Communities & Infrastructure

This category focuses on how communities around the globe are pioneering sustainable and health-focused development. It is dedicated to exploring how collaboration and local initiatives can drive significant changes in infrastructure and urban planning, directly benefiting both the environment and the people who live there.

The global sand crisis hidden inside modern construction

Demand for concrete, roads, glass and reclaimed land is putting rivers, coastlines and communities under pressure

Editorial Team SDG12

1 day ago5 min read

Cash assistance is changing how humanitarian aid reaches people

Cash transfers offer choice and potential savings, while disrupted markets and digital exclusion can limit their reach

Editorial Team SDG2

2 days ago5 min read

Methane from rubbish: why landfills have become a climate target

Reducing landfill methane involves gas capture, food-waste prevention and reliable collection and treatment services

Editorial Team SDG13

3 days ago5 min read

When seawater moves underground: coastal aquifer salinisation threatens freshwater supplies

Rising seas, drought and heavy pumping threaten coastal drinking water and farming, while aquifer recovery varies.

Editorial Team SDG6

4 days ago4 min read

The right to housing in Europe: dignity, property and the limits of profitability

Vienna and Mari Carmen’s case in Madrid raise questions about reconciling affordable homes, investment and property protection

Editorial

6 days ago5 min read

Remittances exceed aid but costs limit their development impact

Migrant money supports education, healthcare and enterprise, while transfer costs and financial exclusion reduce its reach

Editorial Team SDG10

Sep 254 min read

Hamburg pupils discover urban forests through outdoor learning and TREEPOLY

SDW Hamburg combines a nature day with a board game to explore city trees, climate adaptation and everyday environmental decisions

Editorial Team SDG11

Sep 234 min read

Green steel tests the economics of industrial transformation

Hydrogen and recycled scrap can cut steel emissions, but clean electricity, investment and buyers determine the pace of change

Editorial Team SDG9

Sep 225 min read

Naples wanted tourists. Now it has to work out how to remain a city for the people who live there

As tourism reshapes Naples, the challenge is no longer attracting visitors but ensuring that the city remains liveable for the communities that made it desirable

Valeria Russo

Sep 195 min read

Groundwater depletion drains the hidden reserve beneath cities and farms

Falling water tables threaten supplies and infrastructure, while local projects show how pumping and recharge can change

Editorial Team SDG6

Sep 164 min read

Who owns the scientific data needed to protect the planet?

Satellite records, climate observations and genetic databases expose tensions over access, profit and public funding

Editorial Team SDG13

Sep 155 min read

Busubi founding Power of Communities Hub

In Busubi, a farming parish in central Uganda, twenty-three people have founded the first community hub of the Global Society to complete its founding - with reusable sanitary pads, hand-bound notebooks and a room where eleven people showed up.

Editorial

Sep 125 min read

Climate change is pushing the global water cycle towards sharper extremes

Rising heat is disrupting rainfall, river flows and water supplies as adaptation expands from reservoirs to allocation reform

Editorial Team SDG6

Sep 125 min read

The opportunities and ecological risks of floating solar power

Solar arrays on artificial water bodies can spare land and limit evaporation, but ecological effects remain site-specific

Editorial Team SDG7

Sep 115 min read

Peatland restoration protects ancient carbon stores and threatened habitats

Rewetting degraded peat can curb emissions and fire, but durable recovery depends on land use and local livelihoods

Editorial Team SDG15

Sep 94 min read

Worldreader tests whether mobile reading can turn screen time into early learning

BookSmart gives families free digital books, but access, sustained use and evidence remain central questions

Editorial Team SDG4

Sep 84 min read

Wildlife corridors and species survival in fragmented landscapes

Connected habitats allow wildlife to move, breed and respond as roads, farms and warming climates reshape ecosystems

Editorial Team SDG15

Sep 65 min read

Camara Education’s digital classrooms test the promise of offline learning

The charity combines reused computers, teacher training and local hubs in Africa, while evidence on education technology remains mixed

Editorial Team SDG4

Sep 35 min read

How cities can protect people from extreme heat

Heat plans combine public warnings and emergency relief with long-term changes to streets, homes and workplaces

Editorial Team SDG11

Sep 15 min read

African Library Project expands school libraries through locally managed book partnerships

The US-based non-profit links North American book drives with schools and community organisations in seven African countries

Editorial Team SDG4

Aug 315 min read

Splash International tests a citywide model for school water and hygiene

Independent evidence from Addis Ababa shows both measurable gains and the limits of a school WASH intervention

Editorial Team SDG6

Aug 305 min read

Long-duration energy storage gains importance in renewable-rich grids

Wind- and solar-rich grids are testing storage that can shift electricity across hours, nights and calm weather.

Editorial Team SDG7

Aug 295 min read

Rewilding benefits and conflicts in shared landscapes

Restoring ecological processes can revive habitats, but land, livelihoods and consent shape whether projects endure

Editorial Team SDG15

Aug 275 min read

Former fossil-fuel sites gain a second life in clean energy

Reusing mines and power sites can unlock grids and land, but jobs, pollution and local consent remain decisive

Editorial Team SDG7

Aug 265 min read

Global Society Delegation in Kenya

A delegation of civil society leaders advances regional cooperation, launches two Global Society Hubs and joins women’s and youth initiatives in Kenya

Editorial Team SDG17

Aug 254 min read

Reforesting Iceland – The greening of shattered stone

How biological infrastructure is reversing a millennium of ecological collapse in Europe's least forested country

Till Heumann

Aug 225 min read

Pratham’s learning model tests what children can actually do

Simple assessments and level-based teaching have reshaped the debate over foundational learning and how programmes scale

Editorial Team SDG4

Aug 204 min read

MareCet maps marine mammal habitats

Long-term field research in Malaysia is turning sightings of dolphins, dugongs and whales into evidence for marine planning

Editorial Team SDG14

Aug 184 min read

Built to last: repairing, adapting and reusing before building new

Designing buildings for repair, adaptation and disassembly could keep materials in use and reduce demand for new construction

Editorial Team SDG12

Aug 175 min read

Reef Check turns volunteer dives into evidence on reef health

Standardised surveys widen reef monitoring, while research shows where volunteer data are strongest and where limits remain

Editorial Team SDG14

Aug 164 min read

How APOPO’s detection rats connect mine clearance and tuberculosis screening

Trained African giant pouched rats support demining and TB case-finding, but work within tightly controlled human systems

Editorial Team SDG3

Aug 155 min read

Blue Ventures links community-led marine conservation to coastal livelihoods

The organisation combines local fisheries management, finance, data and health services across tropical coasts

Editorial Team SDG14

Aug 134 min read

Environmental information turns pollution data into democratic accountability

Public records allow communities to test official promises against permits, emissions and environmental conditions

Editorial Team SDG16

Aug 115 min read

Debt-for-nature swaps face a test of lasting conservation

Debt relief can fund forests and oceans, but durable results depend on transparent finance and public consent

Editorial Team SDG14

Aug 105 min read

Environmental cooperation turns shared resources into channels for dialogue

Shared ecosystems can open contact across conflict lines, but cooperation depends on rights, power and durable local institutions

Editorial Team SDG6

Aug 85 min read

Debt repayments squeeze climate resilience investment in lower-income countries

Rising debt costs narrow budgets for flood protection, health systems, clean energy and disaster readiness

Editorial Team SDG17

Aug 74 min read

The world changes when society chooses to change it - part one

History shows that organised citizens have shaped many of the world’s greatest advances, proving that lasting change often begins far beyond the corridors of power

Editorial Team SDG17

Aug 65 min read

World Bicycle Relief turns rural mobility into essential infrastructure

Purpose-built bicycles help communities reach schools, clinics and markets where transport remains scarce

Editorial Team SDG9

Aug 55 min read

Working animals at the centre of community resilience

Around 200 million animals may contribute to the livelihoods of between 300 million and 600 million people worldwide

Editorial Team SDG8

Aug 46 min read

When coastlines can no longer be defended

Managed retreat tests whether governments can reduce coastal risk without dismantling communities

Editorial Team SDG11

Aug 16 min read

AI data centres are testing the limits of power and water systems

Faster computing is intensifying pressure on electricity grids, cooling water and environmental accountability

Editorial Team SDG9

Jul 316 min read

Satellite alerts expose deforestation but enforcement determines their impact

AI can detect forest loss rapidly, but data access, local verification and state action decide whether trees are protected

Editorial Team SDG15

Jul 306 min read

Architecture of inequality, the built environment shapes life chances

Housing, transport, green space and public services are not neutral infrastructure. They distribute health, wealth and opportunity.

Editorial Team SDG11

Jul 277 min read

Women defending land and water are reshaping environmental leadership

Women environmental defenders protect shared resources while confronting violence, exclusion and legal pressure

Editorial Team SDG5

Jul 235 min read

Libraries as democratic infrastructure for education and public life

Libraries protect equal access to knowledge, digital services and lifelong learning amid widening social and information divides

Editorial Team SDG4

Jul 167 min read

Grassroots partnerships at the heart of global women's rights

MADRE supports women-led organisations through long-term partnerships that connect human rights, peacebuilding and climate justice

Editorial Team SDG5

Jul 145 min read

When tourism becomes a local burden

Tourism can support cities, but unmanaged growth can displace residents, strain resources and turn communities into visitor economies

Editorial Team SDG11

Jul 127 min read

The forgotten right to sanitation

Safe toilets and wastewater systems protect health, education, equality and dignity, yet remain neglected in public policy

Editorial Team SDG6

Jul 107 min read

Library For All and the case for culturally relevant children's books

Library For All works to expand early literacy by creating books that reflect the languages and lives of underserved children

Editorial Team SDG4

Jul 87 min read

Lake Sevan clean-up pledge draws attention to a wider water crisis

A foundation linked to Cape Town’s WeCare Foundation says it will fund shoreline waste removal in Armenia while urging stronger action on sewage, runoff and water withdrawals.

Editorial Team SDG6

Jul 34 min read

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Communities & Infrastructure

This category highlights innovative community-driven efforts that transform cities into models of safety and sustainability. From local urban gardens that enhance food security and biodiversity, to community-based renewable energy projects that reduce dependence on non-renewable sources, these stories show the power of localized action. We explore how communities are not only adapting to the challenges of modern living but are also actively reshaping their environments through sustainable practices.

It also focuses on how these collective efforts contribute to building resilient communities that can withstand economic, social, and environmental stresses. It showcases successful examples of neighborhood planning where residents take the lead in making their communities more inclusive, accessible, and environmentally friendly. This category provides a comprehensive look at how empowered communities are essential to driving sustainable development. It encourages readers to see the value of local involvement and collaboration in crafting solutions that have a lasting positive impact on both people and the planet.