Antofagasta, Chile, within the theoretical framework of Henri Lefebvre’s right to the city and its application under neoliberal constraints. It critiques the limitations of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly their top‐down implementation and neoliberal tendencies, by juxtaposing them with community‐driven approaches rooted in spatial justice, participatory governance, and collective agency. Employing a mixed‐methods, embedded case study approach, the study draws on data collected between 2017 and 2023, including participatory mapping, 14 semi‐structured interviews, and engaged research initiatives. Two key projects—Chile’s first cooperative bakery in an informal settlement and the Know Your City initiative—serve as focal points for analysing grassroots strategies. Findings highlight how these initiatives foster economic autonomy, social solidarity, and political advocacy, advancing residents’ right to the city. However, challenges such as reliance on external support and systemic barriers underscore the limitations of grassroots efforts under neoliberal governance. The article concludes that Los Arenales exemplifies the transformative potential of grassroots urbanism, while advocating for structural reforms and inclusive policies to enable equitable urban development. It underscores the importance of integrating lived experiences into urban planning to achieve justice and sustainability within the Global South.

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Ferlicca (2025): National Urban Policies as Instruments for Global Urban Agendas Localization: Lessons From Argentina

Author: Francesca Ferlicca

Published: 12 November 2025

Abstract:

This article examines how national urban policies (NUPs) function as instruments for localising global frameworks, including the New Urban Agenda and SDGs. Using Argentina’s NUP development (2017–2019) as the primary case and Neuquén’s provincial implementation as a comparative example, this analysis reveals how international sustainability frameworks are translated across governance levels. The research employs stakeholder interviews and documentary analysis to examine policy formulation and implementation processes. Findings reveal significant challenges limiting NUP effectiveness: governance coordination difficulties, limited policy innovation despite international technical support, insufficient implementation mechanisms, and vulnerability to political transitions. These challenges were exacerbated by Argentina’s recent political shift under President Milei’s administration, characterized by state retrenchment and multilateral framework rejection. Argentina’s experience demonstrates that although global frameworks function as “coalition magnets” during policy formulation, sustained implementation requires deeper institutional anchoring beyond international legitimacy alone. The contrast between national policy abandonment and Neuquén’s continued engagement illustrates how federal systems create institutional redundancy for policy resilience. The analysis contributes to policy localisation scholarship by revealing how institutional context, temporal dynamics, actor networks, and implementation mechanisms interact across governance scales. Despite limitations, NUPs remain valuable vehicles for SDGs localisation when developed with appropriate consideration of existing institutional arrangements and implementation pathways, offering lessons for post‐2030 sustainability agenda design in multilevel governance systems experiencing political volatility. The Argentine case particularly highlights how federal structures can enable subnational continuity even when national support disappears, suggesting the importance of multi‐scalar approaches to global framework implementation.

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Peters & Liedloff (2025): Rethinking Urban Sustainability Monitoring: Lessons Learnt From the SDG Indicators for Municipalities in Germany

Authors: Oliver Peters and Valeska Liedloff

Published: 10 November 2025

Abstract:

The translation of global sustainability agendas into urban strategies remains a challenge for local governments. Nevertheless, the increasing number of municipalities establishing municipal sustainability management systems and publishing sustainability reports indicates a growing commitment by cities and regions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also points to improvements in the way inputs, outputs, outcomes, and impacts are measured at the local level. This article draws on seven years of experience with the well‐established SDG Indicators for Municipalities in Germany to provide a critical examination of the development and application of sustainable urban development indicators. As significant methodological and data deficits persist, fundamental questions arise for future monitoring approaches—for instance, regarding the necessity of quantifying sustainability aspects and the suitability of the SDGs for local action and monitoring. In advance of a post‐2030 agenda, the utility of the existing SDG framework is increasingly being reassessed due to the existence of thematic gaps regarding sustainable urban development and normative trade‐offs, including those related to social cohesion, basic public services, and the growth paradigm. SDG indicators at the local level naturally reproduce these limitations, unlike adapted monitoring systems that are tailored to local requirements, such as spatial and temporal granularity. Based on theoretical indicator evaluation frameworks and insights from municipal practice, this article identifies seven criteria that should be considered and balanced for the local monitoring of a future sustainability agenda.

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