Citizen science (CS) is a diverse practice, with projects emphasizing scientific and/or democratization goals. While the integration of both goals is advocated for sustainability transitions, this implies contextualized methodological choices. This contribution presents an instrument to explore methodological choices in relation to project goals and context, linking these patterns to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By way of a PRISMA scoping review, case studies implemented in the Global North (GN) or Global South (GS) were selected and categorized using the instrument to identify notable patterns. GN projects are generally published by GN authors and can predominantly be linked to productivity goals relating to SDGs on biodiversity (SDGs 14, 15). In contrast, GS projects are commonly associated with diverse co-author groups that focus on democratization and/or productivity, and prioritize SDGs on agriculture, health, sustainable communities, and climate change (SDGs 2, 3, 11, 13). The analyzed case studies could contribute directly to three SDG indicators and indirectly to 22. Methodological choices regarding project goals and themes translate into variations in participant selection and recruitment, contribution types, and project outcomes. Further, project design and outcomes can be linked to co-authorships, with larger teams typically associated with co-created projects which in turn focus on democratization or democratization and productivity goals, and produce a wide diversity of outcomes. Qualitative information extracted from the investigated papers was used to contextualize the relevance of combining productivity and democratization goals as well as the related challenges of harmonizing different interests and of resource limitations as well as other project constraints.

The relationship between culture, creativity and sustainable development has been placed on the agenda of institutions that promote human development and sustainability at an international level, such as The United Nations Program for the Environment, Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network. Therefore, it is worth investigating how this approach is being implemented in the development strategies of cities in Chile. First, this article presents the result of the review of national development policies in the field of culture, the environment and urban development, to identify how it is approached the relationship between culture and sustainable urban development. In the second place, it presents case studies of cities that have implemented culture and creativity in their local development strategies, with positive results in some of the four variables of sustainable development: culture, social development, environment and economic development. In conclusion, it can be identified that although the link between culture and sustainability is beginning to be present in the guiding instruments of public policies for the development of cities, this is not an approach incorporated in most of them, contrasting with the importance of the link between culture and sustainable development in the practice of civil society organizations and municipalities.