Introduction: Sustainable Urban Development: The North Korean Vision

Ch. Introduction. P. 1–10.

Em P.

In 2015, all UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, consisting of 17 ambitious SDGs calling for urgent action in protecting the environment while improving human lives. Although North Korea generally supported the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, its vision of what this Agenda should entail differs from that formulated by the UN. This Introduction compares the perception of sustainable development as formulated by the UN and North Korea with a special focus on urban sustainability through analyzing the Voluntarily National Review on the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development, published by the North Korean authorities in 2021. The results prove that the DPRK is well aware of the theoretical foundations of sustainable urban development and pursues reaching not only its basic targets, such as providing potable drinking water to everyone, but also more lofty goals, including the construction of green buildings and the employment of renewable energy sources.

Keywords: Pyongyang, устойчивое развитие городов, Пхеньян, sustainable urban development

In book

Pursuing Sustainable Urban Development in North Korea

Em P., Nataliya A. Chesnokova, Lankov A., Katzeff Silberstein B., Husarski R., Moody P., Ward P., Ouellette D., Prud'homme M., Osetrova M., Noh H. J., Hwang J., Winstanley-Chesters R., Yim D., Prokopljević J., Nosov A., Yainishet J. Routledge, 2024.