Challenges facing indicators to become a universal language for sustainable urban development
Fangli Ruan, Liang Yan
Abstract
Abstract Urban development plays a role in global progress, but its sustainability is still a pressing issue. Indicators are a kind of powerful tool for addressing issues about urban sustainability and have gained increasing attention. However, making them become a universal “language” to solve this global issue is still challenging and controversial. This paper firstly summarizes 1442 indicators in the previous 47 urban sustainability studies. Then, based on the discussion of deficiencies in framing, conceptualizing, labeling, and digitalizing urban sustainability, we propose challenges facing indicators to become a universal language for sustainable urban development. Accordingly, this paper calls for an indicator dictionary, established by a particular global organization, constructed standardized and applied localized.