This article relates to Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities, one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Goal icon by the United Nations. Emberoot is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the UN.
SDG 11, the Global Goal on sustainable cities, looks different in Mumbai, Dubai, Singapore and Barcelona. The problems overlap (housing costs, traffic, polluted air, heat and floods), but the starting points and the tools differ. This article compares how several countries and cities are approaching SDG 11 around the world, using published figures, and notes where the evidence is thin.
The global picture
The UN SDG Report 2026 counts about 1.16 billion urban residents in slums or informal settlements in 2024. The UN’s Goal 11 page says more than 85% of them live in three regions: Central and Southern Asia (334 million), Eastern and South-Eastern Asia (362 million) and sub-Saharan Africa (265 million). Housing cost burdens differ just as sharply: across 124 countries, households spend 31% of income on housing on average, 43.5% in sub-Saharan Africa and 21.4% in Europe and Northern America, according to the SDG 11 indicator data.
Urban growth is also shifting. The UN’s World Urbanization Prospects 2025 counts 33 megacities, 19 of them in Asia, but finds that small and medium-sized cities are home to more people than megacities and are growing faster, mainly in Africa and Asia.
India: housing at scale and city projects
India is one of the 71 countries where towns, rather than cities or rural areas, are the most common type of settlement, according to the UN’s 2025 urbanisation report. Two national programmes stand out. Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), over 1.25 crore (12.5 million) houses had been sanctioned and more than 1 crore (10 million) completed and handed over, according to a government update reported by All India Radio News in August 2026. The second phase, PMAY-U 2.0, aims to support 1 crore more urban families between 2024 and 2029.
The Smart Cities Mission covered 100 cities. As of 1 December 2025, 7,741 of 8,064 projects were complete, worth about ₹1,55,386 crore, according to a reply in the Rajya Sabha; the mission’s financial closure was 31 March 2025. Independent evaluations of how much these projects changed daily life are still limited, so the completion figures are best read as delivery, not outcomes.
UAE: Dubai’s 2040 plan
Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan sets measurable planning targets. According to the Dubai Media Office, the plan aims for 55% of residents to live within 800 metres of mass transport stations, to more than double green and recreational space (a 105% increase), and to make over 80% of services reachable within 20 minutes. These are targets, not results, and the summer heat is a real constraint on walking and cycling, which is why shaded routes and climate-controlled transit matter as much as distance.
Singapore: public housing as the default
Singapore shows what long-term public housing can do. According to the Housing and Development Board’s key statistics for 2025, 76.0% of the resident population lived in HDB flats at the end of March 2025. Housing is planned together with transport and town centres, so most estates sit near rail or bus interchanges. The model depends on state land ownership and decades of consistent policy, which few countries can copy directly.
Spain: Barcelona’s superblocks
Barcelona’s superblocks (superilles) restrict through traffic within groups of at least nine blocks and give street space to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. The first were introduced from 2016. A 2021 evaluation described by the World Health Organization found that in the Sant Antoni superblock nitrogen dioxide levels fell by 25% and PM10 particles by 17%, and estimated that wider rollout could prevent almost 700 deaths a year. This is a good example of target 11.7 on public space and 11.6 on air quality working together.
What other cities can take from this
No single model travels intact. A few lessons appear across these examples:
- Publish measurable targets, as Dubai has for transit access and green space, so residents can check progress.
- Plan housing and transport together. Singapore’s estates near interchanges show the benefit.
- Small physical changes to streets can have measurable health effects, as Barcelona’s evaluation suggests.
- Count outcomes, not only completed projects. India’s housing and smart city figures are large, and the next useful step is evidence on affordability, travel times and service quality.
For the targets and latest figures in one place, see our SDG 11 goal page, and for the other 16 goals, the Global Goals hub. If you are building a product or service for a market in India or the Gulf, our strategy work starts with a free 30-minute call.
Frequently asked questions
Which country is doing best on SDG 11?
There is no single ranking that settles this, because SDG 11 covers housing, transport, air, disasters and public space, and countries lead on different parts. Singapore stands out for public housing coverage, many European cities for public transport and street design, and some fast-growing countries for the scale of new housing. The UN publishes indicator data by country.
How many people live in slums worldwide?
The UN Sustainable Development Goals Report 2026 estimates about 1.16 billion urban residents lived in slums or informal settlements in 2024, roughly a quarter of all urban residents. More than 85% of them live in Central and Southern Asia, Eastern and South-Eastern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, and the total could pass 1.2 billion by 2030.
What is a 20-minute city?
A 20-minute city is a planning idea where most daily needs, such as shops, schools, clinics and parks, can be reached within about 20 minutes by walking, cycling or public transport. Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan uses the idea, aiming for over 80% of services to be reachable within 20 minutes, alongside targets for transit access and green space.