Higher Education and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

In this chapter, the authors present an argument and illustrations for how transdisciplinary research and education in close collaboration between universities and non-academic partners in municipalities can contribute to building transformative capacities in cities to tackle grand societal challenges such as climate change. Governing transformative change requires new types of capacities and capabilities of the public sector such as new organizational structures, competencies, and administrative rules and processes. Current urban governance structures often are not adequate to deal with the type of challenges urban sustainability transitions pose: the systemic nature of the problems, the absence of clearly defined solutions in combination with a high level of uncertainty about goals and pathways to reach them, the long-time-perspective and complexity of change processes which need to involve a broad range of actors and stakeholders, or the need to work across different sectors and policy fields. Boundary-crossing research and education activities between universities and the public sector can simultaneously enhance our understanding of new governance strategies for transformative change and our joint capacity to implement them. In this chapter, the authors draw on examples of such collaborations which are dealing with key elements of urban transformative capacities such as a better understanding of systemic dimensions of change, a shift to experimental governance approaches, and at the same time systemic integration of experiments and initiatives, the development of processes for reflexive monitoring and learning, or the need to integrate policy areas such as climate and social policy.

CityStudio is an adaptable, plug and play model that helps global cities create a permanent partnership with local higher education institutions (HEIs) for collaboration, projects, and mutual benefit. Since launching, CityStudio has seen well over 906 city staff working with 16,861 students on 3,578 projects, contributing well over 300,000 student hours to local civic priorities in three countries. CityStudio assists cities to identify and distribute priority needs to local HEI’s universities, providing increased capacity for cities and work-integrated learning opportunities for students on real-world projects in areas such as sustainability, equity, livability, and social justice. While projects directly support local strategic planning goals, they also align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). The dream of CityStudio is that students take a seat at the table of civic power, joining and helping the city with their needs and challenges for a better planet. But we find ourselves asking, will tomorrow be worse? Worse for democracy, worse for the environment, and worse for equity and choice? In our unique facilitator and translator position between large public institutions, across a growing network, we explore daily how to meet this moment meaningfully.

The African continent is confronted with multiple sustainability concerns that endanger the natural environment and the socio-economic well-being of its people, particularly in rapidly growing cities. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are recognized as crucial agents for enhancing the continent’s sustainable development initiatives. The mobilization of African HEIs’ resources, researchers, and graduates can assist in striving to meet the priorities for sustainable urban environments laid out in Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11), however, this requires shifts away from traditional academic practices in persistently challenging institutional and urban contexts. In this chapter, the authors focus on the Urban Futures Centre (UFC) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) in South Africa in order to highlight the potential utility of alternative forms of scholarship and theory building in African HEIs. Foundational to the Centre’s work is a concern for the quality of life of the real people who live in cities, and their futures. To this end, a small multidisciplinary staff and post-graduate students undertake projects addressing, for example, harm reduction for homeless drug users; place-making and belonging in marginalized communities; and localized responses to severe urban flooding. These projects typically utilize collaborative, interdisciplinary, and applied approaches. The authors draw on a range of projects undertaken by the Centre in the last five years, encompassing numerous urban realities, varying goals, methodologies, and stakeholder engagement. These projects show how scholarship underpinned by principles of social and environmental justice and the prioritization of shared knowledge production is central to advancing the responsiveness of HEIs to the goals of SDG11 in African cities and beyond.

Universities can play an important role in decarbonizing cities and tackling inequalities in urban settings. Both challenges are particularly critical in Latin America and the Caribbean where demographic transition toward urban areas and the persistent inequalities have increased the ecological footprint of human activities and the economy in general. In this chapter, we will discuss how universities can contribute in a multifaceted manner to the achievement of SDG11, its specific targets, and explore the synergies between SDG11 and other important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the Latin American and the Caribbean Region. The chapter presents the experience of the Center of the Sustainable Development Goals for Latin America and the Caribbean (CODS) in monitoring the progress in the achievement of the SDGs in the region. In addition, the trajectory of the Universidad de los Andes in Colombia is used to illustrate the challenges and the possibilities for a higher education institution in contributing to moving toward a more sustainable urban setting. These strategies include not only education and research, but also how it has intervened in the immediate neighborhood of the campus, the close ties with the city administration over decades, and close interactions with the private sector at the local and national levels.

To achieve their climate goals for net zero emissions and long-term resilience, most cities will need to radically transform their core urban systems of transportation, energy, waste, buildings, and stormwater management, among others. Multiple billions of dollars will have to be invested by the public and private sectors, and governance structures for planning, regulation, and decision-making will need to be restructured to rapidly adapt to changing climate demands. Higher education institutions can play a unique role in informing, facilitating, and accelerating this transformation. Their research knowledge can inform investments and regulatory decision-making; their students can provide the critical skills needed by private and public stakeholders to support implementation; their campuses can act as “living labs” to test out innovative climate solutions; and their political influence can help inform and advance needed public policy changes. The Boston Green Ribbon Commission (GRC) is a CEO network whose mission is to accelerate the implementation of the City’s Climate Action Plan by convening, organizing, and enabling leaders from Boston’s key sectors, including higher education. Boston and its metro surroundings have one of the highest concentrations of higher education institutions in the world. There are over 64 colleges and universities in Boston and neighboring Cambridge alone, many of which are members of the GRC’s Higher Education Working Group (HEWG). This chapter will share the lessons learned from the GRC and the HEWG on how higher education institutions can help convene key stakeholders to accelerate the urban transformation needed to achieve ambitious climate goals.

City–university partnerships (CUPs) are emerging as dynamic collaborations addressing urban challenges in various cities. This chapter delves into the transformative dynamics of the CUP in Valencia, particularly within the framework of the European Union (EU) Cities Mission. Valencia, a recognized leader, achieved the EU Mission Label in 2023, showcasing the success of its collaboration with the Polytechnic University of València (UPV). The Valencian CUP functions as a multi-faceted entity, serving as a knowledge powerhouse, an innovation catalyst in urban policies, and a vital educational space. The exploration unfolds various dimensions of the CUP’s impact, emphasizing its contributions to the city’s development model, innovation in urban policies, and transdisciplinary education. Examining collaborations and transformations leading to CUP creation and effective functioning through the multi-level perspective (MLP) framework illuminates a complexity of the CUP in Valencia. It also highlights the catalytic role of the EU Cities Mission in shaping CUP creation. In conclusion, the CUP in Valencia stands as a beacon of inspiration and a blueprint for global urban centers navigating the path toward climate neutrality. This chapter contributes valuable insights to the broader discourse on the transformative potential of CUPs, acknowledging the narrative as ongoing and calling for further research to uncover their full potential in shaping resilient and sustainable urban landscapes.

With the overarching need for deep urban transformations worldwide, national platforms for cities have been emerging over the past few years in several European countries as a useful framework to support and unify the work that cities have been doing individually. In particular, Sweden and Spain have been two of the first countries where a National Cities Mission Platform has emerged, namely Viable Cities and citiES 2030. This chapter explores the emergence of these convening and intermediary vehicles, the key enablers that allowed its formation, and the rationale that consolidates it. It also delves into the distinctive value proposition of these platforms and their role in reinforcing multi-level and multi-stakeholder collaborations, facing silos in a national context, promoting cross-city stable interactions, aligning national and European initiatives toward the Cities Mission, and co-creating and consolidating the “next practices” of climate urban transitions.