A holistic approach to evaluate the synergies and trade-offs of city and country success

Abstract

The United Nations presented a global action plan of an integrated nature for sustainable development, and the role of cities is seen as central in efforts to implement these goals. Integrating city performance evaluation methods containing sustainability indicators is becoming increasingly popular. The United Nations and other international organizations and researchers analyze urban sustainability in the context of different countries. However, holistic assessment methods that can show if and to what extent a city is sustainable, measure its progress, and provide information for policy development are only just emerging. Our Synergies and Trade-offs Recommendation Method for Sustainable Cities and Communities (the STRICT method) proposes that country and city metrics are connected in multifaceted ways through tradeoffs and synergies. As a result of this analysis, city models and maps were created, and digital evidence-based recommendations were provided to urban and national policymakers based on the findings of the analysis. A 1% improvement in country success individual metrics led to a synergistic effect in 189 out of 219 city indicators (86.3%). The STRICT method suggests a notable impact of a country’s social, cultural, and political success on the city indicators.

Keywords

• Sustainable cities and communities
• City quality of life
• Country success
• Holistic approach
• Synergies
• And trade-offs