Dr.

Fernando ORTIZ-MOYA

This presentation examines how cities are implementing SDG 5 (Gender Equality) within the broader framework of the 2030 Agenda, highlighting both opportunities and limitations. Through examples from Tokyo, Los Angeles, and Barcelona, it explores how local policies can promote gender equity, while also questioning whether the SDG framework...

As the 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) draws near, the lack of measurable progress is cause for concern. However, qualitative advancements at the local level provide a hopeful perspective for continued development beyond 2030. Cities, in particular, are pivotal in driving the global...

A report issued by the UN-convened Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergy presents a number of recommendations urging governments to break down fragmentation and silos at national and international levels, to tackle the climate and sustainable development crises in tandem and achieve transformative change. The report is being launched before...

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a blueprint for achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability. However, at the midpoint of its implementation period (which runs from 2015 to 2030), progress has been insufficient due to crises such as climate-related disasters, the...

Ageing and depopulation threaten the survival of many of Japan’s small towns and villages. To address this challenge, the Japanese government is encouraging municipalities to adopt a pro-growth agenda to reverse decline. Launched in 2018, the “SDGs Future City” initiative supports local government’s revitalisation efforts through the implementation...

This presentation explores how cities can use Voluntary Local Reviews (VLRs) as strategic tools to guide sustainable urban revitalisation. Highlighting Kitakyushu’s green transition and the diverse approaches in Korean cities like Dangjin and Suwon, it shows how VLRs foster policy integration, stakeholder engagement, and long-term alignment with...

Four reports are being launched on 11 June by experts convened by the UN, showing how action to tackle climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals can be accelerated by addressing both crises together, notably in the key areas of policy frameworks; financial systems; knowledge and data; and cities. Under the umbrella title Seeking Synergy...

Although the suburbs of numerous cities worldwide are shrinking, research on how to address suburban decline remains scarce. This paper explores participatory mapping in shrinking suburbs as a tool to articulate knowledge co-creation between local officials and communities to inform planning decisions. The paper argues that participatory planning...

This is the final report of the city-to-city collaboration between EU cities (including one from the UK) and Japanese cities under the International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) Asia and Australasia. During 2021-2023, thirteen EU cities (including one UK city) from ten countries and ten Japanese cities participated in the project and...

• By 2050, more than half the population of most ASEAN Member States (AMS) will live in cities, and by 2035 the ASEAN region will have at least five mega-cities. • Cities are a laboratory of local and global challenges and solutions, and ASEAN cities are frequently frontrunners in developing sustainable (model) cities, with multiple good practices...