Indicators For Urban And Regional Planning

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.

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.

Community indicators measuring systems represent a mechanism to improve monitoring and evaluation in planning, incorporating citizen involvement and participation. They reflect the interplay between social, environmental and economic factors affecting a region's or community's well-being, and, as such, can be extremely valuable to planners and developers. Yet, little research has been conducted on their efficacy. This book provides a comprehensive review of how community development indicators evolved and examines their interplay with planning and development. It questions how we adequately measure concepts associated with indicators systems and whether these systems are sustainable and can best evolve. In doing so, the book allows a better understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of community indicators measuring systems, as well as how best to design and implement them.

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 provides a framework for the design, implementation, and measurement of sustainable urban development in developing countries. It presents the findings of an AGS-sponsored project. Based on case studies in Johannesburg, Gabarone, and Santiago de Chile, the book identifies challenges and potentials for sustainable urban development and suggests alternative ways that governments, city-regions, communities, and planners can respond to these challenges. The introductory part highlights the problem of global urbanization, focusing on cities of sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. The design part includes a context/needs analysis followed by recommendations of broad frameworks for sustainable urban development. The implementation part looks at the institutional and policy framework and strategies necessary for sustainable urban development, while the measurement part deals with the required mechanisms and tools for evaluating sustainable urban development policy and strategies as well as the review of outcomes/impacts (indicators). This publication is of special interest for university researchers and students, international experts, and organizations for sustainable urban development in developing countries, but also practitioners from planning authorities worldwide.