Designing urban sustainability assessment
Sustainable urban development is a crucial goal for policy makers in all levels of government across Europe. Effective urban governance plays a vital role in establishing sustainable city development. Thus, the broader goal is to acquire and distribute practical knowledge regarding the ways in which political leadership and citizen involvement in cities can cooperate to promote sustainable development. In order to identify the best practices through which to obtain this goal, alternative approaches were researched in nine countries. As a result of the research, a methodological approach was designed as a guide for measuring the key concepts of the collected qualitative and quantitative data. This included cultural variables at city level as well as institutional variables, the Combination of Urban Leadership and Community Involvement and institutional performance in achieving sustainability all at the case level. The policy objectives used involved social inclusion and economic competitiveness as performance assessment standards and will be included in a broader context of sustainability criteria. Since integrated policy assessment is becoming increasingly more valuable to European cities, this methodology can be used in future sustainability measurements. Furthermore, it could exemplify the various participant positions, pinpoint weaknesses and identify possible conflicts. In short, this methodology could assist local governments in creating more generative liaisons between political leaders, local actors and citizens.
