Evaluating the relation of city climate strategies to sustainable development through correspondence of announced initiatives and SDG Targets: results from 100 international cases

The Paris Agreement and the Agenda 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals-SDGs) are increasingly interconnected, in a world dealing simultaneously with multiple crises. Assessments on SDG coverage of climate policy documents, including the National Determined Contributions, have been common in the international and national level, and with the growing availability of city climate strategies could be also streamlined in the local level. This research examines the coverage of the 17 SDGs and their 169 Targets across 100 climate strategies formulated by diverse cities worldwide, building on the NDC analysis framework and UN SDG localization guidance. Coverage is examined based on announced initiatives within the strategies and their correspondence with SDG Targets, using content analysis. It is found that not all their Targets are relevant for city-level climate action, while some Targets can be considered jointly when referring to city level initiatives. Results indicate higher coverage of SDGs 11, 13, 15, 7, and 17, and weaker of SDGs 5, 1, and 10. Across the 100 strategies, 43 types of initiatives are identified that jointly advance climate action and sustainable development, addressing progress toward 53 out of the 169 SDG Targets. These initiatives and their corresponding Targets are synthesized into a practical framework of tested, actionable initiatives applicable to city-level climate action. These findings support city strategy drafters that aim to design initiatives that commonly address multiple challenges and achieve policy coherence with international frameworks, and contribute toward exercises that critically examine synergies between SDGs and climate action in city level.