ISO 37104:2019

This document provides guidance on how to implement and maintain a management system for sustainable development based on ISO 37101 principles, specifically in the context of cities, but applicable to other forms of settlement.

This document:

• provides guidance for practical implementation of a management system for sustainable development in cities and other settlements, based on ISO 37101;
• establishes a methodological framework for the systematic evaluation of the sustainable development schemes and achievements in the city or other settlements, based on the cross-analysis of the six purposes of sustainability and the 12 areas of action of ISO 37101;
• illustrates how other International Standards can be used to support successful implementation of ISO 37101, including, in particular, ISO 37120 (which recommends a suite of city indicators mapped against the six purposes of ISO 37101) and ISO 37106 (which provides practical guidance on how to implement joined-up delivery and innovation across organizational boundaries within the city or settlement).

This document is intended for organizing bodies, decision-makers, executive officers and managers in cities – usually, in the first instance, the relevant local governments.

This document is intended to help cities become more sustainable, through the implementation at city level of strategies, programmes, projects, plans and services referred to in this document as schemes (see Note 1 and 3.7). It also provides a platform to help demonstrate and communicate their commitment, progress and achievements.

NOTE 1 In this document, the term scheme is used to cover strategies, programs, projects, plans and services.

NOTE 2 The guidance can be used for city-wide strategies, but also, potentially, for some sector-specific schemes at a city level.

This document is applicable to a range of types and scales of communities: cities, towns, villages or other kinds of human settlements with defined boundaries.

NOTE 3 In this document, the term city refers to cities, towns, villages or other kind of human settlements with defined territorial boundaries and administrative authority.

The approach is in line with other deliverables developed by ISO/TC 268 and ISO/TC 268/SC 1 that could be identified as the ISO 371XX family.

This document can be used in whole or in part to establish or systematically improve a community-based sustainable development management system. It provides additional operational instructions and examples regarding ways of meeting the 37101 requirements.