According to the UN’s 2013 World Economic and Social Survey, as many as 3 billion people will live in slums by 2050 if global development follows its current course. There is a broad consensus that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are expected to replace the Millennium Development Goals when they expire in 2015, must account for the urban transformations that are underway.
Shagun Mehrotra, an assistant professor at the New School who studies urban planning and climate change, says that problem-solving in cities requires an integrated, place-based approach that would not be possible if urban issues were “mainstreamed” across sectoral SDGs.
“I think issues of slums cannot be tackled through other goals because it’s not a sectoral problem,” he said. “It’s place-based and it’s a complex urban issue.” Read more.