Environmental, social and economic information management for the evaluation of sustainability in urban areas: A system of indicators for Thessaloniki, Greece

The use of indicators constitutes internationally an important tool for assessing the progress achieved towards sustainable development. Measuring the sustainability in urban areas – which are crucial engines of local socio-economic development, but at the same time present concentration points of environmental decay – is a major challenge for environmental managers and decision-makers. This paper aims at the development and utilisation of a system of indicators as a dynamic tool for the management of environmental, social and economic information in order to evaluate sustainability in urban areas. In this context, guidelines for the system’s development and use are proposed, together with a suggestion for its communication among local stakeholders. An application of this system is demonstrated through a case study using the Greater Thessaloniki Area, Greece, a domain with considerable socio-economic development, which is also encountering significant environmental pressures.

Research highlights
► System of indicators for the Greater Thessaloniki Area, Greece.
► Guidelines for the development and use of a set of indicators.
► Important tool for decision makers in urban areas.
► Accurate, reliable, bias-free and scientifically robust set of indicators.