Quest for a Tool Measuring Urban Quality of Life: ISO 37120 Standard Sustainable Development Indicators

Abstract

Humanity is exceeding planetary boundaries, and it seems that it is unlikely to meet internationally agreed sustainable development goals. Current trends and challenges in the domain of urban sustainability assessment have proven that measuring and interpreting results regarding quality of life requires a complex analysis. The aim of this paper is to investigate the possibility of comparing, in a transparent way, urban quality of life using sustainable development indicators based on the ISO 37120 standard, taking as case studies seven selected cities: Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Gdynia, London, Los Angeles and Zagreb. The hypothesis reads as follows: the ISO 37120 indicators, converted into partial and total utility value, then grouped within sustainable development dimensions (environmental, economic and social) may be used to measure the level of urban quality of life. Research results indicate that there are some significant and interesting differences between the compared cities within the environmental, economic and social pillars. The analysis, conducted with the use of utility method, may facilitate taking the right decisions on urban management, planning and investment. Thus, this tool may be useful for decision makers and help cities and communities of all sizes to become more safe, resilient, prosperous, inclusive, smart and sustainable.

Formation of a comfortable urban environment as a factor of sustainable development of the territory

“…The existing gaps in the relationship between urban policy and management from the point of view of sustainable development should also be noted [7]. But urban policy and infrastructure are in direct relationship with the main elements of the ESG approach [8], including the number of green spaces [9], with the agro-industrial sector development [10], regional management and territorial planning [11], and improving the population life quality [12] considering the environmental situation [13]. "The locality in which the relevant subject is located has its own characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages, on the basis of which individual indicators of the system "social orientationenvironmental safety -economic policy" are adjusted [14].…”

Qualitative–Quantitative Warning Modeling of Energy Consumption Processes in Inland Waterway Freight Transport on River Sections for Environmental Management

“…A similar relationship was noticed in transport, and therefore, attention has been paid to the need to promote one of the paradigms of sustainable development, i.e., decoupling [9,10]. The achievement of the goals outlined in the white paper 'Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area-Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system' by 2050 is synonymous with cutting off the oil dependency of the transport system without compromising mobility and efficiency [2,11,12]. It is connected with the need to improve the energy efficiency of all modes of transport, the implementation of sustainable fuels, and more efficient propulsion systems [11].…”

Moving towards Sustainable Mobility: A Comparative Analysis of Smart Urban Mobility in Croatian Cities

“…In addition to the aforementioned standard, ISO 37122:2019 [14] is also often used, which offers a set of indicators for smart cities categorized into 19 areas. The use of the proposed indicators helps cities achieve greater safety and resilience [15], and ultimately greater overall sustainability of the urban system. Moreover, the mentioned indicators are a good starting point for the management of cities [16] as well as individual areas within the cities themselves.…”