Our Cities

Mafra

Portugal

City Details

Inhabitants

86.5k

Area

292 km²

Altitude

115 m

Photo by Krivinis on Adobe Stock

City News

September 13, 2023

SDG Cities goes to Mafra, Portugal

Mafra, first European city to be awarded SDG Cities Silver Certificate

City Features

Facts

Mafra is primarily known for the National Palace, a construction commissioned by King John V which features both a church and monastery. This expansive building boasts over 860 rooms, including a noteworthy library. The church, constructed from marble, is decorated with statues and low reliefs, showcasing sculptures crafted by the 16th-century artist Machado de Castro.

Mafra serves as a hub for manufacturing and agricultural trade. The region is rich in resources, with limestone, basalt, granite, marble, and alabaster quarries contributing to the local economy. [1]

Data
Action Planning
Capacity Building
Investment
Monitoring

The data track ensures that cities can access and use data to describe their baseline on SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) achievement and inform local action. City level statistical data, spatial data and perception data will be collected and analyzed to:

Report on the performance of the city such as through Voluntary Local Review,
Plan local transformative initiatives, and
Monitor progress.

Participating cities will be provided with digital data tools in line with the Global Urban Monitoring Framework.

The strategic planning track ensures that city data merges with community and stakeholder participation to generate inclusive, spatially represented strategic plans for 2030. Participating cities will be provided with guidance based on an existing range of strategic planning tools.

Cities must identify priorities, complete a Voluntary Local Review, and develop a Strategic Development Plan.

In line with the new urban agenda, this track aims to ensure adequate local systems and institutional capacities in areas of governance; integrated urban and territorial planning and design; effective revenue and finance; and effective, equitable urban basic services. participating cities will be provided with digital diagnostic tools and training materials and will be connected in learning communities with cities with similar capacity development priorities.

This track supports the financing of high impact projects in cities through the Cities Investment Facility, comprising of:

City Investment Portal - a digital platform through which project promoters and investors can interface. As projects advance their bankability and develop pre-feasibility and feasibility studies, the portal is updated to reflect the stage of the project;
City Investment Advisory - an advisory service on project preparation, financial design, blended finance, risk mitigation and optimizing SDG impact; it also provides early-stage investor linkages, and
City Investment Vehicles - that provides initial investment and necessary advisory to late-stage development projects with the goal of bringing them to financial close.

Coming soon.