Policy Lab

Why Cities Need an SDG Policy Lab

Cities sit at the frontlines of the SDGs. They carry the burden of rising inequality, malnutrition, education gaps, climate risks, and growing urban demands. Yet city policies are often reactive, fragmented, or disconnected from the global goals.

The SDG Acceleration Policy Lab changes this by combining AI tools, PDIA (Problem-Driven Iterative Adaptation), and the Adjacent Possible approach to help cities identify their real problems, co-create feasible solutions, and iterate rapidly. The Lab is not just a think tank—it is a do-tank where mayors, city councils, barangays, universities, youth, and civic leaders experiment together to make SDG gains real and measurable.

What the Lab Does

Through 100-day cycles, the Lab helps cities: 

1. Discover priority SDG bottlenecks through inclusive consultations.
2. Frame challenges using AI analysis and foresight, surfacing the adjacent possible.
3. Experiment with small-scale policy pilots and track results in real time.
4. Reflect & Scale by adapting what works into formal city policies or ordinances.

Categories of Policy Interventions

The Lab equips cities to design and test policies across five categories of interventions proven to accelerate SDG gains:

1. Enabling Policy & Institutional Reforms

·         Create city SDG councils/offices for coordination.

·         Align budgets and plans (CDP, CLUP, LDIP, AIP) with SDG targets.

·         Deploy city-level SDG dashboards for accountability and transparency.

2. Service Delivery Innovations

·         Expand nutrition-sensitive health programs (First 1000 Days, school feeding).

·         Improve city education systems with literacy and digital learning campaigns.

·         Deliver affordable housing and resilient sanitation systems.

3. Economic and Social Inclusion Policies

·         Support MSMEs and cooperatives through credit and incubation.

·         Strengthen social protection systems like cash transfers and microinsurance.

·         Empower youth and women with employment and leadership pathways.

4. Climate, Environment, and Resilience Measures

·         Enforce Local Climate Change Action Plans (LCCAPs) through ordinances.

·         Scale green infrastructure and renewable energy in public facilities.

·         Advance blue economy and watershed protection policies for sustainability.

5. Participation, Partnerships, and Culture Change

·         Institutionalize participatory budgeting and barangay SDG assemblies.

·         Partner with universities, startups, and CSOs for policy innovation.

·         Launch public narrative campaigns that build citizen ownership of SDGs.

Features of the Lab

·         AI SDG Navigator: Generates draft ordinances, briefs, and budget notes aligned with SDGs.

·         Adjacent Possible Mapping: Foresight tools that reveal new opportunities from existing city assets.

·         Policy Hackathons: Quarterly multi-sector design sprints for SDG policies.

·         Leadership Track: Training in Adaptive Leadership, PDIA, and Bridging Leadership.

·         City SDG Dashboard: Monitors progress across sectors and accelerates data-driven decisions.

Expected Outcomes

·         10+ SDG-aligned city policies or ordinances each year.

·         City-level SDG dashboards for tracking progress and accountability.

·         Increased adaptive capacity of 100+ city officials, barangay leaders, and civic partners.

·         Replication-ready policy innovations shared across Philippine and ASEAN cities.

·         Expanded Adjacent Possible pathways for achieving ambitious SDG targets.