UBC Survey on Sustainable Development

The Baltic Cities Survey of Sustainable Development 2004/2005 is a monitoring tool for the UBC Agenda 21 Action Programme - Roadmap for Sustainable Baltic Cities. Twenty nine indicators used in the survey gave an overall picture of sustainable development in the UBC network.

The first round of the survey draws the baseline and a benchmark for the cities to improve their performance. The laborious and time consuming survey got a very high return rate, 72 % of the cities sent their sustainability data to UBC EnvCom Secretariat for a closer analysis. The survey shows that previous work with Local Agenda 21 is producing tangible results in the UBC member cities. For instance, with regard to Sustainable Management and Good Governance the UBC member cities are on the right track. Almost 80 % of the cities have already integrated sustainable development into their overall strategies. However, cities cannot reach the goal of sustainable development on their own. To be successful they need to mobilise citizens and stakeholders to co-operation, which is also the target of the UBC Agenda 21 Action Programme - Roadmap for Sustainable Baltic Cities.

The results in the field of Good Living Environment and Nature Protection suggest progress in the air quality and waste water management. Most UBC member cities have air quality above the European standards. Waste-water treatment is an established practice in the UBC cities.

The targets of Sustainable Use of Energy and Resources are still distant. UBC member cities are dependent on non-renewable energy. The share of renewable sources of electricity and heating is under 20 % of the total energy consumption in most cities. Majority of the cities recycle their waste to some extent, but most cities do not have data on recycling per waste fraction. Eight member cities do not even have plans to start recycling processes. As far as Sustainable Economy and Transport are concerned, there is a need to further develop public transport. Only 28 % of the member cities can provide easy access to public transport for the considerable majority of the inhabitants. Social Integration and Health is a somewhat problematic focus area. The answers of health issues are mainly based on the estimates.

The survey partners were Abo Akademi University and Turku Polytechnic. Also Wissenchaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung was involved in the process. The next rounds of the survey will take place in 2006/2007 and 2009.