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.

Maternal mortality remains a test of whether health systems reach women

Gaps in skilled attendance, emergency treatment and rural access expose the distance between medical knowledge and care

Editorial Team SDG3

2 days ago4 min read

In-work poverty exposes the gap between employment and family security

Housing, childcare and household bills reveal why earning a wage does not always provide a stable life

Editorial Team SDG1

3 days ago4 min read

Young adult loneliness extends beyond the screen

Evidence on digital habits, work and housing broadens understanding of loneliness among young adults

Editorial Team SDG3

6 days ago4 min read

Hamburg begins inclusive environmental education project

SDW Hamburg plans adapted nature activities and a mobile learning programme for people with and without disabilities

Editorial Team SDG4

Oct 234 min read

Obesity and hunger within the same communities

Food insecurity can mean unreliable access to nutritious food, even where calories are plentiful and obesity is rising

Editorial Team SDG2

Oct 214 min read

Antibiotic resistance exposes gaps across healthcare, farming and drug production

Diagnostics, sanitation and new payment models reveal why developing antibiotics is only one part of the response

Editorial Team SDG3

Oct 204 min read

The Green Belt Movement: how planting trees became a movement for democracy

Wangari Maathai’s Kenyan initiative linked women’s livelihoods and environmental protection with land rights and civic participation

Editorial Team SDG16

Oct 194 min read

United Religions Initiative builds interfaith cooperation through local groups

URI links communities through local groups whose shared principles describe commitments rather than measured peacebuilding outcomes

Editorial Team SDG16

Oct 184 min read

The CERN decision that set the Web free

In 1993, CERN made its Web software freely reusable; Berners-Lee later warned about the power held by dominant platforms

Editorial Team SDG9

Oct 174 min read

When rain falls on concrete: Naples and Italy’s vanishing urban soil

Italy’s latest land take figures and Naples’ climate plan show why the city needs more room for rainwater and greenery

Valeria Russo

Oct 165 min read

Healthy diets remain beyond reach for billions

Full food shelves conceal a deeper divide between affordable calories and the varied foods needed for a healthy diet

Editorial Team SDG3

Oct 155 min read

School meals link hunger relief to learning and local economies

Evidence on attendance, family budgets and farm procurement tests the case for school feeding as a long-term investment

Editorial Team SDG4

Oct 145 min read

Copper and the physical limits of the electrification boom

Copper demand links the energy transition to mines, water, communities and the infrastructure behind everyday electricity

Editorial Team SDG9

Oct 135 min read

Ageing populations expose barriers to independent city living

Transport, housing and digital access shape how older people navigate cities and maintain everyday independence

Editorial Team SDG11

Oct 114 min read

Access Now documents internet shutdowns as civil society faces digital threats

Emergency support and shutdown research connect digital rights with access to information and public participation

Editorial Team SDG16

Oct 94 min read

Legal aid exposes the gap between having rights and enforcing them

Lawyers, community paralegals and legal information can change how people protect their homes, incomes and safety

Editorial Team SDG16

Oct 85 min read

Protecting civilian infrastructure during war and the cost of service collapse

Damage to hospitals, schools, power and water networks links immediate civilian harm to the prospects for recovery

Editorial Team SDG16

Oct 75 min read

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

Oct 45 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

Oct 35 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

Oct 25 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

Oct 14 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

Sep 295 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

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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.