Preface
The implementation of the UN Agenda 2030 as a whole, and the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in particular, requires actions at all levels: international, national, regional and local.
At the local level, it is believed that university–community partnerships may be
useful in three main ways: firstly, by helping to contextualise and by offering a
broader understanding of the many issues concerning and the challenges which
people face in their communities; secondly, by demonstrating the role of collaboration in contributing to the search for problems seen at the community level; and
finally, by supporting communities in implementing local action towards sustainability goals connected with community life.
But despite the relevance of the theme, there is a dearth of specialist publications
which address the many issues related to universities and communities, in a SDG
context. The book Universities and Sustainable Communities: Meeting the Goals
of the Agenda 2030 is an attempt to address this needs. It contains a set of papers
presented and discussed during the 2nd World Sustainability Symposium, which
was held in Curitiba, Brazil, in April 2019. The papers here compiled to look at
matters related to sustainable development under different perspectives and across a
variety of audiences. It contains experiences from empirical research, practical
projects and teaching methods being deployed around the world, all with the aim of
bringing sustainable development closer to communities. Moreover, the book also
entails contributions on how to promote local sustainability efforts at the local level.
Thanks to its scope, this is a truly interdisciplinary publication. We thank the
many authors who contributed to this volume and for their willingness to share their
knowledge and expertise.
v
The implementation of the UN Agenda 2030 as a whole, and the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) in particular, requires actions at all levels: international, national, regional and local.
At the local level, it is believed that university–community partnerships may be
useful in three main ways: firstly, by helping to contextualise and by offering a
broader understanding of the many issues concerning and the challenges which
people face in their communities; secondly, by demonstrating the role of collaboration in contributing to the search for problems seen at the community level; and
finally, by supporting communities in implementing local action towards sustainability goals connected with community life.
But despite the relevance of the theme, there is a dearth of specialist publications
which address the many issues related to universities and communities, in a SDG
context. The book Universities and Sustainable Communities: Meeting the Goals
of the Agenda 2030 is an attempt to address this needs. It contains a set of papers
presented and discussed during the 2nd World Sustainability Symposium, which
was held in Curitiba, Brazil, in April 2019. The papers here compiled to look at
matters related to sustainable development under different perspectives and across a
variety of audiences. It contains experiences from empirical research, practical
projects and teaching methods being deployed around the world, all with the aim of
bringing sustainable development closer to communities. Moreover, the book also
entails contributions on how to promote local sustainability efforts at the local level.
Thanks to its scope, this is a truly interdisciplinary publication. We thank the
many authors who contributed to this volume and for their willingness to share their
knowledge and expertise.
v