Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog. Show all posts

Monday, 2 March 2020

Guelph Obtains WCCD’s ISO 37120 Certification at The Highest, Platinum Level

   

From L to R: WCCD VP James Patava, Guelph CAO Scott Stewart, WCCD CEO Patricia McCarney, City of Guelph Staff Tanya Baker, Jennifer Smith, Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie, City of Guelph Staff Jodi Sales & Stewart McDonough

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Friday, March 2nd, 2010
City of Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Today, the World Council on City Data (WCCD) Senior Leadership was in Guelph, Canada to present Guelph’s City Council and administration with WCCD ISO 37120 Platinum certification. This occasion sees Guelph join a rapidly growing global network of 100 cities worldwide, including almost thirty Canadian cities.

 “For the WCCD, welcoming Guelph to our Canadian and global network underscores the City’s commitment to harnessing standardized, globally comparable and independently verified city data,” stated WCCD President and CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney. “This certification emphasizes Guelph’s commitment to prioritizing data-driven decision making. It also reaffirms the City’s commitment to its citizens to make the best possible decisions to create a sustainable future for the community, while improving citizen services and quality of life. Congratulations Guelph! You have worked hard to receive this prestigious and highest level of certification.”

Guelph’s capacity for innovation and commitment to developing a vibrant and inclusive democracy is reflected in its reporting against 102 of ISO 37120’s 104 indicators, resulting in the highest possible level of certification. Guelph is positioned to continue delivering high-quality services to a growing population while maintaining a high quality of life.

“Receiving the Platinum certification confirms that we have the data and insights needed to make informed decisions for our community,” says Cam Guthrie, City of Guelph Mayor. “This is a moment to celebrate our commitment to open governance as we plan for Guelph’s future.”

 “The City has been working for the past few years to ensure we work in the open, to make public data available to the community, to make evidence-based decisions,” Scott Stewart, City of Guelph Chief Administrative Officer. “On behalf of the City, I’d like to thank our employees and community partners who worked collaboratively towards this certification, and the WCCD for creating a benchmark against which we can measure our process towards becoming future-ready.”

About the World Council on City Data 

The WCCD is the world’s leading expert in standardized, globally comparable, and independently verified, and usable city-data. Reporting on the WCCD’s “Made-in-Canada” ISO 37120 standard enables cities to harness data to become smarter, more sustainable, resilient, prosperous and inclusive. WCCD ISO 37120 certification allows cities to benchmark and share insights with other cities in Canada and globally across 19 themes and 104 indicators, focusing on city services and quality of life, spanning transportation to wastewater, and urban planning to finance.

For more information, please contact:

James Patava
VP Public Affairs, WCCD
James.patava@globalcities.ca

Monday, 5 February 2018

LA Mayor and WCCD CEO sign key agreement towards establishing LA-WCCD Local Data Hub

   
February 5, 2018
Los Angeles California

Today in Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti and Dr. Patricia McCarney, President and CEO of the World Council on City Data (WCCD) – located in Toronto, Canada - signed an MOU towards the establishment of the LA-WCCD Local Data Hub.

Patricia McCarney, WCCD President & CEO and Eric Garcetti,
Mayor of Los Angeles
“As a WCCD Foundation City, Los Angeles is part of a network of global cities committed to comparative high caliber city data. Los Angeles is a natural partner in helping to drive forward our shared agenda of harnessing standardized data to drive smarter, more sustainable, resilient, prosperous and inclusive cities. Locating one of the eight WCCD Local Data Hubs in Los Angeles City Hall, together with other leading cities from Dubai to Toronto to Buenos Aires, will help to drive forward progress on this key set of commitments,” stated Dr. McCarney. In addition to Mayor Garcetti, global city leaders such as Mayor John Tory of Toronto, the Secretary General of the Executive Council of Dubai, H.E. Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti and Mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta of Buenos Aires have stepped up to launch WCCD Local Data Hubs.

Beyond highlighting the importance of data-driven decision making at the city level, as well as the importance of global comparability as cities rise in importance internationally, Mayor Garcetti underlined his commitment to driving positive change at the city level while simultaneously driving global progress against the SDGs:  “Los Angeles can, should, and will lead in building the healthier and more prosperous world that we dream of for our children and grandchildren,” said Mayor Garcetti.

First certified in 2014, Los Angeles has achieved WCCD ISO 37120 Platinum Certification every year since joining the WCCD global network of cities. The WCCD has led the development of ISO 37120, the first international standard ever published for city level data. The LA-WCCD Local Data Hub will work towards building high calibre city data to drive progress on key local, national and global agendas. In addition to demonstrating LA’s commitment to data-driven decision making and sustainability, one initial priority of the LA-WCCD Local Data Hub will be to support the United Nations sustainability agenda by catalysing city-level tracking of progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The LA-WCCD Local Data Hub will leverage the set of 100 city indicators within WCCD’s ISO 37120 standard, which have been mapped across all 17 themes of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in a major report launched at United Nations Headquarters in July 2017 at a session hosted by the Office of the UN Secretary General on localizing the SDGs. Alongside the WCCD, Los Angeles is embracing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to serving as an example throughout California, the United States and globally.

For more information, please contact:
James Patava
james.patava@globalcities.ca


Monday, 31 July 2017

WCCD CEO and Governor of Niger State sign MOU to establish the Minna-WCCD Local Data Hub

   

Patricia McCarney (front row, left) signs the MOU towards the establishment of the WCCD-Minna Local Data Hub with Professor Abdul Husaini (front row right), alongside His Excellency Abubakar Sani Bello, the Governor of Niger State, Nigeria (second row, second from left), the Nigerian Consul General (second row, third from left) and members of his Cabinet at the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations in New York.
On Friday, July 28th, the WCCD President and CEO, Dr. Patricia McCarney, was in New York to sign the initial MOU towards establishing the Minna-WCCD Local Data Hub with His Excellency Abubakar Sani Bello, the Governor of Niger State, Nigeria.

The Governor, alongside several members of his Cabinet and the Nigerian Consul General to New York, stressed that the establishment of the Minna-WCCD Local Data Hub was the beginning of a new phase of the WCCD’s longstanding relationship with Minna, and that the Local Data Hub would be pivotal in helping create a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive Niger state. “My presence here in New York this morning, with some of my cabinet members and technical staff, is to show our complete support and commitment to the selection of Minna as one of the first eight WCCD Local Data Hubs,” stated Governor Sani Bello. “I look forward to working with the World Council on City Data, and [its] sister organization, the Global Cities Institute at the University of Toronto, to improve the capacity of my staff and train our ever enthusiastic youthful population.” The Governor went on to state that beyond the Hub’s initial mandate to help cities and communities throughout Niger State create a culture of data based on WCCD’s ISO 37120 standard, that eventually the momentum would carry further throughout Nigeria and West Africa. He underlined the importance of data in helping to not just build more sustainable communities, but also more resilient communities in light of recent flooding that resulted in loss of life.

The WCCD Local Data Hubs – launched at the United Nations on July 17th – are a global initiative that will drive the consolidation and collection of high calibre, globally comparable and standardized city data throughout the world. Through the implementation of WCCD’s ISO 37120 standard globally, cities are better equipped to direct and inform investment, as well as localise global agendas such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Dr. McCarney not only highlighted the WCCD’s longstanding relationship with Minna, and Niger State, but spoke about the evolution of this relationship through the establishment of the Minna-WCCD Local Data Hub. “Minna and Niger State have been long-term partners of the WCCD. As a WCCD Foundation City, Minna was essential in the effort to pilot ISO 37120, and moreover, was one of the first cities to commit to this ambitious undertaking. The establishment of a WCCD Local Data Hub in Minna will continue to drive this cooperation, and further catalyse action throughout the City, the State, Nigeria and the African Continent. The high calibre, standardized and internationally comparable data that is generated through this Hub will help to drive infrastructure investment, while helping to build sustainable and more resilient communities throughout Niger State.”


Dr. McCarney presents Governor Sani Bello with WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
The WCCD President and CEO also presented Governor Sani Bello with a copy of "WCCD City Data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals", which was launched at the United Nations in New York on July 17th. 

In addition to the WCCD and Nigerian delegations, the event was also attended by Mr. Amir Dossal,  Founder and President of the Global Partnerships Forum and Ms. Amy Gill, Local Governance Specialist - Responsive and Accountable Institutions Team, at the United Nations Development Programme UNDP.


Beyond Minna, Nigeria, the initial network of WCCD Local Data Hubs includes Johannesburg (South Africa), Makati (Philippines), Dubai (UAE), Los Angeles (USA), Haiphong (Vietnam), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Cambridge (Canada).  These cities are partnering with the WCCD to build ISO-certified city data to drive progress towards local, national and global agendas. The Local Data Hubs will focus on real action and results through four critical objectives: showcasing leadership, demonstrating results, catalyzing action and enabling city-to-city learning.



For more information, please contact:
James Patava

James.patava@globalcities.ca

Sunday, 16 October 2016

WCCD Foundation City Report #3: Boston, USA

   
#DATAFORCITIES  is a weekly publication of the WCCD that highlights a data point from each of the WCCD Cities – and, more importantly, shows how each city is harnessing standardized data to build the sustainable, prosperous, smart, resilient and inclusive cities of tomorrow.

Every week – and starting with the WCCD Foundation Cities for the next twenty weeks - a WCCD City will be profiled  with a short, 3 page snapshot and promoted throughout the week with innovative visualisations across Twitter (#dataforcities), Facebook and LinkedIn. 

A fully downloadable and shareable PDF of the profile can be found here. 

Previous reports can be found in the News and Updates section of the WCCD website




Friday, 7 October 2016

WCCD Foundation City Report #2: Melbourne LGA, Australia

   
#DATAFORCITIES  is a weekly publication of the WCCD that highlights a data point from each of the WCCD Cities – and, more importantly, shows how each city is harnessing standardized data to build the sustainable, prosperous, smart, resilient and inclusive cities of tomorrow.

Every week – and starting with the WCCD Foundation Cities for the next twenty weeks - a WCCD City will be profiled  with a short, 3 page snapshot and promoted throughout the week with innovative visualisations across Twitter (#dataforcities), Facebook and LinkedIn. 

A fully downloadable and shareable PDF of the profile can be found here. 

 Previous reports can be found in the News and Updates section of the WCCD website

For new subscribers, please feel free to sign up here!


Friday, 30 September 2016

WCCD Foundation City Report #1: London, UK

   
#DATAFORCITIES  is a weekly publication of the WCCD that highlights a data point from each of the WCCD Cities – and, more importantly, shows how each city is harnessing standardized data to build the sustainable, prosperous, smart, resilient and inclusive cities of tomorrow.

Every week – and starting with the WCCD Foundation Cities* for the next twenty weeks - a WCCD City will be profiled  with a short, 3 page snapshot and promoted throughout the week with innovative visualisations across Twitter (#dataforcities), Facebook and LinkedIn. 

A fully shareable PDF of the profile can be found here. 

For new subscribers, please feel free to sign up here! 





Tuesday, 2 August 2016

WCCD Cities Rank in Top 10 of EIU's Global Liveability Ranking 2016

   
Melbourne scores 97.5 out of 100 and ranks first.

Toronto scores 97.2 out of 100 and ranks fourth.

With such a small difference between Melbourne and Toronto, the WCCD uses ISO 37120 data to understand the results

Last week, three World Council on City Data (WCCD) Foundation Cities were included in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Global Liveability Ranking 2016, which according to the EIU “provides scores for lifestyle challenges in 140 cities worldwide.” Toronto, Melbourne and Helsinki, all ISO certified by the WCCD, ranked in the Top 10 of the well-publicised international city ranking. According to the annual index, Melbourne ranked as the number one city on the list with a score of 97.5 out of a possible 100, with Toronto coming in fourth place at 97.2. 

Toronto and Melbourne have always been regarded by leaders from both cities as close peer cities for comparative learning. With such a narrow difference between top-placed Melbourne and fourth placed Toronto, the WCCD has taken a closer look at what might account for the .3 difference and how liveability scores play out across WCCD ISO certified city data.




What does the WCCD ISO 37120 data tell us?

As a complement to the EIU’s Liveability Ranking, the WCCD has taken a closer look at what exactly separates Toronto and Melbourne, leveraging high-calibre, globally standardised data that conforms to ISO 37120 that both cities have reported to the WCCD on an annual basis.

Toronto and Melbourne are very closely matched across a number of ISO 37120 indicators related to city services and quality of life. Generally speaking, Toronto performs better on safety, and Melbourne performs better on jobs. However, quality of life indicators for both cities are remarkably similar.

Melbourne performs better than Toronto on Jobs:
· 
Jobs - Melbourne has 5% unemployment compared to Toronto with 9.5% and for youth unemployment Melbourne has 7.8% vs Toronto with 21.6 %

Toronto performs better than Melbourne on Safety and Shelter:

Safety - on safety indicators such as number of homicides (Toronto has 2.1 homicides per 100 000 vs. Melbourne at 8.18 per 100 000) and violent crime (Toronto has 986.9 per 100 000 vs Melbourne’s 2849.26), this despite the fact that Melbourne has a higher number of police officers than Toronto (253.8 vs 195.7 per 100 000)

Homeless - Toronto has fewer homeless people than Melbourne (395 vs 197 per 100 000 population)

Otherwise Toronto and Melbourne are closely matched

Both cities focus extensively on access to green space and planting trees - both cities provide similar green space for residents, critical for health and wellbeing (451.93 hectares for Melbourne and 445.67 for Toronto). Toronto has a higher number of trees planted with 3373 per 100 000 population compared to Melbourne’s 2640.68 per 100 000 population

Quality of education – a key measure of economic performance – is quite similar in both cities, through the lens of primary education student/teacher ratio, secondary school completion, number of higher education degrees.

On air quality (as measured by PM 2.5 - particulate matter in the air) both cities record similar air quality numbers: 7.4Цg/m3 for Melbourne and 8.96 Цg/m3 for Toronto.

Both cities have similar life expectancy: 83.5 in Melbourne and 83 in Toronto

In terms of gender representation in governance, Toronto slightly outperforms with 41.7% female elected officials, with Melbourne at 36.4%

What is the EIU Global Liveability Ranking? What is the WCCD ISO 37120 Data for Cities Initiative?

The EIU’s liveability survey includes 30 qualitative and quantitative factors across five categories which include: stability; healthcare; culture and environment; education; and infrastructure. For qualitative factors (which are the majority), each city is assigned a rating by a group of EIU analysts and in-city contributors, with each factor rated as acceptable, tolerable, uncomfortable, undesirable, or intolerable. Unlike the EIU survey which relies on subjective assessment by experts, WCCD’s ISO 37120 indicators are solely data-driven and independently verified, as well as globally standardized – allowing for apples to apples comparisons. Both Melbourne and Toronto have been ISO certified by the WCCD, based on reporting data in conformity with ISO 37120 – the first international standard on city data. 

 Other contrasting features: while the EIU draws on qualitative measures, the WCCD uses only numeric measures; while the EIU data and methodologies are not open to the public, the WCCD data is reported on an open data portal www.dataforcities.org; within the EIU’s methodology, it is unclear as to which geographic boundaries are used to demarcate each city - WCCD cities are defined according to official administrative jurisdictional boundaries—for example, for the City of Melbourne this means the area of 37.7km2 within the municipal boundaries rather than the larger urban area that may be commonly referred to as “Greater Melbourne”.


For more comparative data on over 25 cities from around the world, visit the WCCD homepage at www.dataforcities.org.

For more updates from the WCCD, please sign up to our mailing list here, and don’t forget to follow the WCCD on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Thursday, 10 December 2015

World Council on City Data Statement on Climate Change Mitigation

   
The World Council on City Data (WCCD) has been closely following the events at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris. Moreover, with a new pledge between major global cities to be delivered to the United Nations Secretary-General, the WCCD wholeheartedly supports this development and underlines the importance of standardized city data in setting goals and targets for the future and in monitoring and measuring progress towards those commitments. As a signatory to the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA) forthcoming “Paris Action Statement”, the WCCD fully supports city-led climate change mitigation targets.  

As cities represent about 55% of the global population and are responsible for around 75% of carbon emissions, they are strategically positioned to take effective climate action.  City mayors worldwide are setting ambitious objectives and plans for the reduction of emissions, and taking action on multiple fronts under their responsibility. Many seek to achieve 80% reductions in GHGs by 2050 or even achieve net zero emissions. 

To this end, the WCCD supports city-led initiatives that include:

High caliber city level data driving investment in the future of cities  – specifically the use of ISO   37120, the first international standard for sustainable cities

Targeted infrastructure investment to expand public transportation and create low-carbon mobility         solutions 

The scaling of local renewable energy production and improving energy efficiency in buildings

The expansion and innovation of sustainable waste management practices

Plans to encourage smart, compact growth and limit urban sprawl

Coordination and collaboration with the private sector to support innovative, data driven solutions

The WCCD supports the work of cities worldwide in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, by identifying and disseminating data-driven solutions for cities, and global city learning through the exchange of best practices. As a global leader on standardized urban metrics, the WCCD will continue to work with cities around the world – as well as its international network of partners – to promote a future for cities that is sustainable, resilient, efficient and prosperous. 

The ISO 37120 standard not only supports the reporting of comparable GHG emissions data, but also enables data-based bench-marking and best practice sharing between cities in key climate mitigation and adaptation solution areas. These areas include: energy, transportation, water, waste, urban planning and public health.

The WCCD calls upon all cities to begin taking action on climate change, and re-states its commitment to become the preeminent, global body for standardized city data. This data, will be essential in mitigating the effects of climate change and re-shaping the future of cities (and countries) worldwide. 

Friday, 28 August 2015

From the President & CEO: From MDGs to SDGs - Now a Dedicated Global Goal for Cities

   

Dear Colleagues,

On Sunday, August 2nd 2015, UN Member States reached an agreement on the draft outcome document “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” that will constitute the New Sustainable Development Agenda and which will be formally adopted by UN member states in New York this September.

The 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that replace the previous Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are presented in the document. As you will see, whereas in the past, cities were not represented specifically in the MDGs, now, in the new SDGs, one of the 17 Goals for the new 2030 Agenda is dedicated to addressing cities – “Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”

As this important new document moves forward in the UN, the Global Cities Institute at the University of Toronto and its near decade of work in building globally standardized indicators for cities, culminating in the 2014 publication of the first ISO Standard for Cities – ISO 37120 – becomes a strategic partner for governments worldwide to set specific city targets and build globally standardized data to inform progress in achieving SDG Goal 11. ISO 37120 becomes a critical tool for tracking progress on Goal 11 and the Global Cities Institute and its partner organization – the World Council on City Data (WCCD) – are now working with the first 100 cities globally to be ISO 37120 certified, therein building a global open data platform to inform building more sustainable, resilient, inclusive and prosperous cites.

This is an exciting time for cities, academia, all levels of government, corporate partners and international organizations worldwide, and we look forward to working with all of you as dedicated colleagues in this global effort.

Yours sincerely,
Patricia