By Katherine Peinhardt for GreenBiz

To create a framework for sustainable development beyond 2015, the United Nations recently announced a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals.

Broader in scope than a preceding set of Millennium Development Goals, the new goals identify a long list of targets that address the role of cities in human well-being.

The SDGs are a step forward in the recognition of cities as engines of development.

Indeed, for the first time, the SDGs address urban planning as a method for sustainable development. More specifically, the new list uses Goal 11 to “make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”