Good Urban Governance as a Global Aspiration: On the Potential and Limits of Sustainable Development Goal 11

Sustainable Development Goals - Law, Theory and Implementation (Duncan French and Louis Kotzé eds., Edward Elgar 2018, Forthcoming)

24 Pages Posted: 26 Mar 2018

See all articles by Helmut Aust

Helmut Aust

Free University of Berlin (FUB) - Department of Law

Anel du Plessis

North-West University

Date Written: 2018

Abstract

Goal 11 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) sets out to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable by 2030. Together with the New Urban Agenda adopted at the Habitat III conference in Quito in 2016, SDG 11 is the latest emanation of the thickening layer of international normative guidance on questions of sustainable development and urban governance. This chapter argues that Goal 11 of the SDGs is a clear expression of the urban turn, as it were, in global governance. The contribution contextualizes the setting in which SDG 11 is inserted as well as the aspirations of Goal 11. The chapter also unearths the inherent contradictions of SDG 11 since not all of its sub-goals will be attainable at the same time and without negatively impacting on some of the other SDGs. For instance, the notions of ‘safety’ and ‘inclusiveness’ might well conflict with each other. The chapter concludes with a critical view on some of the general implementation risks and challenges associated with SDG 11.

Keywords: Sustainable development goals, urban governance, global governance, cities, urban studies, law, sustainability, resilience, inclusiveness

JEL Classification: K33

Suggested Citation

Aust, Helmut and du Plessis, Anel, Good Urban Governance as a Global Aspiration: On the Potential and Limits of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (2018). Sustainable Development Goals - Law, Theory and Implementation (Duncan French and Louis Kotzé eds., Edward Elgar 2018, Forthcoming), Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3144259

Helmut Aust (Contact Author)

Free University of Berlin (FUB) - Department of Law ( email )

Boltzmannstr. 3
Berlin, 14195
Germany

Anel Du Plessis

North-West University ( email )

Private Bag X6001
Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Potchefstroom, Northwest 2520
South Africa

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