Identifying interlinkages between urbanization and Sustainable Development Goals

Urbanization and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are important global issues in the current “Anthropocene”. Climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated global urban problems and hindered the ability to meet SDGs on time, while the broad interlinkages between urbanization and the SDGs remain poorly understood. This study shows that among the interlinkages of urbanization with 17 SDGs, synergies are observed with 151 targets (89%), among which 67 (40%) have stronger synergies, and trade-offs are observed with 66 targets (39%), among which 31 (18%) have stronger trade-offs. Furthermore, the synergies and trade-offs between urbanization and the achievement of SDGs are specifically analyzed based on four fundamental interaction fields: (a) public health and social welfare equality; (b) energy consumption and economic growth; (c) natural resource use and ecological/environmental impacts; and (d) international cooperation for development. Finally, based on these analyses, we propose four recommendations for sustainable urbanization, including (a) shared well-being and spatial justice for urban and rural residents; (b) guiding green and low-carbon urban development; (c) building resilient cities; and (d) promoting multilateral cooperation in cities, which can contribute to the achievement of SDGs by 2030.