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Exploring urban transformation to inform the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for rapid transformation towards a more sustainable society, particularly for cities and urban areas. There is a wide spectrum of research which could inform the initiation and management of this urban transformation, but these contributions are found in disparate disciplines and academic fields. This study aims to synthesise the different elements of the ‘Urban Transformation’ (UT) literature into a format which can inform the implementation of the SDGs. Using a systematic qualitative review methodology, the study identified 5150 potentially relevant papers. An extensive screening process was conducted to form a review corpus of 323 studies, upon which an interpretative, iterative content analysis was applied. The analysis resulted in 15 ‘factors of urban transformation’ identified across the literature. These factors are a mix of mechanisms and enablers which are all identified in the literature as critical for urban transformation to occur or continue. By providing a link between the rich urban transformation literature and SDG implementation, the results of this review could be used to explore the transformative potential of current approaches to SDG implementation, or as an initial tool to design new and more transformative pathways to achieve the SDGs in cities.

Original languageEnglish
Article number103928
Number of pages12
JournalCities
Volume131
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2022

Keywords

  • SDGs
  • Sustainable Development Goals
  • Sustainable Urban Development
  • Sustainable urban transformation
  • Urban transformation
  • Urban transitions

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