Sustainability Indicators and Urban Decision-Making: A Multi-Layer Framework for Evidence-Based Urban Governance

Source abstract

The increasing complexity of contemporary urban systems necessitates decision-making frameworks capable of systematically integrating multidimensional sustainability considerations into policy evaluation processes. While existing urban sustainability assessment approaches predominantly focus on isolated environmental or socio-economic indicators, they often lack methodological coherence and direct applicability to operational decision-making. This study proposes a multi-layer sustainability indicator framework explicitly designed to support evidence-based urban decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, institutional constraints, and competing policy objectives. The framework integrates environmental, economic, social, and institutional dimensions of sustainability into a structured decision-support architecture. Methodologically, the study employs a two-stage approach combining expert-based weighting techniques (Analytic Hierarchy Process and Best–Worst Method) with multi-criteria decision-making methods (TOPSIS and VIKOR) to evaluate and rank alternative urban policy scenarios. The proposed framework is empirically validated through an urban case study, demonstrating its capacity to translate abstract sustainability indicators into comparable decision outcomes and policy priorities. The results indicate that the integration of multi-layer indicator systems with formal decision-analysis tools enhances transparency, internal consistency, and strategic coherence in urban governance processes. By bridging the gap between sustainability measurement and decision implementation, the study contributes to the advancement of urban governance scholarship and provides a replicable analytical model applicable to cities facing complex sustainability trade-offs.