Cities are at the same time contributing to and affected by global environmental change. Therefore cities play a crucial role to achieve the globally adopted UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moreover it is stated that the majority of the SDGs can only be reached if transformative action is taken at the local level. The complexity associated with urban sustainability transformations requires a systemic, holistic and integrated research approach

The working group aims to support implementation of the SDGs by a new coalition of urban research expertise of different institutions in the context of integrated urban research. At this, the working group will bring together the German research community and existing research approaches as well as discuss possible connections to accompanying communities.

The working group will focus on the following questions, structured by the three transformation fields of reconstruction of infrastructure, climate adaptation and CO2 compensation:

How can the SDGs be implemented in German and European cities and thus contribute to successful transformations of greater sustainability? What obstacles have to overcome on that way?
What is so far the role of science in this process, and what are possible constraints, but also the potential of transformative urban research?
What is so far the role of science in this process, and what are possible constraints, but also the potential of transformative urban research?

• Prof. Dr. Florian Koch (Projektleitung)

DKN Future Earth

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung UFZ, Leipzig (Projektleitung gemeinsam mit K. Krellenberg)

http://www.dkn-future-earth.org/en/community/working-groups/working-groups/urban-sustainability-transformations.html