# Sustainability Assessment on an Urban Scale: Context, Challenges, and Most Relevant Indicators
## 5 Conclusions  
To identify important themes and objectives that must be considered in any region to contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, this study analysed four well-known assessment tools for sustainable neighbourhoods: BREEAM-C (2012), LEED ND (2018), iiSBE SBTool(PT Urban (2018), and iiSBE SNTool, Minimum version (2020). The analysis investigated the indicators of the tools to identify the main issues and aspects that are important considerations for assessing the sustainability of neighbourhoods. The results provide a compact and, at the same time, comprehensive list of indicators that seeks to cover all relevant aspects of a sustainable urban environment, which is also aligned with SDGs and ISO standards for sustainable cities and communities. From the analysis, it is possible to conclude that most of the assessment methods share a similar definition in terms of urban sustainability since they are based on a similar set of sustainability indicators. However, the indicators with similar names may address different sustainability issues, and others with different designations may address similar sustainability issues. The comparison between the different lists of indicators shows that certain issues have a high importance. In contrast, others have lower importance and, therefore, could not be the focus of the design teams. The most relevant aspects and main issues included in the indicators that aim to be assessed are urban structure and form, transportation infrastructure, basic services availability, energy-saving measures, water-saving measures, resource efficiency, recycling and waste measures, ecosystems and landscapes, land use and infrastructure, outdoor environmental quality, employment and economic development, local and cultural identity, context, and vulnerabilities. This study presents minimum numbers of indicators with a high level of overlap among the selected tools to deliver the minimum requirements for urban sustainability objectives, which is briefly demonstrated by:  
* Preserving natural resources (energy, water, materials and waste, and natural habitats), using renewable resources as an alternative to non-renewable ones, and maintaining ecosystems and landscapes. These issues are the most important except for SNTool (Minimum version) and BREEAM-C;
* Urban planning strategies, in which urban structure and form, quality of the outdoor environment, land use and infrastructure, efficient connectivity and public transportation services, and quality public spaces are all advocated in the reviewed urban sustainability assessment methods, with less importance given by SNTool (Minimum Version). On the other hand, adaption to climate change, which is crucial for the sustainability of urban areas, is not given enough attention in any of the assessment tools, except for the SNTool (Minimum version) and BREEAM-C.
* Social and economic well-being cover relevant issues to improve the local economies, community involvement, and the reinforcing of cultural identity. All tools address these issues, except for the SNTool (Minimum version). Additionally, the provision of basic services has a lower importance in the SNTool (Minimum version) and BREEAM-C. Effective indicators will help to disclose and confirm the benefits of sustainable solutions and allow for an adaptive management approach that responds to changing conditions [17]. Additionally, for the harmonization of sustainability assessment systems, it is crucial to establish a common standard, accepted at the international level, which defines the most important urban sustainability indicators to address. The present study aims to raise awareness at the level of urban sustainability and contribute to a better understanding of sustainability concepts and the most important issues and indicators to be addressed by the design teams.