Assisting sustainable development processes
The ECOPADEV project focuses on providing authorities with decision-making tools in order to improve town planning and local living conditions. Local authorities play an important role in accelerating sustainable development objectives such as promoting competitiveness and growth while also preserving natural resources and improving the overall quality of life. The goals of sustainable development are intended to span industrial areas as well as individual companies. Therefore, one of the objectives of the new web-based tool is to assist local authorities in improving urban governance and decision-making via the Eco-Industrial Park method. The strategy behind this method is to integrate industry, citizens and administration efforts in incorporating environmental and socio-economic aspects. In order for the web-based tool to function, two components need to be combined. One is the evaluation methodology that collects data for evaluating Park sustainability situations. The other is a set of indicators that measure the progress of quality urban life through surveys of achievements. The ECOPADEV web-based tool has the advantage of using a questionnaire appropriate to each user's data availability. In this way, appropriate suggestions for each situation of the Park can be generated in a step-by-step approach. Furthermore, in addition to local authorities, the main users may also include Park Management Organisations.