Keywords

City governance is vital for sustainable development goals and resource management and allocation as well as urban climate-related initiatives, as it is estimated that more people will reside in the urban areas in further years. As more people migrate to cities, the world steadily becomes more urbanised. The population of the cities accounts for 55% of the total population, and cities generate 85% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and emit 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. It is forecasted that by 2050, the total city population will be equal to 6.5 billion people. If the urban areas are going to be designed and managed as now, sustainable development will not be achieved. Additionally, due to the rising populations and migration, rapid urbanisation has resulted in a surge of populated cities, particularly in developing nations, and slums have become a critical issue of urban life. The challenges of global sustainability cannot be solved without a significant focus on urban sustainability. Furthermore, making cities sustainable requires the establishment of jobs and economic opportunities, as well as safe and affordable housing, resilient communities and strong economies (UNDP 2020; Vaidya and Chatterji 2020). Further to that, there is a high potential of collaboration and coordination across various industries at the city scale, as well as the vital potential for policymakers in governments to recognise the interconnections and the need for interoperability among the stakeholders responsible for planning and designing sustainable development plans (Radovic 2019).

Perceiving the importance of cities, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted in 2015 to make “sustainable cities and communities” another target within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Data obtained from 911 cities in 114 countries in 2020 shows that spatial urbanisation has been substantially quicker than population increase throughout the 1990–2019 period, and smaller cities are urbanising faster than larger cities (United Nations, 2021). In particular, from 2000 to 2018, the percentage of people living in slums fell from 39.66% to 29.25% among the global urban population. However, this percentile decrease is equivalent to an almost 80 million people increase (The World Bank 2021). This fact is a sign of the need for taking precautions to avoid devastating results.

“Sustainable Cities and Communities”, which is within the “Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations as Goal 11”, aims to “ensure inclusive, safe, resilient, sustainable urban and human settlements” by removing slum-like situations, providing inexpensive transit solutions, decreasing urban sprawl, enhancing urban governance involvement, improving the protection of cultural assets, addressing urban resilience and climate change issues, improving urban management (pollution and waste management), ensuring access for all to secure public places and enhancing urban management through improved urban rules and regulations (Franco et al. 2020).

SDG-11 and prospective innovations and efficient solutions to enhance city policy coherence include several major sectoral interlinkages and urban synergies. Despite the worldwide progress to lead and drive all processes on sustainable development, there are still significant information gaps and difficulties that might stymie SDG-11 implementation. The New Urban Agenda of UN-Habitat presented by “The United Nations Human Settlements Programme” emphasises the importance of a concentrated emphasis at the city and neighbourhood levels. It also has direct, tangible benefits for people’s quality of life and the achievement of long-term developmental goals. To provide successful implementation and make concrete improvements in people’s daily lives, the global goals laid forth in SDG-11 must be integrated with local development agendas (Franco et al. 2020). As shown in Fig. 13.1, there are ten targets within the context of SDG-11.

Fig. 13.1
Diagram representing targets of Sustainable Development Goal-11. The targets are as follows: Safe and affordable housing; affordable and sustainable transport systems; inclusive and sustainable urbanization; protect the world's cultural and natural heritage; reduce the adverse effects of natural disasters; reduce the environmental impact of cities; and provide access to safe and inclusive green spaces.

SDG-11 targets. (United Nations, 2021)

Full size image

SDG-11 and the subject of sustainable urbanisation are important for most countries, given the high rates of urbanisation and the expected future share of the urban population (Koch and Krellenberg 2018). For instance, nearly three-quarters (320 million people) of the European Union’s (EU) population reside in urban regions such as cities, towns and suburbs. Europe’s urban population is predicted to rise to just over 80% by 2050. As a result, sustainable cities, towns and suburbs are vital for their residents’ well-being and quality of life (Eurostat 2021). Another critical fact that should be stated is, while occupying only 3% of the Earth’s territory, cities account for 60–80% of global energy consumption and 75% of global carbon emissions (United Nations 2021). Thus, the results of related regulations in the cities could impact the entire earth.

When creating sustainable smart cities that focus on SDG-11, several factors are to consider. The growth of information communication technologies (ICT) has significantly influenced the way people live their lives and how they arrange work, leisure and society. A variety of innovative products, services and business models have been facilitated by a drop-in computer capacity costs and size. Two significant developments could be stated for the worldwide growth of ICT and to make cities smart. The first is the transition from cables to wireless services, including telephones and the Internet. The second trend is related to the rising number of devices linked to the Internet and the change to the “Internet of Things” (Townsend, cited in Höjer and Wangel 2015). Furthermore, the impact of smart cities on sustainability cannot be underestimated. Renewable and green energy, energy efficiency, air quality, environment monitoring and water quality monitoring are all noteworthy research subjects in smart city planning (Ismagilova et al. 2019):

FormalPara Renewable Energy

Many key city entities, such as wireless sensor networks and water distribution, require power systems for basic operation. These have to be adapted into being optimised, intelligent and environmentally friendly in the smart city concept. This is possible with renewable energy and ICT systems. The main targets of smart cities are reducing energy usage, providing renewable energy and lessening the carbon footprint. All of this leads to the smart city energy concept (Aamir et al. 2014; Ismagilova et al. 2019).

FormalPara Energy Efficiency

The concept of energy efficiency enables maximum productivity with less energy consumption. Experts give several ideas to achieve this goal. For instance, a new technique that helps prevent energy efficiency anomalies in smart buildings was presented (Peña et al. 2016). The suggested method is built on a rule-based system that uses data mining tools and energy efficiency specialists’ expertise. This research has resulted in a series of rules that may be used as part of a decision support system to optimise power consumption and anomalies in intelligent buildings by monitoring device activation and minimising power consumption while considering varied user needs (Peña et al. 2016).

FormalPara Environmental Monitoring

Another important focus is environmental monitoring. For example, six different environmental factors are identified for “Smart City Mission” in India: landscape and geography, climate, atmospheric pollution, water resources, energy resources and urban green areas. These factors should always be observed and accessible through online platforms to achieve public participation for problem-solving. This was achieved in Pisa, Italy, where the system gathered, processed and disseminated data on air quality using a low-cost, distributed and efficient sensor network. Fixed and mobile sensor nodes were included in the system. Moreover, the data from the citizens were stored and later converted into indices such as Air Quality Index, Traffic Index, etc. All parties interested in obtaining regular updates on the city’s air quality can access this information (Bacco et al. 2017; Dwivedi et al. 2019).

FormalPara Air Quality

Air pollution is one of the most serious concerns for industrialised societies. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that pollution is the prominent reason for mortality among children under the age of 5. A case study in the context of air quality monitoring was implemented in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2. The research focused on near-real-time monitoring of fine-scale air pollution and connections to respiratory illnesses. The project’s purpose was to create a citywide continuous real-time air pollution surface and provide the data in the form of an interactive dynamic map and raw data stream. A grid of four dust mote devices and low-cost IoT air quality sensors were used to collect the data. All people and interested parties were given access to data on air quality in a variety of formats, including main forms, maps and tables. Its goal was to encourage individuals to check air quality information simply and understandably. Also, citizens could collect information about their exposure (Marek et al. 2017). Identifying the city’s most polluted and cleanest regions can help to enhance the environment and citizens’ quality of life. Illnesses such as cerebral stroke can be minimised by reducing air pollution (Zaree and Honarvar 2018).

FormalPara Water Quality Monitoring

Managing the quality of water and providing safe drinking water are challenging in crowded cities. Nowadays, cities confront difficulties such as ageing water infrastructure, high maintenance costs, new contaminants and increased water use as a result of the rising population. Therefore, an effective water management system is needed by sustainable cities (Hrudey et al. 2011; Hou et al. 2013; Polenghi-Gross et al. 2014). In particular, a study has been released that improved ICT may enhance drinking water quality throughout the world. In the study, wireless communication, data processing, storage and redistribution have been suggested for Bristol’s quality monitoring system. Data collection, transfer, storage and visualisation are parts of the system which is based on cloud computing (Chen and Han 2018).

Cities will have to reconsider their systems and their environmental consequences as more people migrate into urban areas and environmental concerns become more urgent. Many cities across the world have already started to embrace more environmentally friendly practices (mostly in America and Europe), and certain patterns are emerging (Martin et al. 2018). Sustainable cities will build on these foundations, going beyond today’s environmental standards. Cities have vital roles in sustainable development and are thus critical for both regional and global destinies. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution for creating a sustainable city due to the climate, geography and law differences. Long-term planning is required for the most drastic changes aimed at creating a sustainable city, and future studies can lead to further discussions and decision-making processes. Future studies should focus on improving one’s understanding of future opportunities for adapting to or avoiding future influences and consequences (Phdungsilp 2011).

Along with the developing sustainability industry, thanks to increasing investment ratios from companies around the world, many new business areas are emerging and will continue to emerge in the future. Investing in SDG-11 can bring many benefits to the company. Companies may benefit from a better brand image, a greater staff retention rate and increased financial performance by investing in the sustainability of their communities. They will be able to keep up with changing laws and avoid penalties under their state’s environmental legislation (Valuer | SDG 11 Forecast, p. 32).

Let’s assume the appropriate policies are put in place. In that case, 24 million new jobs will be created by adopting sustainable energy practices and shifting to a greener economy, such as increasing electric vehicles usage and energy efficiency in existing and future buildings (International Labor Organization 2011). For instance, South Korea will invest USD 61 billion to raise renewable energy capacity from 12.7 GW to 42.7 GW by 2025 and increase its green mobility fleet to 1.33 million electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. The plan will efficiently renovate public rental housing and schools to become more energy-efficient and transform urban areas into smart green cities (European Commission 2019). Moreover, the global electric vehicle market is estimated to reach 34,756 thousand units by 2030, up from an estimated 4093 thousand units in 2021 (Research and Markets 2021). Furthermore, a united effort to improve communities’ sustainability will require investments in various sectors such as transport, waste management and construction (Valuer | SDG 11 Forecast, p. 32). Two sectors, which are indispensable for sustainable cities, will continue their development in the future; by 2023, the smart transportation industry will be worth $149.2 billion (MarketsandMarkets 2020a, b), while the worldwide waste management market will be worth $530 billion in 2025 (Waste management market value worldwide 2027 2020).

The built environment is one of the major causes of environmental degradation. Excessive energy and resource consumption are caused by the embodied energy of the built environment during construction and the energy needs of structures during use (Wieser et al. 2019). The construction industry will be the most demanded market in the future. For instance, the global construction industry will be worth $15 trillion by 2025 (Deloitte-Marketing & Brand Department 2021). Meanwhile, the global modular construction market is expected to reach $157.19 billion by 2023, up from $106.15 billion in 2017, with a CAGR of 6.9% (MarketsandMarkets 2020a, b). Additionally, the global construction sustainable materials market is expected to be worth $523.7 billion by 2026 to provide a more environmentally friendly solution (BIS Research 2017). Well-managed cities will make efficient use of natural resources and technology, resulting in a beneficial and crucial impact on society, the environment and the economy (Revi and Rosenzweig 2013). By 2050, smart cities will have saved $22 trillion through initiatives such as public transit and energy-efficient buildings (Smart City Futures 2017). Mobility as a service (MaaS) solutions are expected to increase in popularity as technological infrastructure improves, and data becomes more accessible worldwide. The global MaaS market will grow from $38.76 billion to $358.35 billion by 2025 (The Insight Partners 2018).

13.1 Companies and Use Cases

Table 13.1 presents the business models of 50 companies and use cases that employ emerging technologies and create value in SDG-11. We should highlight that one use case can be related to more than one SDG and it can make use of multiple emerging technologies. In the left column, we present the company name, the origin country, related SDGs and emerging technologies that are included. The companies and use cases are listed alphabetically.1Footnote 1

Table 13.1 Companies and use cases in SDG-11
Full size table