Cities for Sustainability Governance

Holistic sustainability through strategic use of SDGs

01/06/2023 31/12/2025

Ongoing

Cities are urged to set ambitious ecological goals for climate and biodiversity while managing social and economic sustainability. No European city has yet achieved the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), although they are a great fit for cities to develop their governance. There is an “action gap” between the ambitions set and what is being achieved. Cities for Sustainability Governance (CSG) will use the SDGs as a vehicle for implementing strategic urban governance and deliver on the promise of transforming our world, as set out in the UN 2030 Agenda.

LEAD PARTNER : Espoo - Finland

Braga - Portugal
Gabrovo - Bulgaria
Košice - Slovakia
Tallinn - Estonia
Valencia - Spain
Jablonec nad Nisou - Czech Republic
Agios Dimitrios - Greece
Mannheim - Germany

Timeline

2023

First transnational meeting on 15-16 November 2023 in Tallinn, Estonia.

Library

Lead Expert

Stina Heikkilä

9 Cities – 9 Stories: Cities for Sustainability Governance

Nine European cities pioneer Sustainability Governance to close the action gap towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

“Cities are as strong as their communities”. This was one of the main lessons drawn by Lead Partner coordinator Ville Taajamaa, responsible for 2030 Agenda work in the City of Espoo, after the first in-person meeting of the Cities for Sustainability Governance (CSG) network held in Tallinn, 15-16 November 2023. “After hours and hours of crunching expert urban sustainability talk, work and walk, the most important thing we had in our mind was our citizens. How cool is that!”, he concluded.

For 2.5 years, nine partner cities – Agios Dimitrios (Greece), Braga (Portugal), Espoo (Finland), Gabrovo (Bulgaria), Jablonec nad Nisou (Czech Republic), Kosice (Slovakia), Mannheim (Germany), Tallinn (Estonia) and València (Spain) – will join forces to discover and design how ‘sustainability governance’ can answer to the well needed renewal of commitment, trust, action and hope, to achieve the world we want by 2030.

Stina Heikkila
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