Sustainable Development Goals

Drinking Water

Delivering Clean Water to the Many in Need

Examining the immense scale of the challenge in delivering clean drinking water to everyone in the world.

August 11, 2021 - Waterdrop

New Urban Agenda

Will Planners Lead the New Urban Agenda?

The United Nation’s New Urban Agenda has created a playbook for planning advocates. It opens possibilities for building inclusive, integrated urban planning in countries where planning has been top-down and limited in scope.

June 20, 2021 - Bruce Stiftel

Smart Transport Policies for Global Sustainable Development Goals

Transport policy reforms help achieve many Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty reduction; access to healthcare, education, employment, and clean water; gender equality; better settlements; energy conservation; and emission reductions.

September 8, 2018 - Partnership on Sustainable Low Carbon Transport

Governors Island

New York City Reports Progress on Sustainable Development Goals to the U.N.

New York is the first city in the world to report to the U.N. on SDGs in the arenas of clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, and land conservation.

July 17, 2018 - CityLab

Bike Amsterdam

U.N. Declares ‘World Bicycle Day’

International celebrations commence June 3.

April 20, 2018 - Bike Europe

United Nations Flags

Making the UN's Sustainable Development Goals Great Again

The United Nations' ambitious set of goals have proven unwieldy, with some commentators saying they represent "all things to all people." Reorganizing and prioritizing them could help.

September 8, 2017 - Pacific Standard

United Nations

Urban Planning Agencies and the UN's Sustainable Development Guidelines

A new report from France shows how to deploy urban planning agencies in the pursuit of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by 193 countries in 193 nations in 2015.

June 8, 2017 - Citiscope

Critiquing the UN's Sustainable Development Goals

Much to the chagrin of Americans of conservative political stripes, the United Nations has adopted a set sustainable development goals. According to a recent op-ed, however, the left also has reason to fault the UN's efforts.

August 10, 2015 - Jacobin

Arguing for City-Focused Sustainable Development Goals

Richard Florida joins the chorus calling for the United Nations to make “cities the centerpiece of its forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.”

April 17, 2014 - Atlantic Cities

Wanted: International Goals for Sustainable Urban Development

With the target dates for the Millennium Development Goals set for 2015, the United Nations has begun to create a new set "Sustainable Development Goals." Some are calling for the new goals to include an urban focus.

March 4, 2014 - The Nature of Cities

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Websites

The best of the Internet—since 2002.

Top Apps

Planning apps for a brave new world.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.