Holistic methodological framework for the characterization of urban sustainability and strategic planning

Abstract In the past decades several attempts were made for the ad-hoc application of systems of indicators as decision-support tools towards sustainable urban development. The selected systems’ results are often questioned, either for the suitability of the selected system per se, or for its ability to characterize effectively urban sustainability. In the attempt to satisfy the demanding needs of indicators’ systems, the primar reason for which such tools were introduced is often neglected and we enter into an endless, time consuming process of arithmetic calculations, forgetting about the need to link results to strategies and applicable measures. Citizens’ perception and social maturity to accept decisions, as well as the multiplying effect of decisions to the environment, applicability and funding availability, are criteria that need to be considered, before the uptake of decisions. The current study introduces an ‘‘Indicator System for Characterization of Urban Sustainability’’ (ICARUS). ICARUS is a system for the elaboration of sustainability profile of a city. It addresses the Euro-Mediterranean urban contexts that from an eco-systemic approach point of view interact in a unique way with sustainability pillars. It is designed for aiding the delivery of the sustainability agenda as well. The methodological framework leads to a prioritized list of sustainability measures that takes into consideration not only stand-alone data but also citizens’ perception and assessment against other important criteria. The methodology is applied for the case of Municipality of Thessaloniki, in Greece. Proximity to basic services, green element and space for pedestrians are the most highly hierarchized measures.