Formalizing an integrated metric system measuring performance of urban sustainability: Evidence from China

• Published in: Sustainable cities and society Vol. 79; p. 103702
• Main Authors: Liu, Bingsheng, Yang, Zhongqi, Xue, Bin, Zhao, Dong, Sun, Xinzhang, Wang, Wentao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2022
• Subjects: Empirical study; Factor analysis; Metric system; Triple bottom line; Urban sustainability; EFA; Metric system; Triple bottom line; Urban sustainability; Factor analysis; CDI; FDES; KMO; Empirical study; UN; ESI; SDGs; EKC; CPI; EPI; CFA
• ISSN: 2210-6707; 2210-6715
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scs.2022.103702

•A system measuring performance of urban sustainability for China is formalized.•Five key factors are identified in the system using EFA and CFA.•Six cities in China and 129 experts interviews are adopted to validate the system.•A methodology for defining indicators of urban sustainability is provided.•The system emphasizes the urban service to enhance life quality for inhabitants. Urban sustainability has become a global concern. How to effectively and consistently measure urban sustainability through a metric system is a subject of debate. Based on empirical data with 377 expert samples, this study adopts exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis to establish a metric system measuring urban sustainability that is applicable to Chinese cities. Compared to existing studies, this proposed metric system focuses on the developmental situation of China and is streamlined to 5 factors, including only 18 indicators. Environment, infrastructure, service and policies, health, and population dynamics are key factors influencing expert judgment on urban sustainability. The comprehensiveness, reusability, and formality of the metric system are further validated by interviews with 129 urban management professionals and case studies including six cities with different themes in China. The results reveal the importance of maintaining quality of life in urban sustainability, which theoretically expands the sustainability indices under the framework of the triple bottom line from a people-oriented perspective. Practically, both urban policymakers and the public can assess the sustainability of urban areas leveraged by the formalized system. It is also generalizable to evaluators who thoroughly assess similar cities in other developing countries in terms of sustainable development.