This paper critically examines the concept of sustainable development, particularly in the context of urban challenges exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the concept of sustainable development has been around for more than three decades, it faces ongoing global socio-environmental crises that have been exacerbated by the rapid spread of COVID-19 since 2019, which has highlighted the vulnerability of urban and interconnected cities. Our approach includes a comparative literature review to analyze the evolution and critique of sustainable development, focusing on its conceptual foundations, complementary strategies, and political-economic implications. The paper addresses the urban implications of COVID-19, emphasizing its direct impact on the Sustainable Development Goals and arguing for a comprehensive reassessment of sustainable urban development practices. We propose a transformative agenda that recognizes local specificities and draws on cities' experiences during the pandemic to build a more equitable and crisis-resilient global society. This research highlights the urgency to rethink current sustainable development paradigms, especially in light of the human-environment imbalance and lessons learned from the COVID-19 crisis. It calls for a reformed global approach that incorporates local dimensions and draws on the experience of cities to address the inequalities and crisis-prone structures in our societies, with the aim of a fundamental shift toward a more sustainable future in the post-COVID-19 era.
