South Africa's integrated urban development framework and sustainable development goal 11: policy mismatch or success?

Abstract

This paper critically questions the extent to which the Integrated Urban Development Framework, 2016 (IUDF) provides for strategic goals and policy levers towards the pursuit of sustainable cities in South Africa as understood in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11. Specific emphasis will be placed on the nine identified policy levers2 in the IUDF and whether these correspond with what is identified in SDG 11 as essential for the pursuit and maintenance of sustainable cities. SDG 11 has been heralded as “path-breaking" as it represents the strongest recognition to date of the significant role of cities in promoting sustainability on local, national, and global scales. The goal forms part of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development3 adopted in 2015. SDG 11 specifically seeks to ensure that cities and human settlements become inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The goal provides a broad framework for what the achievement sustainable cities entails and lists specific targets to be met by 2030 to ensure urban sustainability around the globe. The South African government recently developed its first policy underscoring the country's national urban agenda. Informed by SDG 11, the IUDF calls for the effective and improved management of urban spaces and recognises the need for South African cities to become “liveable, safe, resource-efficient cities that are socially integrated, economically inclusive and globally competitive".