Earth observation to substantiate the sustainable development goal 11: Practical considerations and experiences from Austria

Abstract

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is widely appreciated and increasingly known by a wider public. However, less obvious are the enormous coordination and harmonization efforts to reify these goals into 169 targets and 232 indicators. We exemplarily outline a tangible pathway to address SDG11 and one associated indicator 11.7.1 “Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities”. We highlight some specific problems for reporting on indicators related to urban green spaces (UGS) and make suggestions for this indicator by illustrating the potential of Earth Observation data and spatial accessibility analysis.