USA: Index Assesses Cities’ Progress On SDGs
US cities still have a long way to go towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the first-ever US Cities SDG Index, which ranks the 100 most populous metropolitan areas in the US based on their performance on the SDGs. Because 62.7% of the US population live in urban areas, the Index aims to provide a framework for action to help address sustainable development challenges faced by cities.
The Index, titled ‘US Cities SDG Index 2017: Achieving a Sustainable Urban America,’ illustrates how US cities and regions are performing on specific goals, with results presented in regional dashboards to facilitate comparisons among cities. The Index aims to stimulate local level action and act as a tool for benchmarking progress on sustainable development. The Index further aims to help city administrators and planners analyze progress and prioritize policy and investment areas, and serve as an advocacy tool to motivate the federal government to track sustainable development in cities.
Achieving a Sustainable Urban America: SDSN’s first U.S. Cities SDG Index
The US is the world’s richest large economy, with the world’s leading technologies and institutions of higher learning. Yet, the US is falling behind other countries on a range of indicators relating to quality-of-life, economic opportunity, and environmental management.
Nowhere is this problem more apparent than in American cities, which are home to 62.7 percent of the domestic population. This U.S. Cities SDG Index aims to set a framework for action and help urban leaders address the many sustainable development challenges affecting their cities.
The Index covers the 100 most populous cities (measured as Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs). It synthesizes data available today across 49 indicators spanning 16 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were agreed upon by all countries in September 2015. The data provides a more holistic and comprehensive assessment of sustainable development challenges faced by U.S. cities than available through other metrics. Results show that all U.S. cities, even those at the top of the Index, have far to go to achieve the SDGs.