McGahey, McGahey2023-04-042023-04-042022https://hdl.handle.net/10539/34881A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Urban Studies to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022Long term development goals have been a feature of global development discourse for decades. In the last seven years or so, there has been a shift to acknowledging the role that urban areas play in the achievement of such grand global targets. The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 was one of the first global policy commitments that provide a clear goal and targets for urban areas, with SDG 11 focusing on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (UN, 2015). However, while these goals are set and reported on at a national and international level, the importance of localising global goals into municipal planning, budgeting and operations is critical. This research examines how eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) has localised SDG 11 in its planning processes. It focuses on one of the core aspects of this SDG (SDG 11.1), the extent to which there has been realisation of basic service delivery as a primary element of sustainable human settlements. This research assesses how EMM is translating the 2030 goals of sustainable development into its constitutional mandate of delivering basic services (water, sanitation, electricity and waste services) to its citizens. In this way, the contribution made by an urban area to achieving broader national and international goals of sustainability is analysed. The research examined municipal planning documentation, analysed performance data, and reviewed municipal case studies intended to achieve the goal of sustainable human settlements. In addition, interviews with key experts provide insight into the localisation of global goals. The paper reviews the City’s work in three key areas: the extent to which the municipality has aligned its plans with other national and international plans; how it has integrated these goals across the municipality; and finally the extent to which it synchronises its work with other spheres of government and stakeholders such as the private sector, civil society and community partnerships. The research concludes with reflections on eThekwini’s localisation process to date, and a set of clear processes used in the localisation of global goals.enSDG-11: Sustainable cities and communitiesThesis