This is a broader, wide-ranging notion that has to do with clear policies, and well-balanced, harmonious development in a fair and just environment. It deliberately and conscientiously builds on the conditions prevailing in a city at any time, despite its size or location. Prosperity, as defined by UN-Habitat, is a social construct that materializes in the realm of human actions. It is also a global monitoring mechanism, adaptable to national and local levels that can provide a general framework that allows cities, countries, and the international community to measure progress and identify possible constraints. The CPI is both a metric and a policy dialogue, which offers cities from developed and developing countries the possibility to create indicators and baseline information, often for the first time. Its composite index made of six dimensions serves to define targets and goals that can support the formulation of evidence-based policies, including the definition of city-visions and long-term plans that are both ambitious and measurable. UN-Habitat’s City Prosperity Initiative (CPI) is a global initiative that enables city authorities, as well as local and national stakeholders, to identify opportunities and potential areas of intervention for their cities to become more prosperous. This obviously greatly impacts the quality of decision-making.Ī tool to measure sustainable urban development

Too often, existing city data is not adequately detailed, documented and harmonized, or worse, it simply is not available for a whole host of critical issues relating to urban growth and development. This is fundamental towards achieving higher levels of urban prosperity and sustainable urban development for all.

However, poor planning, the absence of effective governance and legal frameworks, fragile institutions, the low capacity of local authorities, and the lack of a sound monitoring mechanism, diminishes the possibility to promote long-term sustainable urban development.ĭata and metrics enable cities to make correct decisions on the best policies to adopt and assist in tracking changes, whilst systematically documenting their performance at the outcome level. They have been able to forge new linkages among actors and offer innovative solutions, with the potential to be part of national agendas and to influence regional and global development. Cities have emerged as the focus for change and the venue where policies are realized.

Global city index