Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Sustainable Development Goal 9

An electronics engineer running tests in a lab surrounded by cables

"Economies with a diversified industrial sector and strong infrastructure sustained less damage and are experiencing faster recovery." —United Nations (un.org)

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals—adopted by all United Nations member states—serve as a blueprint to protect the planet and improve the lives of all people, with no one left behind.

Sustainable Development Goal or SDG 9 aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

The United Nations established targets for achieving and measuring progress towards SDG 9 including:

  • Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
  • By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

Sample stories

Explore place-based stories, created with  ArcGIS StoryMaps , that examine historical infrastructure to modern approaches aiming to promote a sustainable future.

The secret life of bridges

by Esri

Read about the history of bridges and the issues faced as they degrade over time.

Rural access to roads

by  CIESIN  and Esri

Learn about SDG indicator 9.1.1, commonly known as the Rural Access Index or RAI, and its use in assessing rural populations' access to transport.

The electric commute

Examine New York City commuter data for insight to their patterns and what potential exists for sustainable infrastructure.

Charging across the country

by Esri

Learn from one couple the nuances of purchasing an electric vehicle and the data available to ease the transition.

Data sources

Access a few data sources and apps behind the sample stories and consider ways to tell your own SDG 9 narrative.

U.S. Department of Energy

The  Alternative Fuels Data Center  provides maps and charts showing transportation data and trends related to alternative fuels and vehicles.

U.S. Department of Transportation

The  Federal Highway Administration  provides data submitted annually to FHWA by States, Federal agencies, and Tribal governments.

Explore Canada's 100 biggest infrastructure projects with the  ReNew Canada Top 100 Dashboard  below.

Explore more data sets in  Esri's Living Atlas of the World , a collection of maps, apps, and data layers from around the globe.

Learning resources

Get hands-on experience with SDG 9 geospatial data through Esri learning materials. Then build your storytelling skills with ArcGIS StoryMaps tutorials, for beginners and beyond.

About the Storytelling for a Sustainable World collection

The  Storytelling for a Sustainable World collection  was created as a storytelling resource for the Global Councils on the SDGs. The collection, which includes one story for each United Nations Sustainable Development Goal, will assist the Global Councils as they work to ensure progress toward the global goals. Each SDG story includes topical sample stories, relevant data sets, and learning resources to get started.