Sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the environmental, social and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. With a growing population and increasing demands placed on the planet, it is one of the biggest challenges facing the world today and the subject of much debate by politicians and business leaders. In the end, though, many of the concrete actions to build a sustainable future are made at the local community level by the citizens themselves, and this is what ISO 37101 has been designed to support.
ISO
37101 sets out the broad principles (referred to in the standard as “purposes
of sustainabilityâ€) of what a community may wish to achieve with a sustainable
development strategy, such as responsible resource use, preserving the
environment and improving the well-being of citizens. In addition, it requires
communities to take into account sustainability issues such as governance,
empowerment, education, health and mobility, which will help to define its
sustainable development objectives.
ISO
37101 is a management system standard (see box on opposite page for more
information). It sets out the steps a community needs to take in order to
achieve its sustainable development goals, such as creating an action plan,
allocating responsibilities and measuring performance. Like other management
system standards, it is also based on the continual improvement principle,
which means users are required to regularly adjust their objectives and
strategy to ensure they are constantly moving forward.
ISO
37101 provides a common language and methodology for all those who interested
in meeting the urgent and growing need for smart, sustainable and resilient
cities and communities. The standard does not impose a specific vision for a
sustainable city and it can be used for both large and small cities in
developed and developing countries. It encourages exchanges on a mutually
agreed, internationally recognized basis between stakeholders in urban projects
of any type.
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