Case studies and best practices
The purpose of this report is to describe efforts within the City of San José, as part of the USA Sustainable Cities Initiative, to examine how the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could serve as a framework for achieving sustainable development at a local level. This report’s intended audience includes: city government and community stakeholders in San José interested in sustainable development; other cities interested in how the SDGs can be used as a framework for sustainable development in their communities; and individuals and institutions interested more broadly in how the SDGs are being considered at the local level. The report first provides background information on the SDGs, and why implementing this global agenda at a sub-national level is beneficial. Next, the report provides some historical context regarding sustainability initiatives in San José and discusses the partnership established in 2015 to evaluate current City policies and initiatives for alignment with the SDGs. Then a comprehensive mapping to the SDGs of the City’s General Plan and three additional current initiatives is provided. Along with each of these is a set of recommendations for how the City could approach each initiative to more closely align with the SDGs. Finally, the report concludes with a set of recommendations for next steps in order to achieve the SDGs in San Jose.