Second GSN International Conference 2022

The 2022 Global South Nexus (GSN) conference focuses on the theme of “Localising SDGs for the Built Environment and Communities”. It seeks to initiate a North-South dialogue to foster knowledge exchange and research innovation for effective practice in making cities and communities sustainable. While the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve to provide major impetus for the transition of people and the planet towards sustainability, there is an on-going debate on how the overarching vision of SDGs could be translated into the adoption of sustainability in practice. There is also a search for ways to translate the global SDG vision into local dimensions to effectively incorporate it into local planning and development priorities. In their search for equity, efficiency, safety and livability, cities around the world face massive challenges in securing funding and adopting suitable governance frameworks to develop and maintain their built environment. There is thus an urgent search for models of successful urban development that are respectful of the natural environment and that ensure the wellbeing of the community. Cities in the Global South, meanwhile, tend to face additional challenges of dealing with entrenched poverty, resource scarcity, political instability, and weak governance at the local level. On the other hand, they also tend to have effective networks of NGOs and community-based organisations with impressive track records, that have often worked with local communities to deliver innovative solutions and enhance community resilience. The SDGs call for a global partnership and north-south exchange for the diffusion of sustainability knowledge and practice within local contexts. This calls for critical debate and investigation to seek answers to many questions, such as: - How local actions could create cities that are more livable by increasing community resilience - How urban ecosystems could be integrated into a sustainable urban landscape - How co-production and partnership with communities could contribute to resilient outcomes - How sustainability indicators could be monitored for comparison and benchmarking