Cities have become the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with their large populations and high interconnectedness making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of the virus (UN 2020). The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of SDG 11 in crisis response, recovery, and rebuilding in cities. Ensuring universal access to adequate, safe, and affordable housing, which is a fundamental human right, as well as access to basic services, supports a socially just, economically viable, and ecologically healthy future.

The pandemic has exacerbated issues of inadequate housing, including tenure insecurity and limited access to water supply and sanitation, which trap the vulnerable and marginalized in a cycle of poverty. Investment in adequate, safe, and affordable housing will have a profound and direct impact on the realization of many SDGs, particularly goals 6 (clean water & sanitation), 7 (affordable & clean energy), 8 (decent work & economic growth), 10 (reduced inequalities), 12 (responsible consumption & production), and 13 (climate action). It is also an enabler of poverty reduction (goal 1), gender equality (goal 5), and a just, peaceful, and inclusive society (goal 16).