The Cities Data Book explores the theory, development and application of urban indicator systems for improved urban management and performance measurement. The findings from a pilot exercise undertaken in 18 cities in the Asian and Pacific region, and a toolkit for replicating a policy-based urban indicator system are provided as resources for urban managers and decision-makers.

Explores the theory, development and application of urban indicator systems for improved urban management and performance measurement. The findings from a pilot exercise undertaken in 18 cities in the Asian and Pacific region, and a toolkit for replicating a policy-based urban indicator system are provided as resources for urban managers and decision-makers.

This book is about the contemporary city and its management. Relates the analysis of urban and regional change to challenges for urban governance. Explores the socio-spatial consequences of economic, social and political change as these impact on the urban city. It reviews the conceptual and empirical challenges of understanding the future of urban management.

The Cities Data Book explores the theory, development and application of urban indicator systems for improved urban management and performance measurement. The findings from a pilot exercise undertaken in 18 cities in the Asian and Pacific region, and a toolkit for replicating a policy-based urban indicator system are provided as resources for urban managers and decision-makers.

Cities have experienced an unprecedented rate of growth in the last decade. More than half the world's population lives in urban areas, with the U.S. percentage at 80 percent. Cities have captured more than 80 percent of the globe's economic activity and offered social mobility and economic prosperity to millions by clustering creative, innovative, and educated individuals and organizations. Clustering populations, however, can compound both positive and negative conditions, with many modern urban areas experiencing growing inequality, debility, and environmental degradation. The spread and continued growth of urban areas presents a number of concerns for a sustainable future, particularly if cities cannot adequately address the rise of poverty, hunger, resource consumption, and biodiversity loss in their borders. Intended as a comparative illustration of the types of urban sustainability pathways and subsequent lessons learned existing in urban areas, this study examines specific examples that cut across geographies and scales and that feature a range of urban sustainability challenges and opportunities for collaborative learning across metropolitan regions. It focuses on nine cities across the United States and Canada (Los Angeles, CA, New York City, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Pittsburgh, PA, Grand Rapids, MI, Flint, MI, Cedar Rapids, IA, Chattanooga, TN, and Vancouver, Canada), chosen to represent a variety of metropolitan regions, with consideration given to city size, proximity to coastal and other waterways, susceptibility to hazards, primary industry, and several other factors.

Abstract: This paper provides the key elements to develop an integrated approach for measuring and monitoring city performance globally. The paper reviews the role of cities and why indicators are important. Then it discusses past approaches to city indicators and the systems developed to date, including the World Bank's initiatives. After identifying the strengths and weaknesses of past experiences, it discusses the characteristics of optimal indicators. The paper concludes with a proposed plan to develop standardized indicators that emphasize the importance of indicators that are measurable, replicable, potentially predictive, and most important, consistent and comparable over time and across cities. As an innovative characteristic, the paper includes subjective measures in city indicators, such as well-being, happy citizens, and trust.

This book focuses on the measurement and utilisation of quantitative indicators in the urban and regional planning fields. There has been a resurgence of academic and policy interest in using indicators to inform planning, partly in response to the current government's information intensive approach to decision-making. The content of the book falls into three broad sections: indicators usage and policy-making; methodological and conception issues; and case studies of policy indicators.

The concept of ‘sustainable urban development’ has been pushed to the forefront of policymaking and politics as the world wakes up to the impacts of climate change and the destructive effects of the Anthropocene. Climate change has emerged to be one of the biggest challenges faced by our planet today, threatening both built and natural systems with long-term consequences, which may be irreversible. While there is a vast body of literature on sustainability and sustainable urban development, there is currently limited focus on how to cohesively bring together the vital issues of the planning, development, and management of sustainable cities. Moreover, it has been widely stated that current practices and lifestyles cannot continue if we are to leave a healthy living planet to not only the next generation, but also to the generations beyond. The current global school strikes for climate action (known as Fridays for Future) evidences this. The book advocates the view that the focus needs to rest on ways in which our cities and industries can become green enough to avoid urban ecocide. This book fills a gap in the literature by bringing together issues related to the planning, development, and management of cities and focusing on a triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability.