Professional Documents
Culture Documents
of cities:
measuring
sustainability
KPMG International
kpmg.com
© 2016 KPMG Advisory N.V.
© 2016 KPMG Advisory N.V.
Contents
Preface 4
Introduction 5
Acknowledgments 30
© 2016 KPMG Advisory N.V.
Preface
The prestigious title of European Green Capital is
awarded annually by the European Commission to
promote and reward the efforts of cities to improve
their sustainability for their residents. The award, which
was established in 2010 in recognition of the vital role
of sustainable, low-carbon living for cities and citizens
everywhere, has been won by Stockholm, Hamburg,
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Nantes, Copenhagen, and in 2015, by
Bristol, the first UK city to do so. Ljubljana bears the title
in 2016.
During its tenure as European Green Capital, Bristol
convened leading practitioners from a variety of sectors
to promote the sustainable future of the city. As part of
that discussion, the city council asked KPMG to work
with others to develop a knowledge-transfer program
that other cities around the globe could apply to their
own sustainability needs.
The result was the Bristol Method, a series of modules
addressing different aspects of urban sustainability.
KPMG’s Global Sustainability and Cities practices
worked with stakeholders to produce practical modules
that guide city governments in measuring their current
and future sustainability and building a vision for
stakeholders. These modules have been updated and
enhanced to form The future of cities report.
The report has two modules: “Creating a vision” and
“Measuring sustainability”. It draws on the expertise
of many sources and includes a range of case studies
to ensure that cities find approaches relevant to their
own context. Although the report has its genesis in the
experience of Bristol, its findings are widely applicable,
outlining the considerations and processes involved
in building sustainable cities for current and future
generations.
Introduction
Ever since the first cities were founded, their leaders have
needed metrics to understand what was happening in
them. What we have measured has changed over time as
the needs of city leaders and the role of government have
changed. The metrics have become more complex and
higher profile, and their uses have expanded, particularly
as government addresses a wider range of social
needs. When we measure cities now, we are seeking
to understand them in order to manage them better and
to provide evidence of performance. Increasingly, we
measure cities to understand their viability and to make
decisions that will allow those who live in them to be
happier and healthier in the future.
The measurement of what we call a city’s inequality and other issues. The 1990s
‘sustainability’ has also changed over concept of environmental, social and
time. We might say that sustainability economic balance nevertheless still
used to be about measuring the level of stands, as recognition grows that these
pollution and the amount of parkland. three are interdependent. Focusing on
In the 1990s, many cities began to environmental, economic or social aims to
take a new approach to balancing their the exclusion of the other two areas will
environmental, social and economic not guarantee a successful city — but it
impact, using metrics not only to measure may guarantee an unsuccessful one.
factors such as energy, water use and
This paper discusses some of the ways
pollution but also to address concerns
in which cities are being measured and
such as crime, employment and health.
how these metrics could evolve. More
In recent years, the definition of important, it provides practical examples
sustainability has become even more of what leading cities are doing, the
sophisticated, and the metrics we use lessons to be learned and how these
to measure it have broadened to include can be applied to other cities.
social cohesion, biodiversity, well-being,
When all city services are effectively protection. This means balancing the When we consider sustainability, it
delivering outputs to support all city burden of current taxation against is important to think beyond simple
programs, sustainability is at a sweet investment for the benefit of future environmental protection. The
spot where quality of life is being generations. definition should take the following,
maximized for city residents. Quality much broader view.
It also means having a clear vision
of life is one measure of the long-term
of what the city wants to offer to its
sustainability of the city.
current and future residents. We cover
Financial sustainability
Sustainability is most commonly this topic in another module. Many cities around the world are finding
referred to as: they do not have enough funds to provide
Creating a happier and healthier city
the programs and services within their
should involve encouraging values and
mandate. The challenges of inadequate
responsible behaviors that enhance
funding are many and varied, but the
“meeting the needs of the the quality of life for its residents
relevance to sustainability is whether
current generation without both now and in the future, rather
a city is forced to sacrifice investment
compromising the ability of than excessive behaviors that create
in long-term social, environmental and
future generations to meet current happiness at the expense of
financial outcomes in view of short-term
their own needs”. future happiness. Imagine a municipal
constraints and needs.
government that lowered taxes or spent
This definition makes a lot of sense in all its revenues on items with relatively
short-term ‘vanity’ benefits, such as
Social sustainability
an urban context. Any sustainable city
needs to determine how its citizens poorly conceived festivals or sporting As cities around the globe become
can thrive while it also ensures that events, at the expense of investment larger, the issue becomes whether
the needs of the next generation are in employability, skills training, legacy increasing social unrest, violence
met through education, investment in infrastructure and green spaces. Current and tensions between cultures can
infrastructure, cultural and community and future generations would receive be avoided and the rising demand for
development, and environmental little or no sustained benefit. social supports can be managed as the
population grows. This is true whether The design and layout of a city are key to is pollution reduction, the two priorities
cities are densely built or develop into its ability to meet those needs. support one another, but if the goal is to
vast urban sprawls, as every form alleviate congestion, they do not.
Sustainability is clearly a multi-
comes with specific challenges.
dimensional concept that involves So while a city might make every
balancing city programs so that they effort to optimize the effectiveness of
Environmental sustainability operate effectively, and then passing its services, the indicators for those
Just about every resource society uses that balanced approach along to the services might be indirectly affected
is either grown or mined. Our way of life next generation. As soon as we tip by other levels of government, making
depends on the productive capacity of the balance in favor of one program it challenging to attribute the effects to
the land and the resources that can be area over another, the city runs into one government’s services or another’s.
extracted from the ground or recovered problems. This suggests that the impact of all
from our own waste. It is therefore vital related services needs to be considered
A key challenge facing city sustainability
for the future viability of cities that we systemically.
is the mandate of other levels of
carefully steward these resources.
government to deliver services. While
the city might do its best to achieve
Physiological and sustainability within its program
psychological sustainability mandate, if all levels of government
The physiological and psychological needs do not synchronize their actions,
of urban residents are often considered sustainability can be challenging, if not
part of social sustainability. We need to impossible, to achieve.
consider if cities can continue to meet A city may wish to incentivize the
not only basic needs such as food, shelter development of public transport
and security but also more advanced and cycling, whereas the national
needs such as a sense of belonging and government may seek to subsidize low-
the opportunity for self-actualization. emission private transport. If the target
The Circles of Sustainability method Each of these domains is then divided The benefit of this approach is that it
helps urban communities understand into seven sub-domains. For example, considers a range of indicators, allowing
how to become sustainable. It has been economics is categorized into policy makers to understand the impact
used by numerous cities, among them production and resourcing, exchange of their actions across diverse social
Johannesburg, Melbourne, New Delhi, and transfer, accounting and regulation, settings. Traditional tools, by contrast,
São Paulo and Tehran. consumption and use, labor and typically focus on only one dimension.
welfare, technology and infrastructure,
Responses to questions about
and wealth and distribution.
economic, ecological, political and
cultural ‘domains’ are scored to
develop a comprehensive profile of the
sustainability of an area.
ECONOMICS ECOLOGY
Production & Resourcing Materials & Energy
Exchange & Transfer Water & Air
Accounting & Regulation Flora & Fauna
Consumption & Use Habitat & Settlements
Labour & Welfare Built-Form and Transport
Technology & Infrastructure Embodiment and Food
Wealth & Distribution Emission & Waste
POLITICS CULTURE
Vibrant
Good
Highly Satisfactory
Satisfactory+
Satisfactory
Satisfactory–
Highly Unsatisfactory
Bad
Critical
Created in 2009 the Green City Index water and sanitation, waste management, seven key lessons on how to become a
is a tool to help cities compare their air quality and environmental governance. greener city.
environmental performance. A mix of quantitative and qualitative
The benefit of this approach is that
indicators measures not only each city’s
Over 120 cities in Europe, Latin America, cities can learn from each other as
current environmental performance but
Asia, Africa and North America have they debate policies and strategies to
also its intention to become greener.
had their environmental performance minimize their environmental footprint,
measured to identify their strengths and A summary report documents key accommodate population growth,
challenges. findings of the Green City Index about promote economic opportunity and
each region, highlighting the best- safeguard quality of life for urban
The index uses approximately
performing cities, making comparisons dwellers today and in the future.
30 indicators, including CO2 emissions,
between continents and outlining
energy, buildings, land use, transport,
Index
— Water consumption Water Buildings — Energy consumption of
— System leakages residential buildings
— Wastewater system — Energy-efficient buildings
treatment Waste & standards
land use Transport
— Water efficiency and — Energy-efficient buildings
treatment policies initiatives
The Improvement and Efficiency Social international outreach, social the index is intended to be used by
Enterprise (IESE) Cities in Motion cohesion, mobility and transportation, city stakeholders such as mayors,
Index is an annual study. Using publicly human capital and the economy. administrators, companies that
available data, the index surveyed provide solutions for urban challenges
The aim is to create knowledge and
148 cities in 57 countries for its 2015 and interest groups that promote an
develop valuable ideas and innovative
report, 55 of them capital cities. improved standard of living for urban
tools that can generate smarter cities
residents.
It examines cities through and promote change at the local level.
10 ‘dimensions’: governance, urban
The IESE Cities in Motion Strategies
planning, public management,
report that details the findings of
technology, the environment,
4 GNH Index
The Happiness Alliance, a Seattle-based balance, social vitality and connection, poverty rates, air emissions, voter turnout,
organization, was inspired by a survey education, arts and culture, environment graduation rates, volunteer rates, rates of
conducted by the government of Bhutan and nature, good government and domestic violence and other crime, life
using a ‘gross national happiness’ (GNH) material well-being. expectancy, length of commute, work
index, rather than referring solely to gross hours and so on.
The Happiness Alliance, which has
domestic product.
been endorsed by Seattle City Council, Thousands of Seattle residents have taken
Bhutan surveys its citizens on nine key was the first organization in the US to part in the survey. The findings allow policy
aspects of happiness: psychological well- develop objective indicators to measure makers to make more effective decisions
being, physical health, time or work–life happiness. The indicators measure when serving their communities.
Psychological wellbeing
— Life satisfaction
Living standards — Positive emotions
— Negative emotions Health
— Assets
— Spirituality — Mental health
— Housing
— Self reported health
— Household per status
capita income — Healthy day
— Disability
Ecological diversity
and resilience
— Ecological issues Time use
GNH
— Responsibility towards — Work
environment — Sleep
— Wildlife damage (Rural)
— Urbanization issues
In summary
Using guidelines that are designed to apply to common urban sustainability issues,
rather than developing methods that apply to the particular city, offers various benefits
and challenges.
— the opportunity to compare cities — the inclusion of key performance indicators (KPIs)
that are irrelevant to a city’s priorities
— a comprehensive breakdown of many drivers of
sustainability — the time required to participate in a method that uses
numerous KPIs
— peer and specialist support
— the likelihood of a program being in the pilot stage
— the opportunity to meet a defined standard
and having few comparator cities
— academic research and corroboration
— the use of macro-level KPIs that are unlikely to
— a way to determine whether all relevant issues are change over the short term, rather than of KPIs that
covered drive impacts
— a means to identify areas in which the city can — prohibitive costs in times of budgetary constraint
perform better
The following case studies highlight their strengths and limitations, and studies featuring Tokyo Metropolitan
some ways in which particular cities they are followed by helpful guidelines Government and the Region of
and organizations have measured their for other cities to effectively measure Waterloo both included direct
progress on the issues that matter most the sustainability of their programs, support from KPMG firms.
to them. These real-life examples have services and interventions. The case
1
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/council-and-democracy/quality-life-bristol#jump-link-2
All major policy sectors have an Over the past 40 years, the Higher levels of well-being
impact on well-being, but they measurement of well-being have been shown to have a
often operate independently has developed to such an positive impact on important
despite the potential benefits of extent that we can now conditions such as physical
working across policy areas. rigorously monitor the impact and mental health, social and
Measures of well-being have the of policy areas that have environmental behaviors,
potential to unify the traditionally been thought of productivity and resilience.
development and assessment of as intangible. This includes Promoting well-being should
policies, providing a common measuring the impact of not be seen as a luxury. It
currency not only for all policy green and social spaces and needs to be a serious
sectors but also for community cultural policy. concern of governmental
organizations, businesses, groups policy.
and individuals across the city.
This allows local policy to be developed City has developed an online survey in
from the standpoint of improving response. The format is intended to be
well-being, rather than considering engaging, and allows people to better
well-being only once economic policy understand various aspects of their
objectives have been met. It combines well-being and compare their results
economic and non-economic objectives to those of others who have taken the
into a single framework and permits the survey. The survey will target a number
potential economic and social benefits of community organizations across
of well-being policy to be identified. the city to ensure that people who
would otherwise not participate in the
Better well-being is associated with
measurement process are reached.
better health, socialization and higher “The Happy City Index can
productivity, while ‘city livability’ is Demographic differences may mean move us towards a single
an increasingly important criterion for that policy makers will have to consider common measure that every
companies deciding where to invest. different well-being factors when agency — public, private
promoting well-being in different areas or business — can sign up
To reap benefits, local well-being
of the city. to and measure its success
policy needs to be made across
departmental boundaries and from The Bristol pilot was performed on a against. Using this as a
a long-term perspective. It is not small scale, and its main finding was common benchmark, we have
enough to look at the obvious, direct that certain factors have a much bigger a powerful tool for joining up
connections between a given policy impact on people’s well-being than public services and driving real
area and well-being. Policy makers need others. Identifying these city-level public-sector reform that can
to understand the various pathways factors can help policy makers set be used all over the country
through which their work affects priorities for service provision when and beyond.”
people’s well-being. resources are limited. — Paul Taylor
Head of the Executive Office
A larger-scale pilot study will reveal Bristol City Council
The challenges of factors that make a difference on a
implementation neighborhood or street level. This can
Collecting representative data on certain help determine specific interventions to
demographic groups — 16–24-year-olds improve well-being.
and minority communities — proved For more information, see
difficult. It is important to ensure a www.happycity.org.uk/content/happy-
representative sample, and Happy city-index.
External Internal
Factors Factors
Secure income Positive emotion
Good work Autonomy
Local business Competence
Experienced well-being
Drivers of well-being
Sustainability Meaning
Formal learning Resilience
Informal learning Optimism
ENJ
OY
EDUCATION ME
WORK
PU
Vitality
E
RPOS
Physical activity
Healthy lifestyles Bodily awareness
Physical health HEALTH
Mental health Appreciation
BO
DY Peace of mind
M IN D Flow
R E AT
PLACE CULTURE
PS
L
HI
Good homes
TY
IO N S
CO
Public spaces
NI
M Connection
Transport MU
Social activity
Equality Intimacy
Participation Belonging
Cultural vibrancy Trust
Social isolation Altruism
Method
The inventory of programs and services The benchmarking Opportunities were grouped into
was created through a series of results were those already in process, those worth
workshops with the leadership of each included in service pursuing and those not to be pursued.
Regional department, interviews with profiles of each A workshop identified the five top
Council members and a review of key Regional opportunities for deeper analysis,
corporate documents (budget, financial department. which KPMG in Canada then
statements, operational plans, etc.). An conducted.
online survey was also used to ask
the public what services were
important to them.
Input, output and impact about how much money is given to a management — or they are seen as
measures school or how many teachers that pays subjective. The measurement of the
for and the effect on exam results, but we ‘impact’ of a program is often far more
It is increasingly recognized that the may not consider how these factors affect subjective than the direct inputs and
choice of key performance indicators the students’ well-being and prospects. outputs. Determining the impact may
(KPIs) often reflects what matters to also require a degree of interpretation
individual program managers rather More often than not, the most
and may not be evident until months
than the goals of the funders or program important KPIs are unavailable, or
or years after the management action
recipients. For example, we may care cannot be directly altered by program
is taken.
It is therefore important to understand the distinctions between input, output and impact KPIs.
Pathways of change and For example, a program to encourage pathway based on the theory of change.
timeframes companies to switch to low-emission The theory stipulates that several
vehicles (LEVs) may measure the steps, both sequential and parallel, are
Some stakeholders will be more number of LEVs introduced to the city. required in order to achieve change.
interested in inputs (e.g. finance The study may also quantify how many As completing these steps takes
departments, politicians), some in high-emission vehicles (HEVs) were time, it isn’t possible to assess directly
outputs (e.g. program managers, press) replaced and seek to determine how and quickly whether the final desired
and some in impacts (e.g. program many of the new LEVs were introduced change is going to be achieved. Instead,
beneficiaries, community groups, as a direct result of the program. measuring certain proxy factors along
healthcare and education providers). More difficult would be measuring a an outcomes pathway can provide some
When choosing which measures to change in air quality, illness related assurance that the actions being taken
report, it is important to consider who to air quality, and associated cost are leading to the final change.
will want the information and when. The savings from a reduction in illness, and
Constructing an outcomes pathway is
nature of modern government means clearly attributing those changes to the
an approach to defining all the building
that many stakeholders want information program.
blocks required to bring about a long-
on the progress of a program before its The diagram on the next page is a term goal.
real impacts have been felt. This leads to very simple example of an outcomes
an overreliance on output KPIs.
3
4
Total number of
new LEVs on the
road in the period 5 6
Net change in
particulate
Number of LEVs emissions
Reduction in
1 2 introduced as a healthcare
direct result of costs
program Reduction in
Funding Program adverse
is allocated operates health impact
Improved
Number of HEVs
well-being
removed from the
and human
road in the period
Reduction in capital and
particulate health
emissions
Number of HEVs
retired as a direct
result of the
program
Inputs Outputs
Impacts
The pathway shows how the input of are further beyond the control of the is taken, the more accurately it will
allocated funding allows the program to program manager and therefore often determine whether the desired impact
operate (column 1). harder to demonstrate. has been achieved.
Operational activities then produce Obtaining reliable data becomes There is some overlap between output
outputs (column 2) such as number more challenging the further along the and impact KPIs because stakeholders
of advertisements placed or people outcomes pathway an impact occurs, or program managers tend to consider
reached with respect to the program. and it also becomes more difficult to factors that are under their direct
Column 3 shows the impact of the attribute changes to the program itself control, the quantity of resources that
example program, and columns 4, 5 because external influences will come can be allocated to measurement and
and 6 show subsequent impacts. Each into play. At the same time, the further the timeframe over which the program
successive column shows impacts that along the pathway a measurement is measured. The lower the level of
control and the shorter the timeframe, supported LEVs, column 3 would If there is limited appetite or resources
the closer to the beginning of the show outputs (because the program to measure impact, construct an
pathway the chosen KPIs will be. manager would have much more control outcomes pathway and find more
over the number and type of vehicles measurable KPIs that will have a positive
If the program were an advertising
purchased) and the impacts would occur impact on the program goal.
campaign to encourage businesses
in column 4 (air quality) and column 5
to purchase LEVs, for example, the The four-step approach below outlines
(health).
output KPIs (such as the number of what needs to be considered when
advertisements placed) would occur Key message measuring the sustainability of a
in column 2 and the impact would be program.
shown in columns 3 and, potentially, 4. When planning what to measure about
If the program were instead a long-term the sustainability of a program, consider
market intervention to provide financial how to measure the impact of an action,
incentives to purchase government- not just the outputs that arise from it.
KPMG’s top tips — Be transparent about how reported — Be transparent about areas for
measures are defined and calculated. improvement and feed this learning
— Communicate progress to
back into all related programs.
stakeholders, including inputs, — Use a combination of quantitative
outputs and impacts. and qualitative information to tell the — Verify the data and reported
story of the activities. information.
Regularly examine what sort of data is being gathered and whether it fits the purpose.
Using available data instead of
Find out where the data goes instead of assuming that because it has always been
needed data
collected it must have a use.
Presenting data in Per capita, per family, per journey and similar units of measurement are often far more
inappropriate units useful than a total, even if they are only averages.
Examining data at too high or Consider whether stakeholders are interested in city-wide statistics or much more
too low a level local metrics.
Drawing incorrect, misleading Unless specifically asked to draw conclusions, it is often best to let the stakeholders
or biased conclusions on come to their own conclusions and to include appropriate caveats that explain any
behalf of the stakeholder assumptions that have been made.
Making incorrect assumptions Determining how the stakeholder will react to and use the data is important. Users can
about users’ understanding have different levels of familiarity with and understanding of the data.
Mistaking the level of Although it is important to be as transparent as possible, it is also necessary to be careful.
confidentiality Consider what can be released, and do not assume everything is confidential all the time.
Mean, modal and median averages can be powerful tools, but sometimes the range and
Applying inappropriate
distribution of data points tell the most important story, such as income distribution or
averages
equality metrics.
Expecting greater certainty Seeking a suitable or ‘good enough’ level of confidence in the data may make better use
than is possible of resources than seeking perfect data.
KPMG insight
Human
Natural
Natural
Manuf
Manuf
Manuf
Social
Social
Social
Econ
Econ
Econ
Intel
Intel
Intel
Integrated Reporting
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Provides a recognized framework
to categorize the values created − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − − −
or destroyed by programs and
services
True Value
+ + + + + + + + + +
Offers a method and IR to
calculate the relevant values − − − − − − − − − − −
2
For more information, go to www.kpmg.com/truevalue
The experiences of the cities described in this report suggest some key questions that any city should consider when
planning next steps.
Acknowledgments
KPMG’s Global Sustainability and Cities practices worked with stakeholders from
around Bristol to produce the initial version of this module of The future of cities.
The case studies are written by those involved in sustainability work. The rest of the
paper is written by KPMG based on insights from helping organizations measure their
sustainability for more than 20 years. For further information, contact:
Joanna Killian
Partner, Local Government, Public Sector and Health
KPMG in the UK
joanna.killian@kpmg.co.uk
Stephen Beatty
Americas and India Head of Global Infrastructure
Head of Global Cities practice
KPMG in Canada
sbeatty@kpmg.ca
Alan Mitchell
Executive Director, Global Cities practice
KPMG in Canada
amitchell@kpmg.ca
We would also like to thank Mike Zeidler and Sam Wren-Lewis of the Happy City
Index, Alex Minshull and Mark Leach of Bristol City Council, and Grant Patterson of the
International Integrated Reporting Council.
Without their contributions, this paper would not have been possible. The authors wish
to thank the faculties of the University of Bristol and University of the West of England
for their contributions to the section on measuring the impact of programs and services.
Sander Grunewald
Senior manager KPMG Real Estate
T: +31 20 656 8447
E: grunewald.sander@kpmg.nl
kpmg.com/socialmedia kpmg.com/app
The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. Although
we endeavor to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that
it will continue to be accurate in the future. No one should act on such information without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination
of the particular situation.
© 2016 KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. Member firms of the KPMG network of independent firms are affiliated
with KPMG International. KPMG International provides no client services. No member firm has any authority to obligate or bind KPMG International or any
The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity.
other member
Although firm vis-à-vis
we endeavor thirdaccurate
to provide parties,and
nortimely
does information,
KPMG International
there canhave
be noany such authority
guarantee that suchtoinformation
obligate orisbind any member
accurate as of the firm.
date itAll rights reserved.
is received
The KPMGorname
that itand
willlogo
continue to be accurate
are registered in the future.
trademarks No one should
or trademarks act on such
of KPMG information without appropriate professional advice
International.
after a thorough examination of the particular situation.
Designed by Evalueserve.
© 2016 KPMG
Publication Advisory
name: N.V., registered
The future of cities: with the trade
measuring register in the Netherlands under number 33263682, is a member firm of the KPMG
sustainability
network of independent member firms affiliated wThe name KPMG and logo are registered trademarks of KPMG International.
Publication number: 133402-G
Publication date: April 2016