The Reference Framework for Sustainable Cities (RFSC) online tool promoted by the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) is designed to support cities to plan and assess actions regarding their potential impact on the SDGs. It is an online self-assessment tool that helps cities to analyse, design, implement and monitor integrated sustainable urban development strategies and/or projects. Cities can review and assess their priorities in light of European and Global frameworks, and develop a set of actions and a monitoring system linked with the objectives of integrated and sustainable urban development.
SDGs Priorities and Gaps analysis
Carrying out an SDGs Priorities and Gaps analysis using the RFSC tool consists in two basic steps:
- Rate how much each SDG is prioritised in the local context, giving a score from 1 (low) to 4 (high) for each goal.
- Assess how local actions currently contribute to the different SDGs and rate their estimated impact, from 1 (insignificant) to 4 (major). Potential negative impact can also be measured from -1 (insignificant) to -4 (major), taking into account possible trade-offs.
The result of the self-assessment is a shared view on how the current priorities match (or not) existing actions. The priorities and actions can for example be found in existing strategies and plans, or can be analysed for a single project. In cases where the priority is high, but actions are not seen as impactful, there is a “gap” (see the image below).
The visuals produced by the self-assessment provide a powerful way to trigger discussions among local stakeholders around a complex issue.