91̽»¨

Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11)

More than half of the world's people now live in cities, and by 2050 about two-thirds of humanity, roughly 6.5 billion people, will be urban. Sustainable development depends on changing how urban spaces are built and managed: creating jobs and business opportunities, safe and affordable housing, resilient societies and economies, public transport, green public spaces, and participatory, inclusive planning.

JGU is a fully residential campus of 85 acres serving a community of over 20,000 people, so its transport, air quality, waste, green space, accessibility and cultural facilities work much like those of a small city. The progress report below shows how the university advances SDG 11, and the associated pages set out the policies and facilities behind it.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities| Sustainable Development Goals: Progress Report | Reporting Year 2025–26

1. Introduction & Institutional Commitment

Sustainability is one of 91̽»¨'s (JGU) five core values. SDG 11 is advanced chiefly through the 'Impact' pillar of the Office of Sustainability (accessibility and inclusivity, community wellbeing, cross-sectoral dialogue, international partnerships and stakeholder engagement) and through campus design and operations. JGU is a fully residential campus of 85 acres serving a community of over 20,000 people, so its transport, air quality, waste, green space, accessibility and cultural facilities function much like those of a small city.

This report presents JGU's progress, key initiatives, and impact under SDG 11 across the following targets: 11.2 (safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport), 11.4 (protect and safeguard cultural and natural heritage), 11.6 (reduce the adverse environmental impact of cities, including air quality and waste) and 11.7 (universal access to safe, inclusive and green public spaces).

2. Key Figures at a Glance

Headline indicators for SDG 11 from SDR 2026. Where the report gives a single-year figure, the previous-year column is marked 'Not reported'.

Indicator	This Year (2025)	Target / Benchmark
Electric golf carts / electric bikes / EV charging points	20 / 30 / 15	100% of campus golf carts fossil-fuel free
Share of vehicle fleet that is electric	35%	EV fleet and charging capacity to expand
Women among on-campus vehicle operators	48%	Aligned with SDG 5
HEPA air purifiers procured	3,300	Full coverage of hostels and classrooms being completed
Green and landscaped space	Over 50% of campus (1,815,667 sq ft)	12,000+ trees; 42 bird species
Food waste composted in-house	6,396 kg/yr	100% landfill diversion; 8,064 kg COâ‚‚e avoided
Performing Arts Academy capacity	1,000-seat auditorium; 24 galleries	Inaugurated 13 February 2026
Cross-electives mapped to SDG 11	12	Out of 350+ SDG cross-electives each year
SDG 11 share of JGU scholarly output	≈3.6%*	World share ≈2.3%*
SDG 11 scholarly output (SciVal)	≈315*	JGU trend on track; India dashboard stagnating
Accessible washrooms / ramps at hostel and residential block entrances	50 / 51	Part of the campus accessibility programme

 
3. Research Progress

4. Policy & Governance

SDG 11 work at JGU is governed through a set of operational policies and committees rather than a single document. These include the University-wide Vehicular Movement Policy, which prioritises pedestrian access and safety for a community of over 20,000 people and is extended to third-party vendors with no exceptions; the No Plastic Use Policy; a campus-wide waste segregation system; and the Disability Support Committee. Environmental performance is independently checked through three external audits (energy, environment and green).

Policy objectives:

• Create a pollution-free, pedestrian-priority and safe campus through zero-emission internal transport.
• Ensure physical and systemic accessibility so that all community members can navigate and succeed on campus, regardless of ability.
• Protect community health from air pollution and reduce waste sent to landfill through segregation, composting and recycling.
• Preserve and expand green cover and biodiversity as shared public space.
• Safeguard and promote cultural heritage through dedicated institutional platforms.

Oversight & responsibility:

JGU is committed to achieving the objectives presented by the Office of Sustainability, conceived in 2024 under Professor Padmanabha Ramanujam, Dean of Academic Governance, and composed entirely of JGU alumni. Accessibility is overseen by the Disability Support Committee, health and emergency preparedness by the JGU Health Centre, and horticulture by a dedicated team of more than 90 staff.

5. Progress Against Targets

SDG 11 has several targets relevant to a university context. The targets below follow the United Nations wording.

Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe  and basic services and upgrade slums.

JGU's contribution: JGU is a fully residential campus, with separate hostel blocks for male and female students, each with a warden, security, maintenance, common rooms and reading rooms, and with two hostel rooms equipped for students with locomotor disabilities and ramps at 51 hostel and residential block entrances. Merit-cum-means scholarships support students from lower-income families, and the Health Centre offers free consultations and medicines to on-campus construction workers and underprivileged neighbours.

Target 11.2: By 2030, provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, improving road safety, notably by expanding public transport, with special attention to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons.

JGU has moved to a fully green internal transit model: 100% of campus golf carts are fossil-fuel free, and 35% of the vehicle fleet is electric. A fleet of 20 electric golf carts serves about 9,000 students daily, supplemented by 30 electric bikes, 15 EV charging points and wheelchair-accessible electric carts for persons with disabilities. A free shuttle for employees, most of whom live near campus, reduces reliance on personal vehicles, and the no-vehicle policy is extended to third-party vendors. Women make up 48% of on-campus vehicle operators.

Key data:

Indicator	This Year (2025)	Target / Benchmark
Electric golf carts	20 (plus 2 specialised DSC units)	Serve 9,000 students daily; 40 - 45 km average daily distance
Electric bikes / EV charging points	30 / 15	Expand EV fleet and charging capacity
Share of vehicle fleet that is electric	35%	-
Emissions avoided by electric golf carts (tCOâ‚‚e)	60.706	Petrol-fleet benchmark: 8 L/100 km; 2.31 kg COâ‚‚e/L
Women among on-campus vehicle operators	48%	-
Community covered by Vehicular Movement Policy	20,000+ people	Policy extended to third-party vendors

 
Target 11.3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.

JGU's contribution: The campus was built to a building plan approved by the Department of Town and Country Planning. Faculty research and advocacy on an inclusive and accessible built environment, and research on urban informality, smart city frameworks and participatory development, bring planning scholarship into teaching and public debate.

Target 11.4: Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world's cultural and natural heritage.

The Shallu Jindal Performing Arts Academy, inaugurated on 13 February 2026, is JGU's institutional platform for classical arts and cultural exchange, and it links directly to Target 11.4. Designed by architect Stephane Paumier, it includes a 1,000-seat auditorium with a proscenium stage and advanced acoustics, and 24 integrated exhibition galleries. It was inaugurated by eminent Kuchipudi exponents and Padma Bhushan awardees, and complements the Jindal International Convention Centre (JICC). The Academy also paves the way for a new School of Performing Arts, making experiential learning in music, dance and theatre a permanent part of the University. The Constitution Museum and the Rights and Freedoms Academy preserves India's constitutional heritage and is open to visitors, and research projects document the cultural heritage of the Pashtu community in Kashmir and of the Soliga and other tribal communities. On the natural-heritage side, the campus maintains 98 species of trees and shrubs and 42 bird species.

Key data:

Indicator	This Year (2025)	Target / Benchmark
Auditorium capacity	1,000 seats	State-of-the-art, proscenium stage
Exhibition spaces	24 integrated galleries	Public-facing space for artistic research and engagement
Academy inauguration	13 February 2026	New School of Performing Arts planned
Tree and shrub species / bird species on campus	98 / 42	Source: JGU Biodiversity Report

Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.

JGU's contribution: The Health Centre provides 24/7 ambulance and emergency services, and the campus recharges rainwater through harvesting pits. Faculty research on disaster relief supply chains and on resilience and risk management in supply chains contributes to disaster preparedness scholarship.

Target 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.

In response to the sharp deterioration in regional air quality caused by stubble burning, vehicular emissions, industrial activity and adverse weather, JGU procured 3,300 HEPA air purifiers and deployed 7 anti-smog guns, outdoor air purifiers, air misting and water sprinkling, with the Health Centre distributing 5,000 N95 masks. A structured waste system separates dry, wet and hazardous waste, with dedicated channels for medical waste, menstrual waste and e-waste, and a No Plastic Use Policy. An Organic Waste Converter composts 6,396 kg of food waste a year into 2,112 kg of compost used on campus, and collection drives recover e-waste, paper and textiles.

Key data:

Indicator	This Year (2025)	Target / Benchmark
HEPA air purifiers procured	3,300	Full purifier coverage being completed
Anti-smog guns / outdoor air purifiers	7 / 10	-
N95 masks distributed	5,000	24/7 ambulance and emergency services
Food waste composted; compost produced	6,396 kg; 2,112 kg	100% landfill diversion; 8,064 kg COâ‚‚e avoided
Collection drives: e-waste / paper / textile	23 kg / 77 kg / 140 kg recycled	Certified recyclers; closed-loop reuse; upcycling
Paperless exams: paper saved	47.9 tonnes (7,680,000 pages)	46.08 t direct COâ‚‚ avoided; 60 m³ landfill space avoided

Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

More than 50% of the campus (1,815,667 sq ft) is maintained as green and landscaped space, hosting 12,000+ trees, and the green cover supports mental wellbeing through spaces for study, recreation and relaxation. Accessibility is designed in through comprehensive ramps, elevators with Braille signage, 50 accessible washrooms and wheelchair-accessible electric carts, in public spaces such as The Constitution Museum. The Disability Support Committee provides individualised accommodations and a confidential registration process, and the Abhigamya wing of the Global Library converts resources into digital Braille and audio formats. A Campus Carbon Mapping & Digital Tree Tagging initiative is creating a Digital Tree Database for green-cover management.

Key data:

Indicator	This Year (2025)	Target / Benchmark
Green and landscaped area	Over 50% of campus (1,815,667 sq ft)	Campus area: 85 acres
Trees on campus	12,000+	Green Audit also records 1,815 full-grown and 12,285 semi-grown trees
Plantation drives	2 drives; 980 plants	Survival rate above 80%
Horticulture team	90+ staff	On-site nursery for propagation
Accessibility features	Ramps; Braille elevators; accessible electric carts; Abhigamya library wing	Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016); UGC Guidelines
Accessible washrooms / hostel and residential block entrance ramps	50 / 51	Part of the campus accessibility programme

Target 11.a: Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning.

JGU's contribution: A majority of employees live in the vicinity of the campus and use the free shuttle, the Health Centre serves neighbouring communities, and JGU supports off-campus water conservation in nearby villages.

Target 11.b: By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels.

JGU's contribution: JGU applies integrated policies to its own campus: the Energy Efficient Band Renovations Policy, the Vehicular Movement Policy, the No Plastic Use Policy, accessibility under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, and a net zero target for 2035, with annual external energy, environment and green audits.

Target 11.c: Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials.

JGU's contribution: This target concerns development assistance to least developed countries. It is not addressed through institutional action.

6. Programmes, Research & Curriculum

Degree programmes and courses:

• B.A. (Hons.) and B.Sc. (Hons.) Environment and Sustainable Development (Jindal School of Environment & Sustainability, JSES), covering environmental policy, pollution and health, and the SDGs.
• 12 cross-listed electives mapped to SDG 11; course spotlight: 'Seeing the City: Critical Perspectives on Urban Representation'.
• Sulitest TASK sustainability literacy assessment, open to students and staff; JGU average score 64.79 vs global average 53.8.
• Student involvement in field documentation for Campus Carbon Mapping & Digital Tree Tagging.

Research themes:

• Urban informality and governance in the Global South (97.8th percentile worldwide prominence), Professor Deepanshu Mohan, Centre for New Economics Studies.
• Smart city frameworks for sustainable urban development (99.87) and privacy and security in smart grid systems (97.52), Professor Srinivas Jangirala.
• Optimising disaster relief supply chain management (99.26), Professor Ashish Dwivedi; resilience and risk management in supply chains (99.93), Professor Saroj Koul.
• Air quality: volatile organic compounds and air quality challenges (98.54), Professor Sriroop Chaudhuri; dust storm dynamics and atmospheric impacts (97.69), Professor Aliya Naz.
• Centre for Biodiversity & Conservation: biodiversity, conservation and ecology.

SDG 11 accounts for roughly 3.6% of JGU's scholarly output compared with about 2.3% worldwide (approximate, SciVal). Annual output has risen every year from 2021 to 2025, and JGU's research trend is rated 'on track', while India's national dashboard for the goal is rated 'stagnating'.

7. Community, Partnerships & Outreach

• Global networks: Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI), the Nature Positive Universities network (700+ institutions working to promote nature on campuses and in cities and communities) and the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI).
• Local community health: JGU Healthcare offers free medical consultations and essential medicines to on-campus construction workers and underprivileged local community members; Sukoon provides free, confidential mental health services to the JGU community.
• Cultural community: the Performing Arts Academy provides a public-facing space for classical arts, artistic research and community engagement, working with eminent Kuchipudi exponents.
• Resource recovery: collection drives with certified recyclers, with planned expansion through community-led drives and NGO partnerships.
• Local employment and mobility: a free shuttle for employees, a majority of whom live in the vicinity of the campus, and a workforce in which 48% of on-campus vehicle operators are women.
• Civic engagement: JGU plans long-term partnerships with residents, schools and non-profits, expanding access to justice, supporting grassroots workers and strengthening community-centred programmes.
• South-South exchanges: IASGE programmes in Indonesia and Vietnam include community visits, a Community Service Day and sustainability workshops with partner universities.

8. Events & 91̽»¨ Timeline

Air-quality response measures

JGU deployed 3,300 HEPA air purifiers, 7 anti-smog guns, 10 outdoor air purifiers and air misting systems, and distributed 5,000 N95 masks to protect the community during the regional pollution crisis.

Plantation drives

Two plantation drives added 980 plants with a survival rate above 80%, as recorded in the Green Audit.

Introduction of wheelchair-accessible electric carts

JGU extended its electric mobility network to persons with disabilities, so that the campus transport system is available to everyone.

Collection drives for resource recovery

Drives recovered e-waste (23 kg), paper (77 kg) and textiles (140 kg) for certified recycling, closed-loop reuse and upcycling.

Inauguration of the Shallu Jindal Performing Arts Academy

Inaugurated by eminent Kuchipudi exponents and Padma Bhushan awardees, the Academy provides a 1,000-seat auditorium and 24 galleries and marks JGU's commitment to Target 11.4 on cultural heritage.

9. Awards & Recognition

• QS Stars Ratings 2025 (QS): 5-Star Excellent Rating for Environmental Impact, covering biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, emissions, waste and community engagement.
• External audits (NAAC-mandated): energy, environment and green audits each received a satisfactory assessment; the Green Audit documented the campus flora and biodiversity, with over 50% of the area maintained as green space.

10. Future Commitments & Roadmap

• Green infrastructure: maintain a dedicated vegetable garden, complete the Digital Tree Database and conduct regular biodiversity and environmental audits.
• Civic engagement: deepen long-term partnerships with residents, schools and non-profits.
• Monitoring mechanisms: annual external energy, environment and green audits; biodiversity and environmental audits; QR-based digital tree tagging; annual Sulitest and SciVal tracking; and the annual Sustainable Development Report.
• Net zero by 2035