SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities

Common Core Program

The Common Core Program requirements are mandatory for all undergraduate students, ensuring every graduate has the opportunity to engage with sustainability. For the 2024-25 academic year, over 20 Common Core courses are directly related to Sustainability and the SDGs, making sustainability education an integral part of the foundational curriculum for all students.

Extended Major in Sustainability

For students seeking deeper engagement, the Extended Major in Sustainability is available in combination with Science, Engineering, Business, Humanities and Social Science, and most Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies majors. In 2024-2025, it offers 55 courses covering a range of SDG topics, providing an interdisciplinary pathway for students across disciplines.

Other Relevant Programs

Additional specialized degree programs further integrate SDGs into the curriculum, including the BSc in Environmental Management and Technology (EVMT) , the BSc in Sustainable and Green Finance (SGFN) , and the BSc in Ocean Science and Technology (OST). These multi-disciplinary programs equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to address specific sustainability challenges.

For more details on the integration of SDGs across the HKUST curriculum, please click here.

HKUST offers courses such as:

ENVR 2070 – Smart Buildings for a Warming Planet: Explores how smart technologies can transform buildings into carbon-neutral infrastructures to combat climate change .
ENVR 3110 – Life Cycle Assessment for Sustainable Development: Teaches quantitative tools to assess the full environmental and social impact of products and systems .
CIVL 1210 – Fundamental of Green Buildings: Covers both building-scale and city-scale principles for creating comfortable, energy-efficient built environments    

According to Science Direct, from 2021 to 2025, HKUST published 1,154 research papers addressing SDG 11. 

12.2% of them are in the top 10% cite score and around 73.7% are internationally co-authored. 

HKUST's Liquid Cooling Tech Cuts Data Center Energy Use and Emissions

HKUST has launched Hong Kong's largest liquid immersion cooling system in its research computing facility, reducing cooling energy consumption by over 80% and cutting annual carbon emissions by 900 tons, a 45% reduction compared to traditional air cooling. The system also saves approximately HK$3 million in electricity costs annually while enhancing computing performance. As cities increasingly rely on AI and data-intensive research, this sustainable cooling technology demonstrates a scalable solution to lower urban energy consumption, reduce emissions, and support climate-resilient infrastructure. The technology will be expanded to a new data center set for completion in 2026, aligning with HKUST's net-zero carbon goal by 2045 and offering a model for sustainable urban development. 

Publication 

HKUST is actively conducting research striving for a sustainable city. The following publications are evidence of this: 

Recycling of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash as Construction Materials 
HKUST-affiliated researchers review the recycling of hazardous MSWI fly ash into construction materials like cement and aggregates—reducing landfill waste and carbon emissions while improving product performance. The authors stress the need for long-term monitoring of heavy metal leaching to ensure safe application and the importance of promoting resource-efficient, lower-carbon building materials for sustainable cities.  

Multi-objective observational constraint of tropical Atlantic and Pacific low-cloud variability narrows uncertainty in cloud feedback 

HKUST researchers have found that tropical cloud feedback may amplify global warming by 71% more than previously thought, meaning Earth's climate is more sensitive to CO₂ than many models estimated. This breakthrough provides urban planners and policymakers with critical data to build climate-resilient infrastructure and prepare for heatwaves, floods, and other hazards. The findings were published in Nature Communications. 

HKUST Net-Zero Building Standard 

HKUST is committed to improving the energy efficiency of its new buildings as well as renovation projects through the implementation of newly updated HKUST Net-Zero Building Standards. The requirements outlined include anticipating future energy needs, maximizing metering and monitoring capabilities while keeping a flexible design to accommodate for future new sustainable technologies. 

Affordable Housing for Students

Undergraduate and Postgraduate students can apply for affordable residential halls all throughout Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer semesters.  

HKUST provides housing subsidies to its student residents to ensure that the University constantly offers prices below market rates, with financial aid is available to students in need. The University provides accommodations to students at rates as low as 12.5% of the rates offered by outside landlords. 

HKUST advances SDG 4 through global and local partnerships, as well as industry collaborators.

Global Partnerships

The International Sustainable Campus Network (ISCN): HKUST exchanges best practices on sustainable campus operations and urban resilience with global peers.  

Local Partnerships

China Hong Kong Culture Exchange Association (CNHK): HKUST co-organizes the Sustainability Innovation Forum. The forum connects ESG innovation with urban sustainability challenges. 

Industry Partners

Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP): HKUST pilots green tech startups on campus through the Living Lab Incubation program.  

Hong Kong Green Tech Challenge: HKUST partners to identify and deploy green technologies in building and construction.  

Gotta GO! Sustainable Explorer Challenge: HKUST engages students in designing lower-carbon travel itineraries.  

Time Auction: HKUST mobilizes staff and students through volunteerism.  

The South China Research Center

The South China Research Center, under HKUST's Division of Humanities, organizes community initiatives to preserve Hong Kong's intangible cultural heritage. In 2025, it held the Fan Lau Tin Hau Festival Field Trip, featuring Cantonese opera and lion dances, and supported the Dragon Boat Water Parade in Tai O through a service-learning activity where students assisted in this traditional event. It also runs the Joint University Docent Training Program in Yim Tin Tsai Village, with the most recent program running from September 2024 to February 2025, which included an information session, mandatory on-site training, and classroom training sessions, training students as heritage docents. 

HKUST Center for the Arts

The HKUST Center for the Arts (CFA) promotes the appreciation and participation in artistic and cultural activities through a range of programs, including exhibitions, concerts, film shows, seminars, workshops, and off-site visits. The CFA's mission is to integrate art and culture into the university, which is primarily focused on business and science, aiming to nurture students' artistic awareness and appreciation of the arts. In fall 2024, the CFA hosted two notable events.

On September 20, 2024, it presented "Sound of English Strings," a performance by the Asiartic Camerata featuring masterpieces by eminent English composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.

On October 16, 2024, it presented the "Dance Theatre Diary VII • The Story Of......" by renowned Hong Kong dancer and choreographer Mui Cheuk Yin, which chronicles her stories with stray cats and was awarded Outstanding Choreography at the 23rd Hong Kong Dance Awards. These events, part of the CFA's broader programming, accentuate the multiculturalism of Hong Kong and the wider artistic world through unique singing, dancing, costumes, and instruments.

Public Library Access  

HKUST commits to make buildings, natural landscapes including exhibition spaces and galleries in the complex completely accessible for public. Subsequently, despite the libraries being exclusively accessible by students, faculty and staff, non-university members can apply for temporary libraries access during Summer and Winter semesters.  

Transport and Commuting  

As a walkable campus, pedestrian walkways with safety railings are present next to every single wheeled-accessible road. Additionally, pedestrian crossings are marked and prioritized over wheeled vehicles. As a part of the ongoing Martin Ka Shing Lee Innovation Building Project, a bridge will be built to connect walkways on different campus buildings. 

To encourage staff members to choose more environmentally-friendly commuting options, HKUST provides over 10 Shuttle Bus routes serving around 50 stop points across Hong Kong. Our goal is for over 90% of staff to utilize sustainable transportation alternatives, which not only reduces energy consumption but also minimizes greenhouse gas emissions and alleviates road congestion.