IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York
Abstract
This paper addresses the potential and limits of sustainability indicators as monitoring tools in the urban resilience of cities. First, we begin with a literature review on sustainability indicators to show how they have evolved over time and how they could guide urban resilience. Second, to illustrate their potential and limits, we discuss the research process and the findings of a benchmarking analysis in which we compare where the 175 largest Canadian cities stand on their sustainability transition path, using a selection of eight environmental and eleven socioeconomic indicators. On the research process, we highlight the most challenging aspects regarding the data collection and the scoring methodology. On the findings, we show how city’s size and type (e.g. suburban city) matter and as such, they are likely to take different path toward resiliency. Finally, we conclude on some lessons learned with various research and policy implications.
Juste Rajaonson is a geographer and professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Tourism at the University of Quebec in Montreal. He was a guest editor of the MIT Science Policy Review. His current research interests lie at the intersection of public policy evaluation and urban sustainability in Canada. Formerly, Juste served on the Government of Canada Deputy Ministers’ Task Force on Innovation at the Privy Council Office. His research has been published in journals such as Ecological Indicators, Social Indicators Research, and Journal of Sustainable Tourism.
Georges A. Tanguay is Professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Tourism at the School of Management of the University of Quebec at Montreal. He is specialized in sustainable development, sustainability assessment tools, transportation and public economics. He is an internationally known researcher for his work on sustainable development indicators. His research has been published in journals such as Ecological Indicators, Environment and Planning A, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, Urban Studies Journal of Urban Affairs, Public Choice and Research in Transportation Economics.
Pier-Karl Bilodeau is a graduate student completing his Masters in Urban Studies at the University of Quebec in Montreal. His thesis focuses on the use of indicators in sustainability assessment of large cities in Canada.
3:15 pm - 4:45 pm
Thursday 15th June, 2023