Earlier this year, De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester was selected as the sole UK institution to serve as a Hub Chair for the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) programme on Sustainable Development Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
As we mark ‘Urban October’ and World Cities Day on 31 October, we spoke with Dr Mark Charlton, Associate Director of Sustainable Development at DMU, about how the institution’s work is helping to shape smarter, fairer, and more sustainable cities around the world.
What are the main challenges cities face today when it comes to sustainability?
The places where we live are rooted in the tension between rapid growth and limited resources. Increasing populations are rapidly creating a need for affordable housing, efficient transport, and resilient infrastructure. The design of these systems has to find ways not to further deepen inequality or environmental degradation – in fact, ideally, it should address it.
Scratch the surface, and cities can be depressingly unhealthy places, relying on outdated systems designed for industrial purposes rather than ecological progress. They are places of high energy consumption, air pollution, and waste.
The problems highlighted disproportionately affect the poorest communities. At the same time, governance structures are not fit for purpose.
Decision-making is fragmented, short-term, threatened by populism and offers insufficient community participation, all of which hinder long-term planning that could deliver sustainable benefits.
A changing world needs urban environments that are inclusive, adaptive and ecologically balanced to benefit all residents, not just a few.
What lessons has Leicester learned from its experience with housing, climate resilience, and social inclusion that could guide other cities?
Leicester demonstrates that sustainable urban change begins with people, not projects. The city’s remarkable history of migration, community organising, and neighbourhood renewal demonstrates the value of trust, participation and place-based collaboration.
While it is still also far from perfect, the city has shown what is possible – revitalising buildings with energy efficiency measures, integrating green spaces, promoting net zero public transport, and implementing flood-resilient designs, to name a few examples.
Which of DMU’s sustainability projects in Leicester could most improve quality of life for local communities?
As the UNAI Hub Chair for Sustainable Development Goal 11, DMU’s work in Leicester has consistently complemented the strive for a better urban environment. This year, coinciding with the COP30 talks in Brazil, a new £1.3 million Climate Action hub will be announced for Leicester, led by DMU. It will be another milestone in a long journey that will enable Leicester to show that climate resilience and social inclusion can go hand-in-hand.
How do students get involved in DMU’s sustainability and community projects?
As a university hosting one of the 17 UNAI global SDG Hub chairs, it is important that students are at the heart of the work. Opportunities to participate are provided in three ways. The first is through embedded learning approaches – where SDG 11 and other SDGs form specific modules in degrees. The second is through live briefs and service-learning, where students use hub projects to enhance their studies by giving time to investigate solutions to sustainable development challenges and writing about their experiences in assessments or dissertations. Finally, all projects offer the chance for students to volunteer and work closely with local charities and NGOs.
What does “success” look like for DMU in the coming years as SDG 11 Hub Chair?
Success will be defined by our ability to translate global ambitions on sustainability into local impact. Key to this will be demonstrating how sustainable cities and communities can be built from the ground up through partnership, innovation, and inclusion. Success will also be measured through strong research outputs, evidencing policies that influence decision-making, and student engagement to nurture the next generation of sustainability leaders.
If you could share one message with city leaders, what would it be?
The key message to leaders everywhere on this World Cities Day should be: build cities with people, not just for them. Cities thrive when citizens are partners in shaping the places they call home. True sustainability begins when urban planning recognises residents as co-designers of their futures, valuing lived experience as much as technical expertise. When leaders listen to communities, especially those most affected by inequality and climate risk, they unlock ideas, trust, and resilience that no blueprint can replicate.
The interview text has been edited for brevity and clarity.