Infrastructure Initiatives towards Sustainable Cities and Communities

Infrastructure is a catalyst for development, thus, this study explored the initiatives of Roxas City, Capiz, Philippines, in contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 11 or SDG 11, building sustainable cities and communities. A mixed-method convergent triangulation approach was employed. The quantitative component assessed the initiatives and their level of alignment with SDG 11 targets and indicators, while the challenges in the implementation and insights to future development plans were dealt qualitatively. Eighty key officials and people associated with Roxas City infrastructure development were the respondents and participants of the study. The 70 respondents were surveyed using the researcher-made, validated and reliability-tested questionnaire, while the 10 were the participants providing insights for future infrastructure development implementation. The study identified 14 major infrastructure initiatives from 2017 to 2022, which were assessed with the mean score of 4.49, indicating a very high level of alignment with SDG 11. Initiatives included but not limited to housing, wet market reconstruction, solid waste and landfill development, disaster and health centers, beautification, road network construction and street light installation. However, implementation of these initiatives were challenged by the insufficient to non-availability of funds, limited community engagement, uncertainty of initiatives’ sustainability, upkeep and project maintenance, and mismatch with community need. Based on these findings, the initiatives demonstrated how SDG 11 can be localized in cities or communities. This study envisions multiple pathways for advancing SDG11 in Roxas City by fostering urban sustainability solutions tailored to local contexts. By emphasizing indigenized approaches, it aims to develop durable, demand-driven strategies that effectively address the city's unique needs.