Fapesp

FAPESP and the Sustainable Development Goals

News

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

News

SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

A cost-benefit analysis of green roofs in Brazil and South Africa
SDG 11, SDG 13
A cost-benefit analysis of green roofs in Brazil and South Africa

A model developed by a cross-border collaboration including Brazilian researchers could help decision-makers assess the real impact of green roofs on the urban food-water-energy nexus.


Novel socio-environmental vulnerability index pinpoints sustainability issues in Brazilian river basins
SDG 11, SDG 13
Novel socio-environmental vulnerability index pinpoints sustainability issues in Brazilian river basins

The innovative approach highlights vulnerability to deforestation, fire and drought, as well as poverty. The results can help formulate public policies for sustainable development.


Study proposes simple low-cost solutions to improve thermal comfort in social housing
SDG 11, SDG 13
Study proposes simple low-cost solutions to improve thermal comfort in social housing

As well as benefiting users, the aim was to contribute to energy saving and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


Experiment in Brazil identifies flood-prone areas of cities
SDG 11
Experiment in Brazil identifies flood-prone areas of cities

The study combined models that predict urban expansion and land-use changes with hydrodynamic models, and the results were validated using actual data for São Caetano do Sul, a city in metropolitan São Paulo.


Managing the food-water-energy nexus to make cities sustainable
SDG 2, SDG 11, SDG 13
Managing the food-water-energy nexus to make cities sustainable

An online event presented the results of five projects selected in a call issued by FAPESP in partnership with the Belmont Forum and JPI Urban Europe.


Book proposes strategies to help cities cope with climate change
SDG 11, SDG 13
Book proposes strategies to help cities cope with climate change

Researchers discuss 17 case studies conducted in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Africa involving ways to implement integrated management of water, energy and food.


Leisure facilities are increasing in São Paulo City but are still mainly in high-income areas
SDG 3, SDG 10, SDG 11
Leisure facilities are increasing in São Paulo City but are still mainly in high-income areas

A study analyzed changes to the built environment to promote physical activity in Brazil’s largest city between 2015 and 2020, using data from online public libraries as well as the city and state governments.


Study inspired by global agendas focuses on relationships between human beings and nature
SDG 11
Study inspired by global agendas focuses on relationships between human beings and nature

Researchers and stakeholders in Brazil and the United Kingdom investigated the effects of proximity to the sea on physical and mental health.


Study shows challenge of promoting citizen science to help prevent disasters caused by flooding
SDG 11, SDG 13
Study shows challenge of promoting citizen science to help prevent disasters caused by flooding

An article in Disaster Prevention and Management describes the course of discussions involving Brazil and the UK on how to improve flood risk governance. The project has produced an application and learning guide resulting from community participation.


Risk of urban tree falls is influenced by building height and neighborhood age, Brazilian study shows
SDG 11
Risk of urban tree falls is influenced by building height and neighborhood age, Brazilian study shows

Research conducted in São Paulo, the largest city in the southern hemisphere, also found sidewalk width and tree height to be key factors. The results will be used in tree management and urban planning.


Amazonia was densely populated in the past and human action has shaped the present-day forest
SDG 10, SDG 11
Amazonia was densely populated in the past and human action has shaped the present-day forest

Eduardo Góes Neves, an archeologist at the University of São Paulo, sets out this and other findings of 15 years of research in a book for non-specialists.


Amazon+10 Initiative issues first call for proposals
SDG 11, SDG 13
Amazon+10 Initiative issues first call for proposals

FAPESP and 19 other research foundations will invest BRL 50 million in collaborative science projects aiming at sustainable development in the Amazon.


Academia, civil society and government join forces in new center for nature-based solutions
SDG 11
Academia, civil society and government join forces in new center for nature-based solutions

Officially launched on May 18, BIOTA Synthesis is one of FAPESP’s new Science for Development Centers. In the next five years it will develop solutions to challenges relating to sustainable agriculture, water security and control of zoonotic diseases.


Study proposes to involve high school students in mapping natural disaster hazards and impact prevention
SDG 11, SDG 13
Study proposes to involve high school students in mapping natural disaster hazards and impact prevention

Brazilian scientists tested a participatory disaster risk monitoring strategy in a town that was partially destroyed in 2010 after an unprecedented flood. The methodology can be applied in other parts of the country.


Amazon community transforms residues into resources
SDG 11
Amazon community transforms residues into resources

With the support of NGOs, universities and business, the inhabitants of small towns in the Amazon are practicing a self-sustaining circular economy in which waste is converted into inputs for production.


Tree falls during dry season in São Paulo City are due to poor management, study suggests
SDG 11
Tree falls during dry season in São Paulo City are due to poor management, study suggests

An article in Trees - Structure and Function reports findings from an analysis of 7,000 tree falls in a three-year period. Stormy weather was the main cause during the rainy season.


An international research group proposes six guidelines for managing the impacts of invasive species
SDG 11, SDG 15
An international research group proposes six guidelines for managing the impacts of invasive species

Researchers in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and the UK are participating in the initiative. Results are published in the journal BioScience.


Values-Based behavior under COVID-19 is the theme of a webinar promoted by FAPESP
SDG 3, SDG 11
Values-Based behavior under COVID-19 is the theme of a webinar promoted by FAPESP

Renowned scientists will address topics related to how society has been coping with this threatening environment and will discuss factors that influence behavioral change.


Invasive grasses threaten survival of Brazilian savanna
SDG 11, SDG 14
Invasive grasses threaten survival of Brazilian savanna

Brazilian researchers show that African forage grasses resist management by fire and that palisade grass tends to spread to burned areas previously occupied by molasses grass, another invasive species.


Urbanization and agriculture are land uses that most affect Brazil’s rivers
SDG 11
Urbanization and agriculture are land uses that most affect Brazil’s rivers

A literature review by researchers affiliated with universities in Brazil and the United States produces the first ever nationwide survey of land use impacts on water quality, showing how a lack of planning may affect the availability of a natural resource that is already becoming scarce.


Researchers advocate green economy to surmount crisis caused by COVID-19
SDG 11, SDG 12, SDG 13
Researchers advocate green economy to surmount crisis caused by COVID-19

This was the main scientific position to emerge from the online seminar “Biodiversity, climate crisis, economies and pandemics” organized with FAPESP’s support via its program focused on biodiversity.


Software to help public administrators make cities friendlier to cyclists and pedestrians
SDG 9, SDG 11
Software to help public administrators make cities friendlier to cyclists and pedestrians

An analytical tool available online assessed data from over 1 million walking and cycling trips in Boston (USA) with the aim of strengthening public strategies for the encouragement of non-motorized forms of urban mobility.


Financialization of housing policies is a reflection of old practices, says researcher
SDG 11, SDG 16
Financialization of housing policies is a reflection of old practices, says researcher

Fabrice Bardet, of Université de Lyon, highlights during FAPESP Week France that the real estate sector has gained relevance in the structural transformation of contemporary capitalism; Bardet carries out collaborative research that aims to understand the historical perspective on this process in France and Brazil.


Belo Monte has failed to fulfill the promise of fostering sustainable development in the Amazon
SDG 8, SDG 11
Belo Monte has failed to fulfill the promise of fostering sustainable development in the Amazon

Construction of hydroelectric dam contributed to rise in cost of living and electricity for local population, and exacerbated problems in housing, water supply and sanitation, according to study supported by FAPESP.


Startup develops wireless communications solutions to monitor street lighting
SDG 9, SDG 11
Startup develops wireless communications solutions to monitor street lighting

Service can include other functions, such as the control of traffic lights, parking meters, and water and gas consumption.


News about research projects funded by FAPESP and articulated with the SDGs: