Housing is an important element of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and an essential driver for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. Adequate and affordable housing leads to benefits in health, education and economic opportunities. The process of housing improvement is often a ladder out of poverty for families. These changes benefit the larger community, reducing inequality and building resilience against economic and natural disasters.

Actions toward adequate and affordable housing have multiple effects and support the implementation of other global development strategies, such as the New Urban Agenda, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

This guide is intended to serve as a useful resource for better understanding the transformational impact of housing on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It can be a tool for housing practitioners and sustainable development experts alike, helping them fill in their respective knowledge gaps. It is also a starting point for action, research and analysis for measuring housing impact through the SDGs’ monitoring framework of targets and indicators.