SDG 11 — Sustainable Cities and Communities
The UN goal to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities & CommunitiesWhat is it?
SDG 11 is the eleventh UN Sustainable Development Goal: make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable by 2030. Target 11.1 specifically calls for access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing for all.
Why does it matter?
It provides a shared global framework linking housing, homelessness, and community wellbeing to measurable targets, directing policy attention and investment toward inclusive and affordable settlements.
How does it work?
The goal is tracked through indicators such as the proportion of people living in inadequate housing or informal settlements, letting countries report progress and identify where housing gaps are widening.
Who benefits?
People lacking adequate or affordable housing benefit from the accountability the goal creates, as do planners and governments coordinating toward common targets.
Who may be disadvantaged?
Aggregate targets can obscure local inequality; national averages can improve while the most marginalized — including people experiencing homelessness — are left behind if data is not disaggregated.
What evidence exists?
UN progress reporting consistently shows the world off track on affordable housing and that the number of people in inadequate housing remains high, underscoring the scale of the challenge.
What tradeoffs exist?
A single global goal aligns effort across nations but can oversimplify very different local housing realities, from unsheltered homelessness to informal settlements.
Common misconceptions
A misconception is that SDG 11 is only about large cities; it addresses all human settlements, including smaller and rural communities.
What you can do next
See how the West Coast homelessness crisis maps onto Target 11.1, and how SDG 1 on poverty connects to housing insecurity.