Sustainable Australian Cities and Communities

Australian cities and communities are facing a massive period of transformation and opportunity. The trajectory of these cities and communities will have a huge impact on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. To ensure that this impact is positive, it is essential that relevant knowledge is coproduced and harnessed to inform the decisions impacting on urban transformation.

In March 2018, Future Earth Australia adopted ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’ as a priority focus area. On 25 May 2018, cross-disciplinary researchers from across Australia were brought together by FEA to begin envisioning how knowledge could support Australia’s transformation to sustainable urban systems. The Sustainable Cities and Regions 10-Year Strategy was published in December 2019, right on the brink of COVID-19.

The drastic urban challenges Australia has faced since 2019, mainly including the effects of COVID-19 and extreme weather events, Future Earth Australia conducted new consultations on the original 2019 Strategy.

This resulted in the Sustainable Cities and Regions: 2024 Update, published in May 2024.

The update provides a vision for strengthening Australia’s urban capabilities, offering a clear roadmap and recommendations for how local, state, territory, and federal governments can partner with urban stakeholders, communities and researchers on urban systems transformation.