Citizen Perspective on the Development of Sustainability Indicators—A Case Study based on the West Bund, Shanghai

Abstract

Sustainability indicators are essential technical tools for monitoring and managing sustainable urban development. The challenge of developing sustainability indicators in the urban context lies in the lack of a participatory approach that integrates the bottom-up perspective of citizens. Therefore, taking the 14th Five-Year Plan development indicators in the West Bund of Shanghai as the case study, this paper provides policy recommendations for the readjustment and iteration of the local indicators for the Xuhui District Government by identifying the local citizens’ viewpoints and investigating its differences with the policymakers’ views. Totally ten local participants were involved in the structured interviews. Holistically, the perspective of local citizens presents the features of actively intervening in community governance, prioritising community benefits, and trusting the decision-making of local policymakers. This paper then argues that policymakers in a dominant position with preferences in economic indicators should take the initiative to provide an increase in facility-based indicators, effective feedback channels, and professional training in sustainability for local citizens in a secondary position who focus on the improvement of their living experience. The outcomes contribute to the materialisation of the West Bund’s governance goals and the further refinement of integrated solutions for sustainability indicator development.