GOAL 11: SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES

More than half of the world's population now lives in cities. By 2050, this figure will rise to 6.5 billion, or two-thirds of the global population. If we do not significantly change how we build and manage our urban areas, we will not achieve sustainable development. Rapid urbanization in developing countries and increased rural-to-urban migration have led to a significant rise in the number of mega-cities. In 1990, there were 10 mega-cities with populations of 10 million or more. By 2014, this number had grown to 28 mega-cities, housing a total of 453 million people. Extreme poverty is often concentrated in urban areas; national and local governments are striving to accommodate the increasing populations in these areas. Making cities safe and sustainable means providing safe and accessible housing and transforming slums. It also means investing in public transportation, creating public green spaces, and improving urban planning and management to be both participatory and inclusive.