1. Indicators for Climate Neutral
Urban Districts?
Louise Årman, PhD Candidate
e-mail: larman@kth.se

2. Indicators – What and Why
• Indicators is a communication tool that simplifies complex
issues and making them accessible to a wider audience
• Indicators tells part of a story in a complex reality, but need the
bigger picture to be relevant
• Facilitate communication and decision making with different
stakeholders with different frames and intentions
• Good indicators should aid the target groups to understand a
complex problem
In order to do so they at least need to be;
- Relevant
- Truthful
- Comprehensible
Source: Stanners et. al.,
2007; Stevens, 2007

3. Audience – In development of
Indicators and in there Use
• Indicators have long been seen as a technical fix,
with deciding on indicators and data collection
• More attention has lately been drawn to the
development process itself
• There is a need for different types of indicators
communicating both simple metrics and aggregated
information and this must be agreed upon
Source: e.g. Rydin et.
al., 2003; Holden,
2006; Swedish EPA,
2002

4. Examples of General Criteria for
Indicator Selection
• Clearly defined and scientifically representable
• Responsive to target goals and audience
• Data available
• Numerically measurable
• Spatially and temporally comparable
Source: e.g. Shen et. al.,
2013, Brown, 2009, EEA,
• Cost-effective 2005

5. Typology Use within EEA
• Descriptive Indicators
- Answers the question “What is Happening?” e.g. total CO2 emissions
• Performance Indicators
- Answers the question “Are the targets being meet?” Indicators that is
related to target values
• Efficiency Indicators
- “Is there improvement within the area?” e.g. are we lowering
emissions/vehicle km
• Policy Effectiveness Indicators
- “Are the measures working?” Refers to indicators related to policy
making and relations to actions taken and real outcome.
• Total Welfare Indicators
- “Are we on the whole better of?” Indicators that connect to
sustainability.
Source: Stanners et. al., 2007

6. Indicator Frameworks in Use, an
example, the DPSIR Framework
Technical
improvements
in cars
Population
growth
• Describes and show
Responses connections between
Drivers
different types of
Increased CO2
indicators
emissions
•The framework can
be a valuable tool in
Pressures the process of
Impact indicator selection
Higher average
State temperature
Concentration
of CO2 in the Source: Adapted from EEA, 2003
atmosphere

7. Indicator Sets in Use - Some
Examples
• EEA have developed core set of indicators within different areas
such as energy, transportation and climate change. Consists of 37
indicators which are regularly updated
• The Covenant of Mayors, a voluntary commitment by local and
regional authorities to fight climate change. The objective is to
reach and exceed the EU objective of 20 % CO2 reduction by 2020
Main target areas are buildings, urban transport and equipments
• The City of Whistler have taken an holistic approach towards
sustainable development and climate actions
• The Project Sustainable Seattle is one of the first indicators projects
that embraced the importance of stakeholder involvement within
the indicator process
Source: EEA, 2005; Covenant of
Mayors, 2010; Resort Municipality
of Whistler, 2007; Sustainable
Seattle 2012

8. Examples of Indicators and their
Relations
Sector EEA Core set of Place in the Type of Indicator
Indicators DPSIR
(examples) Framework
Climate Change Greenhouse gas Pressure Performance
emission trends indicator
Climate Change Global and State Performance
European Indicator
temperature
Energy Final energy Driving Force Descriptive
consumption by Indicator
sector
Energy Renewable Response Performance
electricity Indicator
consumption
Transportation Passenger Driving Force Descriptive
transport demand Indicator
Transportation Use of cleaner and Response Policy Effective
alternative fuels Indicator
Source: EEA

9. Challenges with Indicators
• A poorly developed indicator can guide in the wrong
direction
• Challenging to encapsulate complex information in
one metrics
• Can be challenging to find good and transparent data
• Overload of indicator sets available, does it really
matter?

10. Summary
• Well developed indicators can be an efficient
communication tool
• It exists several types of frameworks and indicator
sets
• Many of the indicators developed for climate actions
are similar
• Indicators can also pose many challenges and are
only part of the solution