Sustainable Development Goals Hub
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Explore the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their relevance to architecture and the built environment. Use the sidebar to navigate or scroll through the goals.
Each section provides summaries, UN targets, architectural strategies, and further resources where available.
Quick Explore: The 17 SDGs
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The Sustainable Development Goals provide a framework for addressing global challenges through architectural design. Click an icon above to see a brief overview.
Go to full details for SDGSDG 1: No Poverty
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Overview
End poverty in all its forms everywhere. In the context of architecture, this involves creating affordable housing solutions, designing inclusive public spaces, and planning infrastructure that enables economic opportunities.
- 1.1: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere
- 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of people living in poverty
- 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services
- Design affordable housing that reduces construction and operating costs while maintaining quality
- Create mixed-income developments to prevent segregation based on economic status
- Implement passive design strategies to reduce energy costs for occupants
SDG 2: Zero Hunger
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
Overview
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. Architects can contribute through urban farming facilities, community gardens, and designing food production and distribution systems.
- 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people to safe, nutritious and sufficient food
- 2.3: By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers
- 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices
- Design community gardens and urban agriculture facilities in building designs
- Create markets and food distribution infrastructure in underserved areas
- Design food-producing landscaping and edible architecture
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Overview
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. This includes designing buildings with proper ventilation, natural light, and green spaces that promote physical and mental health.
- 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases
- 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination
- Use biophilic design principles to connect occupants with nature
- Prioritize natural ventilation and indoor air quality in buildings
- Design active spaces that encourage movement and physical activity
SDG 4: Quality Education
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Overview
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Architectural contributions include designing accessible, safe, and inspiring learning environments that serve diverse communities.
- 4.1: By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education
- 4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
- Design flexible learning spaces that accommodate diverse teaching methods
- Create safe and accessible educational facilities for all users
- Implement design elements that stimulate learning and creativity
SDG 5: Gender Equality
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Overview
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. In architecture, this means creating safe public spaces, gender-inclusive facilities, and environments that support women's economic participation.
- 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
- 5.5: Ensure women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making
- Design public spaces with adequate lighting and visibility to ensure safety for women
- Create equitable facilities with consideration for gender-specific needs
- Design community spaces that facilitate women's economic participation
SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Overview
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Architectural strategies include water-saving building systems, rainwater harvesting, and sustainable urban drainage solutions.
- 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
- 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials
- Implement rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse systems
- Design water-efficient buildings with low-flow fixtures
- Create sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS)
SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Overview
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. This involves designing energy-efficient buildings, integrating renewable energy systems, and creating smart energy distribution networks.
- 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services
- 7.2: By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
- Integrate renewable energy systems into building design
- Optimize building orientation and envelope for energy efficiency
- Design district heating and cooling systems for greater efficiency
SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
Overview
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. Architects can contribute through flexible workspaces, local job-creating projects, and inclusive economic infrastructure.
- 8.4: Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation
- 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities
- Design flexible workspaces that support diverse economic activities
- Use local materials and labor to support regional economies
- Create multipurpose spaces that maximize economic return on investment
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
Overview
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. This includes designing durable, adaptable structures using sustainable materials and innovative construction technologies.
- 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure to support economic development and human well-being
- 9.4: By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency
- Design buildings using innovative construction technologies
- Create adaptable structures that can change with evolving needs
- Integrate smart building systems for improved efficiency and function
SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Overview
Reduce inequality within and among countries. Architectural approaches include equitable public space design, accessible housing for all income levels, and inclusive community facilities.
- 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
- 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices
- Design accessible buildings that accommodate users of all abilities
- Create inclusive public spaces that welcome diverse communities
- Design housing for multiple income levels within the same development
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Overview
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This is central to architecture through sustainable urban planning, resilient building design, and creating healthy, accessible urban environments.
- 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
- 11.3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning
- 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities
- Implement sustainable urban design principles for entire communities
- Design resilient buildings that can withstand climate events
- Create walkable neighborhoods with mixed-use development
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Overview
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. For architecture, this means using sustainable materials, designing for minimal waste, and creating circular building lifecycles.
- 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources
- 12.5: By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
- Design buildings with reused or recycled materials
- Plan for building disassembly and material reuse at end of life
- Reduce construction waste through precise design and prefabrication
SDG 13: Climate Action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Overview
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Architectural responses include designing low-carbon buildings, climate-adaptive structures, and sustainable urban environments that mitigate climate impacts.
- 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
- 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
- Design buildings that minimize carbon emissions across their lifecycle
- Create structures that can adapt to changing climate conditions
- Implement green infrastructure to reduce urban heat island effect
SDG 14: Life Below Water
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Overview
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. This includes designing coastal infrastructure that protects marine ecosystems and buildings that reduce water pollution.
- 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds
- 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts
- Design coastal buildings to minimize impact on marine ecosystems
- Create infrastructure that prevents runoff pollution into waterways
- Develop floating architecture that respects marine environments
SDG 15: Life on Land
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Overview
Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Architectural approaches include biodiversity-supporting design, sustainable land use, and integration of natural ecosystems into built environments.
- 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems
- 15.2: By 2020, promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests
- Design green roofs and walls to support biodiversity
- Integrate existing ecosystems into building sites with minimal disruption
- Use sustainable forestry products in construction
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Overview
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. In architectural terms, this means creating safe community spaces, designing for social cohesion, and supporting transparent institutions.
- 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
- 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
- Design community spaces that facilitate dialogue and cooperation
- Create safe environments through crime prevention through environmental design
- Design transparent and accessible government and institutional buildings
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Overview
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. Architects can contribute through international knowledge sharing and collaborative design approaches.
- 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships
- 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships
- Participate in international design collaborations and knowledge sharing
- Implement globally successful sustainable building strategies locally
- Design demonstration projects that promote sustainability partnerships