D3.1.4_MED_Passport and KPIs

The majority of the world’s population (55%) has been concentrated in large urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 68% by 2050 (UN, 2018). At the same time, although cities account for less than 2% of the Earth's surface, they consume 78 % of the world's energy and produce more than 60 % of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and 70% of global waste, (UN Habitat), being both a challenge for global sustainability and a tool for its solution.
In the Mediterranean region, two thirds of the population live in urban areas, while by 2050, it is predicted that the urban population will grow to around 170 million in the countries on the northern shore and to over 300 million to the south and east. Currently, northern Mediterranean countries use more energy and have higher CO2 emissions than south-eastern countries, a trend that is expected to be reversed by 2040 by improving energy efficiency, exploiting renewables etc. Most global climate models project that the Mediterranean basin will be particularly sensitive to rising GHG concentrations and thus, vulnerable to climate change, which means that cities in the south and north Mediterranean will need to adapt existing infrastructure and build new ones.
The Sustainable MED Cities project, aims to provide an easy to use, harmonized methodology and open source tools to support Mediterranean municipalities in the assessment, planning and overall decision-making process for selecting the best sustainable renovation strategies that increase the quality of the built environment. The holistic assessment focuses on energy and GHGs emissions, and other environmental vectors like economic and social indicators. The tools are used to set common targets and to measure the overall progress in terms of key sustainability issues and decarburization efforts at different scales (i.e. building, neighbourhood and city). The common method and tools will be available in different languages, with their assessment and rating approach contextualized to national (local) needs and priorities.
The approach taken in this work utilizes the CESBA MED system (CESBA MED Project – SBTool assessment system) that was developed as a generic framework, which includes an “exhaustive” list of sustainability indicators that cover all relevant themes, given that there is still no consensus on a specific number or types of indicators. In addition, some new indicators are included in order to address the priorities of the new partner cities in the MENA region. The resulting comprehensive database includes different performance indicators from which to select the ones that meet local priorities and needs, or best fit the project intent.