Abstract
We propose a new city-level index of environmental performance, Urban Sustainability Index. This is a composite multi-layer index covering the dimensions of urban environmental asset quality, efficient resource use, and climate risks and socioeconomic benefits. The index has been calculated annually across years 2015-2021 for more than 11 thousand localities in 164 countries. In order to achieve the worldwide coverage and ensure verifiability and transparency of the results, we rely on publicly open satellite imagery and geospatial datasets. To ensure a consistent treatment of cities despite national variations in defining a city, we utilise a concept of Urban Centre as proposed by a consortium of international organisations and adopted by the UN Statistical Commission. The index offers a new tool for impact investors, policy makers, civil society organisations, and academia to (i) identify challenges faced by cities in a comparative fashion, (ii) target and expand new investments in sustainable urban development, and (iii) monitor changes in cities’ performance over time. We believe the Urban Sustainability Index can be further expanded to capture novel socioeconomic dimensions in the future, and can have wide-ranging utility for urban planning, biodiversity designs, and providing snapshots of systemic change or market effects.
Presenters
Alexander StepanovImpact Economist, Impact, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, United Kingdom
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Assessing Impacts in Diverse Ecosystems
KEYWORDS
Urban development, Composite index, Geospatial analysis
