Which Minimum Indicator Set of Sustainability May Be Utilized in Urban Assessments? Meta-Evidence Gained Through a Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The aim of this study is to provide a thorough assessment of the sustainability indicators employed to support the changes related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, which seeks to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. A selection of scientific articles published from 2013 to 2022 has been meticulously examined, concentrating on those pertinent to the primary study issues. The utilization of assessment methodologies that draw upon the concepts of divergence (systematic literature review) and convergence (cluster analysis) between diverse information sets is paramount. A dataset of critical indicators for measuring urban sustainability has been gathered. The results show the possibility to identify common patterns among the sustainability assessment indicators, driving towards the construction of a Minimum Indicator Set (MIS), that could be a useful support for, e.g., policymakers and urban planners in realizing sustainable transformative solutions through a common and aligned valuation source.