Spatial Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

This study examines sustainable development from the perspective of financial risks, focusing on measurement issues, like the spatial localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). More exactly, the goal of the study is to present the European reception and implementation of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations, and to determine the spatial localization of the SDGs at local level. Furthermore, it addresses the measurement of the sustainable development goals, because a measurement-based risk assessment plays a key role in the successful implementation of sustainable development based economic policy. As a case study for the measurement and localization of the SDGs, we will use the case of Romania, deploying a set of 90 indicators with a data source and method-mix, where Earth Observations and Geographical Information Systems play an important role. The results show that the methodology used in our studies can be applied with good results in the spatial localisation and the measurement of the sustainability indices. The latter register the highest scores, and therefore the lowest associated banking risks – with the exception of a few peri-urban communities – in large and medium sized cities.