SDG Target #11.a

SDG #11 is to “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”

Within SDG #11 are 10 targets, of which we here focus on Target 11.a:

Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning

Target 11.a has one indicator:

• Indicator 11.a.1: Number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space 

According to UN Habitat, a national urban policy is: 

A coherent set of decisions derived through a deliberate government-led process of coordinating and rallying various actors for a common vision and goal that will promote more transformative, productive, inclusive and resilient urban development for the long term

UN Habitat facilitates the Urban Policy Platform. This is a knowledge base to help countries develop best practices in crafting their national urban policies in pursuit of the aims of SDG #11.

Let’s consider the countries which have urban policies responding to the three clauses of this indicator. These are population dynamics, balanced territorial development, and fiscal space.

As of 2020, neither the US nor Canada have such policies, though but a handful of the rest of the Americas do. Likewise in Africa, all but a few have such national urban policies. All of Eurasia and Oceania seems to, except North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, North Korea, Russia and some microstates.