Introduction [to Good Health, Quality Education, Sustainable Communities, Human Rights]

As remarked in the Third International Conference on Learning Cities «In the embracing lifelong learning as a tool to foster social, economic, cultural and environmental sustainability, cities around the world have enormous potential to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, ensure inclusive and equitable quality education, and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all» (UNESCO-Institute for lifelong learning 2017: 6). Learning cities, as green and healthy, inclusive and equitable, and supporting decent work and entrepreneurship, are a crucial driver in the achievement of this Agenda: cities are fertile ground for science and technology, for culture and innovation, for individual and collective creativity and for mitigating the impact of climate change. Cities can play a key role in achieving EU objectives and are expected to play a fundamental role in the implementation of Europe 2020 strategy and its seven flagship initiatives with the essential concepts of: a) smart growth, cities concentrate the largest proportion of the population with higher education; they are at the forefront in implementing innovation strategies; b) green growth, the promotion of green, compact and energy-efficient cities is a key contribution to green growth; c) inclusive growth, social exclusion and segregation are predominantly urban phenomena and cities can contribute to inclusive growth, notably in combating social polarisation and poverty, avoiding the segregation of ethnic groups and addressing the issues of ageing (European Union 2011).