Building Better Communities


For our school course, SDGs and you (Sustainable Development Goals), we looked at the goals presented by the United Nations, which were made to build a better way for people to know how to make the world more sustainable. There are many goals that all affect sustainability, such as gender equality and quality education, but I chose SDG eleven, which is the goal focused on sustainable cities and communities. I chose this SDG because I wanted to focus on a broader topic of sustainability and focus on cities and neighborhoods in general.


Similar to a cone of ice cream on a summer day,
the climate is melting. Large companies are mistreating the environment
by dumping, deforesting, polluting, and destroying nature, and many other
events are taking place that contribute to climate change. A solution to this is creating sustainable cities,
neighborhoods, and communities. In order to do that, we need to work together. People in the community
and organizations like One Tree Planted are doing things such as planting trees, raising awareness, and
building better businesses in order to step in a sustainable direction. There are also goals put in place
by the United Nation (UN), whose is working to help more effectively achieve sustainability by using goals.
These goals are called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and include topics such as gender equality
and quality education that are important issues that affect the world. The eleventh
SDG is targeted specifically towards sustainable cities and communities, which
means it is a goal focused on cities and neighborhoods taking steps to be more sustainable,
yet it is also a broad topic that includes both people and planet.

 Countries are doing things to combat climate change. One of these countries is, Singapore which has issues involving climate change since it is an island. It is threatened by floods and a warmer climate. People and government are taking action by addressing the importance of the issue. Officials wish to reclaim land in order to combat this issue and their prime minister suggests building land, according to SCMP (South China Morning Post).

 The eleventh SDG isn't just about the environment;, it also focuses on human needs as well. For example, a target made by the UN for the 11th SDG states:
̈By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces.̈
This target addresses the environment, as well as human needs, which is what sustainability
and the eleventh goal is about. Sustainability addresses topics such
as segregation, affordable housing, environment, and income.
Those issues affect cities, neighborhoods, and communities, and all tie in with sustainability,
as humans are part of the environment and improving their lives makes for a more sustainable world.

How can we make steps to achieve a sustainable community?
Ways we can do this are by turning vacant apartments into affordable ones for
more people to access, investing in clean energy, calling out polluters, improving transportation,
taking a stance against segregation, and supporting sustainable businesses.
Many cities such as San Francisco and Singapore are moving towards sustainability
by taking action and doing things like developing a Sustainable Development Blueprint
(which is a blueprint for designing sustainable cities, supported by The Sustainability Blueprint)
which focuses on sustainability goals, and improving energy efficiency in buildings as well as improving transportation. Cities and communities should work to improve life for people, as well as address environmental concerns like pollution and air quality. Those are things communities can work
on to make a more sustainable world. Individuals can make an impact too,
by being sustainable at home and in their neighborhood.
There are many ways to do this, including cutting down your water usage,
driving less, buying used items instead of new ones, joining movements and protests,
cleaning litter, and planting pollinator friendly plants, according to various websites,
such as State of the Planet.




Culture in Cities. By Lyd KC. 2019.
WORD BUBBLE. Lyd KC, 2019.
Sources cited:
Singapore´s Climate Change Dilemma: Elevate or Leave? Sim, Dewey. 25, Aug. 2019. 
Sustainable Development Goal 11. United Nations, 2019.
The 35 Easiest Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint. Cho, Renee. Dec 27, 2018. State of the Planet.


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