Systems approaches for localising the SDGs: co-production of place-based case studies

Area of Science:

• Urban Health and Development
• Systems Science and Policy
• Sustainable Development Studies

Background:

• Localizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) faces challenges due to contextual particularities and resource limitations.
• Generalized SDG strategies are often ineffective in diverse local settings, necessitating tailored approaches.
• Tools are needed to help local actors understand complex issues and drive effective development action.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and reflect on a process for developing placially explicit, systems-based (PESB) case studies.
• To address issues intersecting with and impacting urban health and wellbeing through local actor perspectives.
• To generate place-based models and insights for effective SDG localization.

Main Methods:

• Co-production of seven PESB case studies involving local partners and Systems Thinkers.
• Iterative dialogue cycles to identify contextual factors, institutional structures, and actor motivations.
• Development of causal loop diagrams (CLDs) to visually represent complex causal narratives.

Main Results:

• Case studies facilitated local knowledge transfer and enhanced systems thinking capacity.
• Partners gained new insights, reframed problems, and identified higher-level solutions.
• Co-produced CLD-based narratives proved effective for communication and strategic re-evaluation.

Conclusions:

• Co-production of PESB case studies is a valuable transdisciplinary tool for local SDG implementation.
• This approach builds local capacity to analyze complex problems and identify systemic linkages.
• PESB case studies support the development of novel solutions and indicators for SDGs.