Many cities in the world are suffering from an information crisis which is seriously undermining their capacity to develop and analyze effective urban policy. They have neither a sustained nor systematic appraisal of urban problems and little appreciation of what their own remedial policies and programs are in fact achieving. Existing tools for urban policy in both developing and developed countries have been largely inadequate in providing an overall picture of the city and how it works. How we anticipate, recognize, measure and interpret urban problems and how we respond to them in policy will determine the overall sustainability of human development.
Indicators can assist in analysing trends and in thinking systematically about impacts of policies.
They are powerful tools for clarifying values and informing decisions with regard to development planning. An indicator is a measure that summarizes information about a particular subject and may point to particular problems. It provides a reasonable response to specific needs and questions asked by decision and policy makers. Indicators show trends, provide quantitative and qualitative information, but they can be more than pieces of information if designed in response to well defined policy objectives. Policy-oriented indicators help prioritise and define targets.