Localising urban sustainability indicators: The CEDEUS indicator set, and lessons from an expert-driven process

Título
Localising urban sustainability indicators: The CEDEUS indicator set, and lessons from an expert-driven process
AutoresStefan Steiniger, Elizabeth Wagemann, Francisco de la Barrera, María Molinos-Senante,
Rodrigo Villegas, Helen de la Fuente, Alejandra Vives, Guillermo Arce, Juan-Carlos Herrera,
Juan-Antonio Carrasco,  Pablo A. Pastén, Juan-Carlos Muñoze, Jonathan R. Barton
Línea Dinámicas Socioespaciales
Año publicación2020
RevistaCities
Palabras clave
Urban sustainability; Indicators; Cities; Sustainable Development Goals; Chile
ResumenThe development and application of urban sustainability indicators has gained momentum in recent years, especially since the generation of specific urban indicators for the Agenda 2030. Urban sustainability is a broad concept involving many dimensions, therefore the generation of a short, but comprehensive list of indicators is a significant challenge. In this paper, we present a set of 29 indicators designed to characterise urban sustainability in Chile, which we also expect to be relevant to other cities, particularly in the Global South where issues of poverty and inequality are prevalent. We first outline the process of selecting the indicators through expert consultation. Then we present selected indicators, and the variables used to measure them. Subsequently the set is applied to six Chilean cities that are diverse in terms of population, socio-economic conditions and geography. We show that some indicators highlight negative nationwide trends that are common to the cities, while other indicators reveal notable differences that can be traced back to their local contexts. The CEDEUS indicators provide a complement to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for cities; therefore, a comparison is made with the SDGs. The indicator development process is critically examined and policy recommendations are given.
Doi
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2020.102683
Autor principalStefan Steiniger ssteiniger@uc.cl