Page 32 - U4SSC Factsheet Ålesund, Norway, June 2020

Urban Planning

Category KPI Result Performance to Benchmark SDG

Pedestrian Infrastructure 0.01 %

Urban Development
and Spatial Planning: YES
Compact

Urban Development
and Spatial Planning: YES
Connected
Urban Development
and Spatial Planning: YES
Integrated
Urban Development and
Spatial Planning: Inclusive YES
Urban Development and YES
Spatial Planning: Resilient

Well-managed urbanization techniques generate economic prosperity, sociocultural progress and
environmental sustainability. Poorly managed urbanization causes increased inequality, the growth
of slums and negative climate change impacts. Successful urban development and planning requires
evidence-based design, implementation and management.

To be considered ‘sustainable’, urban plans should have all of the following five principles/elements, as
demonstrated through evidence-based and innovative methodology (including data innovations like
spatial analytics, GIS and Big Data):

1) compactness: avoiding urban sprawl;

2) connectivity: places and locations to demonstrate high connectivity;
3) integration: mixed urban land use;

4) social inclusiveness; and
5) resilience to climate change.

Ålesund has reportedly implemented all five principles, which makes it a sustainably planned region.

However, Ålesund’s sustainability level is generally impacted by the high reliance on cars in the region,
which also translates into a lack of pedestrian infrastructure. Pedestrian zones (also known as car-free
zones) are areas of a city that are reserved for pedestrian use only. Most, or all, automobile or truck
traffic is prohibited from such zones (except for emergency vehicles or occasional deliveries or taxis).

26 U4SSC Factsheet | Ålesund, Norway | June 2020