1. Assessment of the Results and Methodology of the Sustainable Development Index for Spanish Cities
- Author
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Álvaro de Juanes, Javier García López, Carlos Mataix, Javier Benayas, Julio Lumbreras, Raffaele Sisto, UAM.Departamento de Ecología, and Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM)
- Subjects
Index (economics) ,Geography, Planning and Development ,0211 other engineering and technologies ,Sustainable Development Goals ,TJ807-830 ,Context (language use) ,SDG ,02 engineering and technology ,Audit ,010501 environmental sciences ,Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law ,TD194-195 ,01 natural sciences ,Renewable energy sources ,Consistency (negotiation) ,Indicators ,GE1-350 ,Adaptation (computer science) ,Evaluation ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences ,Sustainable development ,evaluation ,Environmental effects of industries and plants ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,2030 Agenda ,021107 urban & regional planning ,Environmental economics ,sustainable development goals ,indicators ,Principal Component ,Management ,Environmental sciences ,Medio Ambiente ,Ranking ,Synergies ,Sustainability ,Development Goals Sdgs ,Business ,Trade-Offs - Abstract
In 2017, the United Nations adopted a global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicator framework, calling on member countries to collect complementary national and regional indicators. Cities are crucial to channelling efforts towards sustainability through the use of these indicators. They provide an integrated approach to the city situation monitoring sustainability. However, more research is needed to understand how to adapt the goals, targets and indicators to specific municipal contexts. In 2020, the Spanish Sustainable Development Solutions Network launched the 2nd edition of the Spanish Cities Index. A set of 106 indicators allows for monitoring the implementation of the SDGs at the local level for Spanish cities. The objective is to perform a statistical audit to evaluate the consistency of the indicators and the impact of modelling assumptions on the result. The methodology used is an adaptation of the Handbook on Constructing Composite Indicator prepared by the European Commission. The indicator system is well balanced and covers the essential areas of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Spanish ranking is robust enough among the alternatives evaluated. However, some improvements are possible in the selection of indicators, e.g., removing redundant indicators and regional data. Finally, it is recommended to weigh goals based on municipal responsibility to adjust the results to the Spanish municipal context.
- Published
- 2021