The accelerating pace of urbanization, coupled with changes in land-use patterns and the exacerbation of extreme climatic events—marked by heightened unpredictability and severity, particularly in regions of the Global South—necessitates a thorough reevaluation of urban governance and management frameworks. In response to these challenges, it is essential for strategies to integrate local socio-economic specificities while navigating the inherent complexities of these issues, leveraging contextually appropriate resources within a sustainability paradigm. In this regard, contextualizing and incorporating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into urban planning frameworks is crucial for advancing urban sustainability. However, significant obstacles hinder their effective integration at the urban scale, particularly in fast-evolving, resource-constrained settings. This study seeks to address this critical gap by systematically examining the barriers to SDG integration in urban planning within sub-Saharan Africa. For this purpose, Moundou, Chad, is used as a representative case study, reflecting both the challenges and opportunities of urban sustainability in the region. A hybrid methodology underpins this research, combining in-depth interviews with key development stakeholders, a detailed review of strategic documents aligned with the SDGs, and semi-structured questionnaires to capture diverse perspectives. The results reveal that the institutional dimension constitutes 38.46% of the barriers identified by stakeholders, with key challenges including limited capacity for long-term planning, a lack of expertise, and inadequate multisectoral coordination, among others. In addition, the economic and socio-cultural dimensions each represent 23.08% of the identified barriers, encompassing issues such as dependence on external funding, the high cost of green technologies, low public awareness, and resistance to change within communities. Finally, the data access dimension ranks last, accounting for 15.38%. To overcome these challenges, it is essential to implement mechanisms that strengthen institutional capacities, promote cross-sectoral collaboration, enhance public awareness, and cultivate a culture of adaptability and innovation within local communities. Furthermore, improving data accessibility and reinforcing financial mechanisms are vital to addressing these barriers comprehensively.

Over the last two decades, scientific studies have increasingly highlighted the vulnerability of cities to global changes, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where climate phenomena and urbanization are intensifying. These realities necessitate a reassessment of current urban management models in order to reaffirm the central role of cities in promoting sustainability. In this context, establishing a robust scientific foundation for evaluating the transition processes of cities towards sustainability is essential. This article presents a methodology developed to select and validate indicators, taking into account local issues and the needs expressed by stakeholders. The research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, which included a literature review, consultations with populations from five study districts, analysis of the indicator needs of development stakeholders, adoption of two methods, and validation of the indicators by a group of experts. The outcome of this research is a set of 20 indicators organized into five dimensions: environmental, social, economic, built environment, and cultural. The analysis of the proportional distribution of these indicators across dimensions reveals a notable predominance of the social dimension, which accounts for 35% of the indicators, including key indicators such as access to potable water, electricity, education, and healthcare services, inter alia. The environmental and built environment dimensions each comprise 20% of the indicators, encompassing indicators such as the preservation of natural resources, waste management, land use management, and flood management, among others. The economic and cultural dimensions represent 15% and 10% of the selected indicators, respectively. These data indicate that achieving sustainable urban development within the context of this study requires a focused effort on enhancing the performance of these indicators, with substantial efforts needed in the social domain. It is of paramount importance to incorporate these indicators into the decision-making processes related to urban development planning in Moundou and other cities in the region, as they provide valuable scientific insights crucial to the pursuit of sustainability.

Contemporary cities are shaped by the intricate interplay of material and immaterial flows operating within non-linear urban metabolisms. In the face of escalating global challenges—most notably climate change and rapid urbanization—their governance has become increasingly complex, exposing the limits of conventional sectoral approaches to urban sustainability decision-making. This complexity is especially pronounced in sub-Saharan African cities, where limited adaptive capacity, financial constraints, and weak governance hinder effective responses to ongoing transformations. In this context, a systemic approach to urban governance offers a compelling framework for strengthening public decision-making. This study applies the MICMAC method (Matrix of Crossed Impacts—Multiplication Applied to a Classification) to identify patterns of influence and dependency among variables. It then uses dynamic systems modeling via Vensim (version 8.2.1) to simulate interactions among twenty interdependent indicators of urban sustainability. The systemic analysis highlighted the strategic relevance of the following indicators: rational land use, accessibility and mobility, urban vegetation density, flood management, and access to health services. Six structuring feedback loops were also identified: the spatial-functional loop, ecological resilience loop, civic cohesion loop, regulatory-economic loop, social inclusion loop, and health–productivity loop. These dynamic interrelations highlight the need for systemically informed urban governance capable of enabling integrated and evidence-based decision-making for sustainable urban development.

Although slower than that of metropolitan areas, the growth of secondary cities in Africa is nonetheless a major phenomenon influencing urban, socio-economic, and environmental dynamics. This research aims to assess the urban sustainability of Sarh based on the indicators of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11). The methodology adopted is based on a mixed approach, combining documentary analysis, the use of demographic and spatial data, a survey of household heads, the calculation of SDG 11 indicators, interviews, and statistical analysis. The results reveal that the majority of SDG 11 indicators show significant negative deviations. Furthermore, the performance of these indicators is statistically associated with several socio-economic variables, including income, occupation, age, and residence status. Analysis of the correlation matrix highlights synergistic relationships between the indicators for SDG 1, SDG 6, SDG 8, SDG 9, and SDG 11. Finally, five main obstacles to urban development in Sarh were identified: weak governance (47.30%), urban poverty (15.06%), low citizen participation in urban planning and management (13.41%), insufficient infrastructure (12.23%), and social tensions (12%). This research highlights the critical need for effective urban policy strategies to address the challenges posed by the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) in secondary cities.