Urban Sustainability: Reporting Systems and Dataset in the European Union

Abstract

The issue of urban sustainability has been at the center of the European political agenda for over a decade. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for geographic data and analytical tools that can usefully direct policy choices at different territorial scales, in order to select transformative options more careful in terms of environmental quality and social equity. In this perspective, the paper proposes a brief review of the reporting systems, and data set developed at European level to monitor the urban environment and measure its sustainability, highlighting its functions and utilities for urban policies.