The global planning community must move "from awareness to action" if the UN's goal of sustainable and inclusive urban development is to be achieved by 2030, authors of a new report have warned.
The report, from the University of Liverpool and built environment consultancy Arup, found widespread awareness among the global planning community of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11). But it shows development is uneven and more consistent action is needed.
'UN SDG 11 and the Global Planning Agenda' - draws on a global literature review, survey data from Arup's international planning network, interviews with planning professionals and institutes in 15 countries, and a panel discussion with the presidents of three planning institutes held at the Royal Town Planning Institute's (RTPI) Planning Conference, 2025.
It was jointly authored by researchers from the University of Liverpool's Department of Geography & Planning and Arup.
Its findings reveal that while SDG 11 is increasingly shaping urban planning practice around the world, its influence varies significantly across regions, sectors, and levels of government.
The full report is available to download here.
Key messages:
- The influence of SDG 11 on planning systems and practices is often implicit.
- However, cases of explicit application, and linking of the SDGs to spatial development and planning systems do exist, with developing countries more reliant on the SDGs to inform their planning policies.
- Capacity for data collection and monitoring is strong in many places but does not always translate into application on the ground.
- Engagement with the SDGs is driven by different motivations including concerns with image and reputation.
- Application can reflect a combination of top down and domestic bottom up and horizontal approaches.
Why this is important for planners:
The report concludes by summarising why these findings are important for planners.
- Planners and planning systems play a crucial role in achieving global sustainability goals and understanding these contributions can enhance planning effectiveness. Planners need to be given sufficient support and capacity to effectively implement global objectives and deliver sustainable planning on the ground.
- Highlighting how planning is helping to deliver positive change against global sustainability goals is particularly important and underlines its relevance and legitimacy.
- Whether it is being applied explicitly or implicitly, the global planning agenda is important as it provides planners with a framework and a narrative for global best practice sharing.
- Embedding the language of SDG 11 into planning systems provides an opportunity to resonate with younger generations and potentially attract them to the profession.
- Adopting an application perspective will help planners explore the performance of the ideas and policy goals articulated by the global agenda, as well as collecting indicators which seek to measure conformance with this agenda.
Dr Olivier Sykes, Senior Lecturer in European Spatial Planning at the University of Liverpool and co-author of the report, said: "UN SDG 11 should be shaping planning cultures worldwide, but our research shows it's doing so largely through implicit influence. If we're serious about achieving inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities by 2030, we must translate global awareness into local action. That means embedding the SDGs in education, policy frameworks, and everyday professional practice. Partnerships between universities and practitioners are key to gauging progress and addressing the gaps between aspiration and implementation."
Jane Healey Brown, Director at Arup Manchester and co-author of the report, said: "Our research has shown that UN SDG 11 provides planners with a valuable framework and a narrative for global best practice sharing. Explicit application is particularly important because it can provide a measurement, and politicians and society are increasingly looking for measurability. This helps demonstrate how planning is delivering positive change. Planners would benefit from a stronger toolkit which provides practical examples of how to integrate the goals and empowers them to deliver. Arup are proud to be working with the University of Liverpool and also the RTPI on this agenda, including a review of the RTPI's CPD module on sustainable planning."
UN SDGs
The UN SDGs are 17 global goals adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030.
UN SDG 11 aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by 2030 and is directly relevant to the work of planners and urban policymakers.
