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Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

The coherence between city and country must be ensured and urban sustainability must be achieved through inclusive urban planning. Cities' environmental impact must be reduced, and housing must be safe, healthy and affordable, as must transport systems. The world's cultural and natural heritage must be protected and residences must be resistant to disasters.

In Greenland, there is no private ownership of land. This means that one cannot buy oneself a piece of land or area, and that everyone thus, as a basic principle, in principle has equal rights to the land. The Greenlandic planning system is built around the protection of nature, integrity between national sector plans and municipal planning, good framework for business development, coherence between the physical and economic planning and involvement of the local population.

Over the past 100 years, projections in urban development on a global scale have gone in one direction. Demographically, urbanization is prevalent, and the population is increasingly moving towards the larger cities. This is happening at tremendous speed and to an extent that many cities can hardly keep up with. In Greenland, the same trend is being experienced, although the population is considerably lower. And at the same time, we see a net emigration from Greenland, where the population moves to larger cities in Denmark and other countries.

If we want to create a balanced development of our homes and reverse the demographic development, efforts in sustainable, physical urban planning are important. Urban planning is therefore an important tool for creating an attractive physical environment for the citizens of the country and is directly linked to all 17 global goals.

The world’s population is constantly increasing. To accommodate everyone, we need to build modern, sustainable cities. For all of us to survive and prosper, we need new, intelligent urban planning that creates safe, affordable and resilient cities with green and culturally inspiring living conditions.

Statistics

Here are a few indicators for this goal that it is possible to measure today. In the near future, Statistics Greenland will publish an SDG 2030 subpage for stat.gl with various available statistics relevant to the work on the SDG 2030 agenda.

Participants in the 2018 population surbey who lived in overcrowded homes
Source: SIF (2019) Befolkningsundersøgelsen i Grønland 2018. Levevilkår, livsstil og helbred

  1. All (13 %)
  2. Nuuk (4,2 %)
  3. Other cities (11 %)
  4. Settlement (27 %)
13 % 4,2 % 11 % 27 %

Statens Institut for Folkesundhed

Waste treatment in Greenland 2018
Source: Nordic Statistics (table WASTE01)

  1. Landfill (13 %)
  2. Waste incineration (87 %)
13 % 87 %

Global indicator (11.6.1) Proportion of urban solid waste regularly collected and with adequate final discharge out of total urban solid waste generated, by cities

News

Every day, people are taking action to make sure this Global Goals is met. See what’s been going on below.

Citizens involvement in municipality planning

Avannaata Kommunia has decided that the UN's global goals for sustainable development must be the basis for the forthcoming municipal plan and uses the world goals to involve citizens…

Read more

Mapping of Nordic municipalities and the SDG 2030 agenda

Nordic report on Nordic municipalities' work with world goals.

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Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq prepares "Global Goals Strategy for Sustainable Development"

New global goals strategy is based on the SDG 2030 agenda and helps to ensure coherence in efforts across the municipality's administrations.

Read more

The targets

Everyone can help to make sure that we meet the Global Goals. Use these ten targets to create action to make cities and communities sustainable.

11.1
Target 11.1
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Target 11.1 – Safe and Affordable Housing

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By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.

11.2
Target 11.2
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Target 11.2 – Affordable and Sustainable Transport Systems

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By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.

11.3
Target 11.3
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Target 11.3 – Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanization

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By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.

11.4
Target 11.4
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Target 11.4 – Protect the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage

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Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

11.5
Target 11.5
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Target 11.5 – Reduce the Adverse Effects of Natural Disasters

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By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.

11.6
Target 11.6
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Target 11.6 – Reduce the Environmental Impact of Cities

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By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.

11.7
Target 11.7
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Target 11.7 – Provide Access to Safe and Inclusive Green and Public Spaces

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By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

11.a
Target 11.a
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Target 11.a – Strong National and Regional Development Planning

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Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.

11.b
Target 11.b
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Target 11.b – Implement Policies for Inclusion, Resource Efficiency and Disaster Risk Reduction

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By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels.

11.c
Target 11.c
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Target 11.c – Support Least Developed Countries in Sustainable and Resilient Building

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Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials.