The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) will host a free informational webinar from 2:00-3:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 24, 2014, about a new standard from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO): ISO 31720, Sustainable development of communities -- Indicators for city services and quality of life. ANSI is the U.S. national member body to ISO, a network of standards bodies from over 160 countries.
The standard can be previewed online and is available for purchase on ANSI's eStandards Store (eSS). To take part in the webinar, visit the webinar registration webpage.
The first standard to be published as part of an integrated suite of standards being developed by ISO Technical Committee (TC) 268, Sustainable development in communities, ISO 31720 provides a comprehensive set of indicators and a methodology that will enable a city of any size in a developed or a developing economy to measure its social, economic and environmental performance in relation to other cities. The standard's 100 core and supporting indicators cover critical areas of municipal governance, urban infrastructure, delivery of services and quality of life issues such as: education, emergency response, energy, finance, health and safety, housing, telecommunications, transportation, and sanitation and water. The standard will inform decision-making by city managers, planners, and policy makers to help cities become more efficient, more sustainable and more resilient.
Initially developed using the Global City Indicators Facility (GCIF) framework, the new ISO standard was formally announced at the May 15-16, 2014, Global Cities Summit, which was hosted by the GCIF in conjunction with the Global Cities Institute at the University of Toronto. Also announced at the Summit was the formation of the World Council on City Data (WCCD). The WCCD coordinates efforts on urban data to ensure a consistent and comprehensive open data platform for standardized urban metrics. A group of 16 WCCD foundation cities will pilot and adopt ISO 37120 over the next couple of months. The June 24 webinar will feature GCIF Director Patricia McCarney and GCIF Manager Helen Ng. Related standardization matters and initiatives will also be discussed.
The June 24 webinar is the first in a series of monthly web meetings hosted by the new ANSI Network on Smart and Sustainable Cities (ANSSC), a venue for city officials, sustainability professionals, and standards practitioners to exchange information on standards and best practices related to the urban environment [see related story]. For additional information about the ANSSC and to participate in future events, visit www.ansi.org/cities.