How do you enhance a city’s attractiveness, and preserve its environmental, social and cultural assets, when faced with a growing population?
Since becoming the first community in Europe to be certified to ISO International Standard ISO 37101, Sustainable development in communities – Management system for sustainable development – Requirements with guidance for use, Sappada in Italy now benefits from better managed local complexities, new initiatives for education and environmental protection, new ways of promoting their area and a system to measure and monitor sustainability performance – all the while increasing community engagement.
ISO 37101 is part of a suite of standards dedicated to future-proofing cities and making them sustainable and resilient, thus contributing to the goal of this year’s World Cities Day and United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11 for sustainable cities and communities.
Developed by ISO’s committee of experts from more than 50 countries, ISO/TC 268, Sustainable cities and communities, it joins other standards dedicated to developing frameworks and measuring performance, such as the ISO 37150 series on smart community infrastructures and the recently updated ISO 37120, Sustainable cities and communities – Indicators for city services and quality of life.
Dr Bernard Gindroz, Chair of ISO/TC 268, said the cities of tomorrow face many challenges but also great opportunities, such as increasing citizen engagement and improving city living.
“The future of cities affects everyone as it touches everything from public transport, public facilities, water and energy supplies to social engagement, health and more,” he said.
“Building sustainable cities is no easy task, as cities are, by their nature, a highly complex interaction of systems. These standards help city leaders to define their own vision of how they want their city to be, how they will deal with the many challenges of a growing population and how they will get there with clear strategies, targets and roadmaps,” he adds.
Continuing the global conversation on sustainable cities, ISO joins fellow standards organizations – the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) – at the World Smart City Forum in Santa Fe, Argentina, on 29 November 2018.
The Forum will bring together leading international figures in the smart and sustainable cities space to discuss challenges and solutions in smart city development.
For details and registration, check the World Smart City Website.
1) United Nations, World Urbanization Prospects, 2014 revision