Public policies and cities: How to balance sustainability and inclusiveness?

Sustainable Development Goal # 11 (SDG # 11) has been a significant push for the global agenda to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. This paper will aim at focusing on the first and last components of SDG # 11 and try to explain how cities can balance both with right public policies. The reason why these two components are selected to discuss is that usually policy makers have historically seen them as two conflicting objectives. For instance, policies to create more public spaces such as parks, recreation areas, etc. in cities have been highly objected by developers and the private sector in general due to their low or almost zero revenue-generating potential. Then, are public policies towards cities doomed to fail in terms of bridging sustainability and inclusivity? Does it mean that cities are left with no choice to create winners and losers? What are the prospects for SDG # 11 if this inherent dilemma is not resolved? The paper will try to address these questions and conclude.