Kópavogur was the first municipality in Iceland to formally embrace the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In September 2018, the Municipal Council adopted a holistic strategy for Kópavogur, based on the 15 prioritised SDGs and their 36 targets. The city is following a data-driven approach to implement the SDGs as a tool for public sector innovation and to bring all the municipality’s actions under one strategic framework. The city is also using the SDGs to build awareness and strengthen ownership of the local strategy among private sector and civil society. The case of Kópavogur also points to the importance of addressing the SDGs through an integrated and functional approach, since many sustainable development challenges span beyond sole perimeter of the city and require close cooperation with the hinterland, as in the case of public transport and waste management.
