Introducing and Measuring Sustainable Development Initiatives by Local Authorities in Canada and Flanders (Belgium) A Comparative Study

In this paper we examine how Canadian and Flemish municipalities manage and measure sustainable development initiatives. First, we present information on how Canada, Belgium and its Flemish region introduce sustainable development initiatives at the federal and regional levels of government. The introduction at municipal level of impact assessment systems, indicator and monitoring systems, and sustainability reporting systems is discussed in general, followed by a comparison of specific case studies. In Canada, we selected the municipalities of Ottawa, Hamilton-Wentworth and Vancouver and in Flanders, the municipalities of Hasselt, Gent and Leuven. For each case study, we considered the following evaluation criteria: introduction of a long-term vision for a sustainable future; development of goals, targets and indicators; measurement of indicators; involvement and information of the local population; introduction of impact assessment and reporting systems. The discussion section deals with differences in the approach to managing and measuring sustainable development initiatives in Canada and Flanders. This study shows that sustainable development is not yet widely practised at the local level in Canada and Flanders, but Canadian municipalities have more experience with planning processes and vision development, measurement systems and public involvement. The Flemish municipalities were more inclined to go along with international campaigns dealing with local sustainability and take strong sustainable development actions which were not integrated in broader sustainable development policies.