“No poverty” is about eradicating all forms of poverty around the world. In the Danish context, this Global Goal involves a more nuanced idea of the concept of poverty – including material and social deprivation, as well as economic resilience in the event of life crises. The latter points, among others, to the strength of social benefits, especially benefits aimed at groups in society who are outside the job market or who, due to physical and/or mental challenges, have difficulty finding employment.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• include socio-economic workplaces in the execution and operation of the project.

• establish sharing economy schemes for residents.

• provide apartments at affordable prices.

• offer activities in UN17 Village at affordable prices.

“Zero hunger” is about stopping all forms of hunger and malnutrition, and achieving sustainable global food production. From a Danish perspective, it is very much about ensuring access to a varied and nutritious diet – including for people in low-income groups.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• give residents access to private growing areas.

• serve healthy and organic food in the Dining Hall at affordable prices.

• hold workshops on healthy eating in the Dining Hall and in connection with the health clinic.

“Good health and well-being” focuses on the issue of global health and well-being as a whole, and is about ensuring a healthy life for all and promoting well-being for all age groups. In Denmark, this Global Goal is also about physical and mental health. Areas of focus have been the prevention and treatment of substance and alcohol abuse, smoking and a fundamentally unhealthy lifestyle. The limitation of diseases has also been addressed.

UN17 Village is exploring the potential offered by this Global Goal by looking, among other things, at opportunities to:

• ensure a good indoor climate in its homes.

• bring nature into the project and use natural materials in the development.

• provide access to play and exercise in the Health Centre and in urban spaces.

• reduce the risk of infection through choice of design (easy-to-clean surfaces, non-contact dispensers and mixer taps, and large washbasins).

• create good conditions for cyclists.

• give residents access to private growing areas.

• make UN17 Village a smoke-free area.

• ensure social meeting areas both outdoors (courtyards and roofs) and indoors (common areas such as Lobby and Common Room).

• establish special co-living apartments for 45+.

• focus in particular on avoiding using substances that are harmful to the environment and people’s health in construction.

“Quality education” is about ensuring equal access to quality education and promoting everyone’s opportunities for lifelong learning. Since the Danish education system is known internationally as one of the best in the world, the debate on Global Goal 4 from the Danish perspective has instead concentrated on the motivation to learn, and on ensuring that the sustainability agenda is highlighted as central areas of focus in teaching.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• use the common spaces for learning about and sharing knowledge on sustainability, including by selecting materials in a sustainable manner, putting up information signs and holding events.

• use the UN17 APP for learning and knowledge-sharing around sustainability.

• make sustainability visible in the design of the project (e.g. through the visible use of recycled materials).

• arrange activities (e.g. for children and young people) with a focus on learning and knowledge-sharing around sustainability.

“Gender equality” is about equality among the genders. While Demark does have formal equality between the genders in relation to key social factors, there is still some distance between formal rights and real equality. In Denmark, there has also been debate around ensuring equal rights and opportunities for minority groups, including people with disabilities and women of other ethnic backgrounds.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• focus on the gender balance and the inclusion of people from other ethnic backgrounds in employment.

• establish accessible housing – developed in collaboration with the Danish Handicap Association.

“Clean water and sanitation” is about ensuring that everyone has access to clean water and sanitation, and that this is managed sustainably. In a Danish context, the debate has focused in particular on maintaining and securing our current water supply, streamlining water consumption, and complying with the thresholds for pesticides and other harmful substances in groundwater, as well as other issues.

UN17 Village is exploring the potential offered by this Global Goal by looking, among other things, at opportunities to:

• collect, treat and reuse rainwater for irrigation in growing areas and green areas on roofs and in courtyards instead of using drinking water.

• implement water-saving mixer taps.

• monitor and report water consumption, e.g. via the UN17 APP, to encourage residents to use less water.

• sell eco-labelled household items in the Lobby/Dining Hall.

• use plants in the ornamental pond which can help to purify the rainwater which then flows out into to the lake to the south.

“Affordable and clean energy” is about all people having access to reliable, sustainable and modern energy at an affordable price. In Denmark, debates have focused on issues such as increasing the share of renewable energy on the Danish energy market as part of the ambition to fully resolve Denmark’s reliance on fossil fuels by 2050.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• use district heating from HOFOR which in recent years has converted their heat production to more climate-friendly production based on biomass.

• utilise the waste heat recovered from room heating as a source of heat for heat production using heat pumps.

• erect solar cells to offer residents self-generated energy.

• select an energy provider with renewable energy sources for construction and operation of the building, e.g. wind farms that provide electricity from 2,500 Danish wind turbines.

“Decent work and economic growth” is about promoting long-lasting, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. In terms of sustainable economic growth in Denmark, the debate has focused heavily on climate, sorting of waste and recycling resources. In addition, Global Goal 8 is very much about the working environment and inclusion on the job market where good working conditions (less stress and fewer accidents at work) and equal access to work for different groups should be ensured.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• include people with disabilities, e.g. in running the Dining Hall or the managing the green areas.

• offer varying types of internships and apprenticeships, e.g. to get young and socially disadvantaged people into work.

• focus on the gender balance and the inclusion of people from other ethnic backgrounds in employment.

• establish sharing schemes that can help reduce residents’ consumption.

“Industry, innovation and infrastructure” is about building a robust infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and supporting innovation. In Denmark, the green transition has been a common theme in the debate surrounding Global Goal 9, with a focus on maintaining a competitive business sector while increasing sustainability, e.g. in energy and resource efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and innovation.

UN17 Village is exploring the potential offered by this Global Goal by looking, among other things, at opportunities to:

• establish sharing schemes that can contribute to a more efficient use of resources.

• implement different materials and construction principles that contribute to a more resource-efficient construction project with lower CO2 emissions.

• implement new standards for recycling and reduce waste from the construction site.

• recycle and co-produce waste from the construction site.

• invest in innovation in terms of construction.

“Reduced inequalities” is about reducing inequality between people and between countries. Therefore, the issues discussed in connection with Global Goal 10 have been inequality between rural and urban areas, women and men, negative social heritage, and discrimination against people with disabilities, ethnic minorities and LGBTI+ people.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• include people with disabilities, e.g. in running the Dining Hall or the managing the green areas.

• offer different types of internships and apprenticeships, e.g. to get socially disadvantaged people into work.

• focus on the gender balance and the inclusion of people from other ethnic backgrounds in employment.

“Sustainable cities and communities” is about making cities, communities and residential developments inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Denmark can strive for more inclusive, greener and more sustainable cities, buildings and communities. It is also about ensuring resilience against the negative influences of climate change and increased urban population growth, for example.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• implement the DGNB, DGNB Heart and WELL sustainability certifications.

• establish inclusive green public spaces with a high degree of security.

• implement measures that make it easy and attractive to choose the bicycle instead of the car, in order to promote a sustainable infrastructure with a focus on human well-being.

• safeguard a number of parameters within universal design that create equality and inclusion for people with physical and mental disabilities.

• investigate (including through initial LCA analyses) and implement various different materials and construction principles that will contribute to more resource-efficient construction with lower CO2 emissions (including choice of building system, insulation, concrete, and interior and exterior surfaces).

• recycle and co-produce waste from the construction site.

• collect, divert and reuse rainwater.

• set up charging stations for electric vehicles.

“Responsible consumption and production” is about spreading sustainable consumption and production models. The debate surrounding Global Goal 12 in the Danish context is about how material management should be viewed to a greater extent from a circular economy perspective. The construction industry is a serious contender in this debate as the construction industry accounts for 30% of the total amount of waste generated in Denmark.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• establish sharing schemes for residents that can contribute to a more efficient use of resources.

• implement different materials and construction principles that contribute to a more resource-efficient construction project with lower CO2 emissions.

• recycle and co-produce waste from the construction site.

“Climate action” is about acting quickly to combat climate change and its consequences. In the Danish context, the debate surrounding Global Goal 13 focuses on how to integrate climate action into policies and the planning of cities, as well as how we can contribute to lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• implement different materials and construction principles that contribute to a more resource-efficient construction project with lower CO2 emissions;

• collect, divert and reuse rainwater;

• contribute to learning and knowledge-sharing on sustainability through common facilities, events and stakeholder meetings for residents and visitors.

“Life below water” is about preserving and ensuring the sustainable use of the world’s oceans and its resources. From a Danish perspective, Global Goal 14 is largely about the problems of overfishing and increased pollution of the oceans which are affected by agriculture, lifestyle and waste management, for example, which can all be sources of pollution. Microplastics are a particular challenge in our local environment.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• implement products/building materials that recycle plastic collected from the oceans or abandoned fishing gear.

• avoid using building materials with environmentally harmful substances (choosing products that are Nordic Ecolabelled, EU blue flower, Blaue Engel or similar), to minimise pollution of soil, air, groundwater and surface water, and flora and fauna.

“Life on land” is about protecting, restoring and supporting the sustainable use of ecosystems on land, promoting sustainable forestry, combating desertification, and stopping soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. The debate surrounding Global Goal 15 in the Danish context concentrates to a large extent on ensuring a sustainable and environmentally-friendly improvement to and utilisation of the country’s land and resources to protect the future biodiversity of the country.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• design varied green courtyards, roofs and facades with local plant species and biotopes from Amager Fælled which will help to increase biodiversity;

• manage green areas with a focus on biodiversity.

• contribute to the purification of rainwater and basins locally.

“Peace, justice and strong institutions” is about creating peaceful and inclusive communities that are supported by institutions that provide individuals with legal certainty. The debate surrounding Global Goal 16 in a Danish context is about reducing physical/mental/sexual violence, gang crime, money laundering and tax evasion, corruption and bribery, and discrimination in laws and policies. There is also a focus on ensuring transparency in decision-making processes and civic involvement.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• ensure the involvement of local stakeholders in the process.

• provide spaces for common facilities, such as the Common Room, where institutions/associations/democratic debates can be held.

“Partnerships for the goals” is about strengthening the global partnership for sustainable development and about sharing knowledge and technologies across all borders. In Denmark, the debate points to increasing Denmark’s support for sustainable development, especially in developing countries, as well as how we here in Denmark should work on implementing Global Goal 17, i.e. securing partnerships across sectors and across stakeholders in Danish society.

UN17 Village explores the potential of this Global Goal by looking at opportunities to:

• ensure a diverse and interdisciplinary project team.

• ensure the involvement of experts and local stakeholders in the process.

• contribute to learning and knowledge-sharing around sustainability through the common facilities, events and stakeholder meetings.