The UNAI SDG 11 Hub at De Montfort University always puts people and communities at the centre of sustainable urban development.
Today, we take another meaningful step forward with the launch of the DMU SDG 11 Policy Brief Series - a new platform designed to share evidence, amplify local voices, and inspire action across cities and communities worldwide.
SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities - is about far more than planning and infrastructure. It is about safety, belonging, opportunity, resilience, and justice. The everyday realities of housing, transport, climate impacts, and public space are lived first in neighbourhoods, tower blocks, football grounds, shops, workplaces, and streets. The decisions we make about these shared spaces shape the futures of millions.
This new Policy Brief Series brings that real-world experience directly to policymakers, practitioners, and urban change-makers.
Over the past few years, the SDG 11 Hub at DMU has collaborated with local authorities, civil society groups, international partners, and community researchers to generate deep, practical knowledge about how cities work - and what needs to change.
The new series will:
- Translate complex research into accessible, action-driven insights
- Highlight lived experience and community-led evidence
- Support local and national policymaking with practical recommendations
- Strengthen DMU’s global leadership as the UNAI SDG 11 Chair Hub
- Provide a platform for researchers, students, and partners to influence real urban change
- Utilise UNAI SDG Hub Fellows’ expertise to make accessible policy arguments on behalf of organisations and communities that need them most.
Each brief is short, targeted, and designed for decision-makers who need clarity and solutions quickly. The launch set includes new policy briefs focused on some of the most urgent challenges facing society - home and abroad. By sharing them, we hope to spark dialogue, encourage collaboration, and support organisations working to improve urban life for all.
Whether you're shaping policy, designing interventions, or learning about sustainable cities, the series provides the insight you need. Our goal is to build an evolving collection of knowledge that serves both Leicester and the global community of SDG practitioners.
Join the Conversation
We invite colleagues, partners, and community organisations to read, share, and engage with the series. If you would like to contribute future briefs or collaborate on new themes, please get in touch with the SDG 11 Hub team via dmusdg@dmu.ac.uk
Explore the first three SDG 11 Policy Briefs
COVID Pandemic Response and Recovery —Creating an innovative global community
Food Emergency to Poverty Prevention: The Changing Function of Leicester Food Banks
Education in Prisons: A Solution to a Crisis (Co-producing safe spaces for learning to enable healthier prisons and to support reintegration into the community)