City Diagnostic Tool? Measuring Readiness for the New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals

The ‘City Scan’ is the core diagnostic tool of the UN Global Compact – Cities Programme. In 2017 it will be offered globally as an innovative collaborative platform for the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals delivery. An online survey covering 157 issue areas, the City Scan enables municipal governments to develop a holistic perspective of the challenges facing their city. Assessed through the lens of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact the results provide a valuable base from which to prioritize engagement with the community and plan action. This side event will explore the insights and lessons learnt from the 2015 Global City Scan pilot, which engaged 19 signatory cities. Aligned to the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, and integrating the Cities Programme’s cross-sectoral model, ‘City Scan II’ will be introduced. It engages government, private sector and civil society in the diagnostic assessment and response enabling a shared understanding of region-specific challenges and providing a foundation for Public Private Partnerships. Related standard focusing in sustainable and resilient infrastructure - SURE – developed by Global Infrastructure Basel will also be introduced. This side event will also launch the ‘Ethical Cities’ Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed by RMIT University and the UN Global Compact – Cities Programme for FutureLearn.