Republic of Cyprus Second Voluntary National Report - Sustainable development goals

83 SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES SDG 11 | Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable Highlights – 2020 • During the 2017-2020 period, Urban Local Authorities were allocated €115 million to implement projects for the main historic centres of the four urban municipalities. • The New Housing Policy Framework was revised in 2020, aiming at promoting affordable housing and allocating public funds to specific population groups, for housing purposes, through simplified procedures. • The implementation of a New Planning & Building Permit Policy concerning the construction of up to two residential units, based on a digitalised application process, expedites the issuance of permits. Covid Response • The Ministry of Interior implemented arrangements for the electronic submission of applications for various schemes, adapted policies to the specific circumstances created by the pandemic, extended the duration of existing projects, facilitated licensing in large investments to encourage and assist development in affected sectors. Looking Ahead • The National Strategy for the Development of Mountain Communities aims at boosting the quality of life and promoting sustainable development in mountain communities. • The new housing support scheme for rural and remote areas will be reassessed regularly to increase incentives for young couples and large families to relocate and revive rural communities. • From January 2022 all planning and building permit applications will only be submitted electronically and will be processed within 10 days. • The transition to e-processes is the strategic target of the Department of Lands and Surveys, for the efficient planning and design of smart cities. • An extensive local Government reform will reduce the number of Municipalities, leading to economies of scale and better services to citizens. EU RANK TREND QUALITY OF LIFE IN CITIES AND COMMUNITIES Population living in Overcrowded Homes 1 Population Living in Households Considering that they Suffer from Noise 15 Exposure to Air Pollution (Particulates <2.5Μm) 16 Population Living in a Dwelling with a Leaking Roof, Damp Walls, Floors or Foundation or Rot in Window Frames of Floor 27 Population Reporting Occurrence of Crime, Violence or Vandalism in their Area 19 SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY People Killed in Road Accidents 16 Recycling Rate of Municipal Waste 20 Settlement Area Per Capita 8 : Note: Data comes from the Statistical Service of Cyprus. EU rank presents the rank of Cyprus among the EU member states, for the most recent available year. Trend presents the 10-year trend from 2010-2019. Pos, Neg, Neg-Pos, and, Pos-Neg indicate a positive, a negative, a U-shape and an inverse U-shape trend, respectively. Green arrows indicate an improvement in the performance of Cyprus and red arrows indicate a decline in the performance of Cyprus. indicates a constant trend. : indicates that the trend is not calculated, because less than 8 years of data are available.