By 2050 nearly 70 % of the world population will live in cities. At the same time, the number of people over 65 will have increased by 183 % compared to 2010.

 

Rapidly ageing cities have wide implications. We need to make sure that we have the right infrastructure in place, including health services and facilities, transportation, street accessibility and technology for an older population.

 

We also need to introduce measures to ensure economic productivity and governance, particularly important as cities are responsible for over 70 % of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). This involves measures that ensure a sufficient youthful workforce, income and housing security, pensions and government funding, among others.

 

Governments can use city indicators to help them evaluate cities to identify what needs changing and introduce the right policies for the future.

 

ISO 37120 gives standardized city indicators to help make our cities better so that we can be ready for the future.

Areas covered by ISO 37120: Economy；Education；Energy；Environment；Finance；Fire and emergency response；Governance；Health；Recreation；Safety；Shelter；Solid waste； Telecommunications and innovation；Transportation； Urban planning； Wastewater； Water and sanitation.