Indicator-based evaluation of sustainable transport plans: A framework for Paris and other large cities

•Construction of a flexible “framework” to evaluate the efforts to advance sustainability in a large cities.•Evaluation of the effectiveness of sustainable urban transport plans in Paris.•Assessment of the adequacy of existing evaluations of sustainable urban transport plans in Paris.

Using the City of Paris as a case study, this article makes a case for employing clear indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of sustainable urban transport plans. The article assesses the extent to which transport sustainability targets have been achieved, and whether the existing evaluations have been adequate. In addition to exploring the case study, the article addresses a meta-question: Which set of indicators is the most appropriate to evaluate transport sustainability achievements in a large and complex city like Paris? The flexible analytical framework constructed here can serve as an evaluation template for other, similar places.