Indicators Framework for Sustainable Urban Design (original) (raw)

Sustainable Urban Development: A Review of Urban Sustainability Indicator Frameworks

Sustainability, 2021

The issue of urban sustainability is currently exceptionally up to date, and the sustainable development of cities has become an important topic on the political level. Many cities in the world are facing acute challenges concerning growing dangers to the environment and ensuring quality of life for their inhabitants. In connection with cities achieving their individual goals of sustainable development, urban sustainability indicator frameworks (USIFs) are becoming the subjects of attention. Such frameworks enable sustainability to be clearly measured and assessed. In this article, we analysed selected global and European USIFs in terms of their commonalities and differences, sustainability dimensions, thematic categories, and categorised indicators. Based on the analysis of the content of the reviewed frameworks, we compiled a list of generally recognised thematic categories within the four main dimensions of sustainable development, and we identified the key indicators of urban su...

The application of urban sustainability indicators – A comparison between various practices

Habitat International, 2011

Urban population has been increasing and it is estimated to reach 70% of the total population in the world by 2050. Governments are facing greater challenges every time in providing inhabitants with a good quality of life in their cities. Many cities around the world have developed sustainable urban development plans for leading their urbanization process towards a desired status of urban sustainability. Urban sustainability indicators have been selected as main elements for communicating the status of the practice, which help to determine how successful strategies and policies enforced have been in the attainment of sustainability goals. Different practices use different indicators according to their particular needs, and these have been selected under different methods. However, whilst there are cases where urban sustainability indicators are effectively in use, the experiences gained from each practice have not been shared and used for the development of new urban development plans and for improving the decision-making process in the selection of indicators. This paper examines 9 different practices and proposes a comparative basis, namely, International Urban Sustainability Indicators List (IUSIL), for allowing the better understanding of drivers and goals of each practice and identifying under what circumstances various practices selected their indicators. Discussions made on the comparative analysis are categorized in four different dimensions: environmental, economic, social and governance. Research results show how comparative basis can lead to knowledge sharing between different practices, which can be used to guide the selection of indicators of sustainable urbanization plans and improve the effective communication of the status of practices. The study not only reveals how different indicators are selected but also suggests the need for consistent processes of choosing indicators based on the benchmarks obtained from best practices.

Indicators and Evaluation Tools for the Assessment of Urban Sustainability

This paper attempts to provide an explanation of why reductionistic approaches are not adequate to tackle the urban sustainability issue in a consistent way. Concepts such as urban environmental carrying capacity and ecological footprint are discussed. Multicriteria evaluation is proposed as a general multidimensional framework for the assessment of urban sustainability. This paper deals with the following main topics: • definition of the concept of urban sustainability, • discussion of relevant sustainability indicators, • multicriteria evaluation as a framework for the assessment of urban sustainability, • an illustrative example.

Sustainability Assessment on an Urban Scale: Context, Challenges, and Most Relevant Indicators

Applied System Innovation, 2022

The concept and practice of sustainability in urban planning have gained worldwide significance since the early 2000s and have become increasingly mainstream in the policymaking process. Adopting global frameworks, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and ISO standards, for sustainable communities provides an opportunity to build more sustainable, innovative, and equitable towns and cities, with regard to natural resources and biodiversity. However, attaining sustainability requires addressing many fundamental issues at various levels, and achieving the goals and objectives of sustainability poses a significant challenge for all segments of society. Several methods for assessing the sustainability of the urban environment have been established in recent years. Therefore, compiling a short and comprehensive list of indicators addressing the broad concept of urban sustainability issues has arisen as a significant challenge. This research reviews four urban sustaina...

Measuring and evaluating urban sustainability

Valori e Valutazioni

The concept of sustainable development is closely related to that of sustainability assessment, as it implies a process of evaluation of progress made over time. In this context, indicators present themselves as a key and fundamental element for measuring and evaluating the specific issues that compose the different phenomena to be monitored. Indeed, they constitute the tool that can provide qualitative or quantitative data and information needed to identify the performance, progress, and weaknesses of plans, projects, and policies. In this context, the paper investigates the potential differences that the indicator can take in the differing purposes of measurement and evaluation in the context of urban sustainable development. A literature review is therefore conducted to gather and systematize knowledge so that it can be useful for reflections on sustainable urban assessment. The paper reports the results of the analysis concerning the context of measurement and evaluation, highli...

Urban Sustainability Performance as the Framework in Evaluating Sustainable City

According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2009 sustainable development is not possible without sustainable urbanization. Sustainable development has been defined as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Decision making for sustainable development, particularly in the field of planning or design, requires a framework within which to structure the problem. The proposed framework aims at guiding designers and planners, official public developers and decision makers through the process of understanding and evaluating sustainable development in planning and design on the basis of a new holistic structure that acts as a prompt and a checklist (Lombardi, P, Brandon, S, P, 2005). Sustainable urbanization is a significant component and the key to sustainable growth and it’s strategies should be "green" with a strong emphasis on energy efficiency, public transport, and sound ...

Sustainability assessment methods of urban design: A review

Cities are responsible for 70% of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the depletion of agricultural land and natural resources. The sustainable urban design can achieve the required balance, in addition to measuring convergence with sustainable development and the possibility of dealing with long term urban problems. It also encourages community participation by involving people in the design process through its various stages, and asks them to contribute to decision-making, which represents one of the foundations of collective action in creating sustainable urban design. The vision of this paper is to clarify the concept of sustainability assessment of urban design. The analysis of current situations is based on a critical review and comparison among six assessment tools from the UK, USA, Japan, Portugal, UAE and Qatar. The study focuses on finding out the strengths, weaknesses, the content use, weighting, scoring, certificates rating and context of the assessment tools. The findings of this study suggest that the existing assessment tools focus on environmental issues; and some extent social issues of sustainable urban design, while economic indicators are not emphasized in any of the tools, with ambiguity in the mechanism of local adoptions and community participation.

Sustainability on the urban scale: Proposal of a structure of indicators for the Spanish context

Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 2015

Some efforts to assess sustainability on the urban scale have been made and different tools for measuring the impact on and caused by cities have emerged. However, the sustainability concept varies from region to region, and indicators to measure it should be suitable for the context-specific conditions of the region under study. After doing a comprehensive review of the indicators included in 13 tools developed to assess urban sustainability of cities, this article proposes a new structure of indicators adapted to a Mediterranean city in Spain. The proposed structure is based on a two-level scheme that consists in 14 categories and 63 subcategories, which agglutinate urban sustainability indicators according to their purpose. This structure suggests a set of comprehensible qualitative and quantitative indicators that are easily applicable on neighbourhood or city scales. Given the similar features of Mediterranean countries in terms of environmental and socioeconomic aspects, the proposed structure could be extrapolated to other countries with climatic and cultural similarities. Otherwise, the system is a useful tool in the decisionmaking process to help the different stakeholders involved in new urban developments and regeneration projects in existing neighbourhoods, such as developers, urban planners and public administrations. Keywords built environment; urban sustainability; assessment tool; urban indicator Highlights  Comprehensive review of 13 urban sustainability assessment tools  Proposal of a two-level structure to cluster urban sustainability indicators  Inclusion of sustainability criteria for urban planning projects and interventions the sustainability of larger areas that come close to the city scale. Thus it is necessary to not only focus on the assessment of the sustainability of buildings as an isolated element, but to also consider more complex aspects which relate them to their surroundings and the environment. To date, some studies have suggested qualitative and quantitative indicators with a sustainable urban neighbourhood approach (Bourdic et al., 2012). Although other qualitative analyses have been conducted (Gil and Duarte, 2013; Haapio, 2012; Nguyen and Altan 2011), the first quantitative review was by Luederitz et al., (2013). This study sorted the literature indicators into 17 categories and counted the number of papers included in each one. However, not all the sustainability criteria were completely covered by these categories and the indicators included in each one have not been profoundly analysed. This paper aims to bridge this gap by proposing a set of categories that cover all the sustainability criteria based on the analysis of indicators published in the literature. Different tools have been developed worldwide precisely for this aim. By way of example: Leadership in

Tools for evaluating the sustainability of urban design: a review

2013

The present policy objective of sustainable urban development has created the need for methods of ex ante evaluation of local area development projects that assess the contribution of alternative solutions to the general sustainability goals. For this reason, we have seen the evolution of building energy assessment methods into sustainable neighbourhood assessment methods that are more integrative and contextual to accommodate the complexities of the urban scale. This article identifies and reviews a selection of sustainable urban development evaluation tools that are applicable to the early stages of urban design projects, to provide a clearer picture of the state of play to those needing to use such tools and those wanting to develop new ones. The review follows an analytical framework covering the format, structure, content and output of the tools, based on the recommendations of planning evaluation theory and the requirements of urban design practice. Since no single tool stands out from the review, the choice is not simple and there is scope both to further improve existing tools and develop new ones. The paper concludes proposing a strategy for the development of robust and compatible sustainable urban development evaluation methods based on four goals: collaboration, compatibility, customisation and combination.

Developing a Label for Excellence in Design for Urban Sustainability

2013

The thesis investigates the impact caused by urban development on the environment. In addition, the thesis proposes and tests a methodology and a prototype tool for assessing the environmental performance of urban environments. The first section of the research briefly discusses some of the important environmental performance rating systems available on the market, such as USGBC-LEED, BREEAM, ISO 14000, NABERS and CASBEE. Their use for assessing urban developments is investigated critically. The thesis points out relevant flaws 6.1.4.1. Commercial Areas Designed for Local Commerce 6.1.4.1.1. Priority Given to Public Transportation over Private Transportation 6.1.4.1.2. Reduction of Private Areas over Common Areas 6.1.4.1.3. Preservation of Ecosystems and Green Corridors 6.1.4.1.4. Urban Food Production 6.1.4.1.4.1. The Social Function of Urban Agriculture 6.1.4.1.5. Integrated Transportation Planning and Design 6.1.4.2. Urban Energy Consumption and Local Production 6.1.4.3. Water 6.2 Conclusion 7. How the Economic Status quo affects Urban Environmental Inequality 7.1. The Inconsistent Relationship between Economy, Economic Growth and Environmental Limits 7.2. Urban Sustainability in an Economic Environment 7.2.1. The Unsustainable Real Estate Approach to Urban Growth; the Myth of Profit 7.3. Conclusion 8. Indicators for Urban Design Environmental Assessment 8.1. Introduction 8.2. The Unreal Handiness of the Car Exchanged for the Real Convenience of not Going 8.3. Urban Environments towards Walkability 8.4. Food-Integrating Food in Urban Planning 8.5. Mobility: Circulation of People and Goods 8.6. The Matter of Distance-High-Density or Low Density-Transportation and Urban Design 8.7. Energy and Consumption 9. General Global Footprint: Results and Analysis 9.1. Urban Ecological Footprint Measurement Prototye Tool 9.1.1 Description of Prototype Tool 1 Components 9.1.1.1. Advantages and Disadvantages of Prototype Tool 1 9.1.2 Description of Prototype Tool 2 Components 9.2. Cases Studies-Contemporary Urban Developments 9.3. Using the Prototype Tool 9.3.1. First Group of Analyses-Ancient Societies, Incas, Medieval Milan, Contemporary Rural India and China 9.3.1.1. Ancient Rome 9.3.1.2. Ancient Greece surplus according to the ecological footprint of the case studies 308-10 1714-Hans Carl von Carlowitz 1,2 "Nachhaltigkeit" (Sustainability)-Forest Economy or Guide to Tree Cultivation Conforming with Nature" 1757-Wilhelm Gottfried Moser 1,3 Modifying Carlowitz's term sustained to sustainable. Definition of forest management. Introduction of the expression 'sustainable economy for forests'. 1972-Club of Rome-Limits of Growth 1 Sustainability as a counter-model to economic dominance. It explores how exponential population growth interacts with finite resources. 1972-UN Conference on Human Environment 4 Introduction of the concept of sustainable development concealing economic development and environment. 1972-United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) 1,4 Leading the efforts of the United Nations family on behalf of the global environment. Its current priorities are environmental aspects of disasters and conflicts, ecosystem management, environmental governance, harmful substances, resource efficiency, and climate change. 1980-World Conservation Strategy produced by IUCN 4 World Conservation Strategy produced by IUCN put forward the concept of 'sustainable development' meaning development that would allow ecosystem services and biodiversity to be sustained. 1987-Gro Harlem Brundtland 4 "Our Common Future"-"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." 1993-US. Council on Sustainable Development 5 "to bring people together to meet the needs of the present without jeopardizing the future" 1993-David Pearce and Giles Atkinson 1 An economy is considered sustainable if its savings rate is greater than the combined depreciation rate on natural and man-made capital. They define sustainability as implying maintaining the level of human welfare (or well-being) so that it may improve, but never decline (or, not more than temporarily, anyway). In this sense, sustainable development can be viewed as the non-decline of human welfare over time.