Bridging green building and accessibility standards in Higher Education: Towards an inclusive campus framework for SDGs 10 and 11

¹ Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia
² Disability Innovation Center, Indonesia
³ Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji w Krakowie, Poland

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

The Green campus initiative has been gaining positive momentum in Indonesian higher education, although, people with disabilities are still often excluded from access. This absence appears to run contrary to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, which focuses on sustainable cities and communities, specifically in the University setting. This study closely examines the misalignment between Indonesia’s Greenship green building certification and national accessibility standards, including Law No.8/2016 on People with Disabilities and the Ministry of Public Works Regulation No. 14/2017. This research employs a qualitative approach, aligning policy analysis with in-depth semi-structured interviews. The research identified significant gaps in policy integration and implementation. Findings unveiled that although environmental sustainability is well supported, accessibility is often considered a secondary concern for compliance purposes. In response, this study presents an inclusive Green Campus Framework that bridges universal design principles with green building standards. The framework emphasizes cross-sector collaboration, inclusive formulation, and design approaches that prioritize ecological and sustainability. The study calls on higher education institutions (HEIs) to move beyond unsystematic practices and adopt integrated approaches that embed accessibility within the environmental sustainability agenda. Consequently, campuses can evolve into inclusive environments aligned with the transformative goals of SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).